Deacon Greg 12-15-19
Entrance Antiphon: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. (Phil 4: 4-5)
This is a time for rejoicing: It's Gaudete Sunday, which is the Sunday of JOY, not only because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent, but because there is a joyous anticipation that we’re almost there... And fulfilled promise is once again reminding us that a new part of us is about to be born!
Advent is a time Prayer & Penance in preparation, with an expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation of his second coming to judge the living and the dead. In a sense, the baby Jesus has already entered our lives in a way that calls us to grow... Grow to understand that in our adult faith, we must make adult decisions to stay prepared and ready for our call to Discipleship!
Let’s walk a quick journey through the Scripture from last week until now. Last Sunday John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.
Our call is to announce the same, and to point to Christ, and help others make the connection, with a STRAIGHT PATH, for as we all know, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line... Or as my Son in Law said, “That way you spend less time in the desert,” which does have merit. Why would we want to leave someone in the midst of a desert experience of faith, when we can help guide them home, where, as Isaiah prophesied in the First Reading, “They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song.”
So today, will you answer that call to bring joy to this world?
Remember, you’re more qualified and prepared than you think, and you have many great examples to follow.
MARY! Last Monday, we celebrated the The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, who was prepared from the start to welcome Christ into this world, and as the greatest Disciple of all, she said YES, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
JESUS, THE GOOD SHEPHERD! At Tuesday’s daily Mass, Jesus added another basic question: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?” OF COURSE!
And when you find them, Wednesday’s Gospel offered the invitation that all Christians can offer to those in need: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
THOSE WHO WERE VISITED! Thursday’s joyous Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe can offer us the reassurance that the response to a joyous visit can produce a joyous result. Juan Diego saw Mary, and we will forever see her as depicted in the Tilma, that familiar image of the Blessed Mother, or as Mary’s cousin Elizabeth proclaimed upon meeting her, “For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.”
Our visits, and sharing of the Good News, can bring the true joy of Jesus Christ, helping others, not only to meet their Lord, but to truly have him as part of their own lives!
JOHN THE BAPTIST: Which brings us back to today’s celebration of Guadete Sunday, and another look at St. John the Baptist, our Parish Patron and final example of how we can bring joy. As John pointed toe Christ in last week’s Gospel, Jesus points back to John asking all of us, “What did you go out to the desert to see? To see a prophet? - Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you. Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
So, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. (Phil 4: 4-5)... So let’s not to forget to share this joyous Good News!
This is a time for rejoicing: It's Gaudete Sunday, which is the Sunday of JOY, not only because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent, but because there is a joyous anticipation that we’re almost there... And fulfilled promise is once again reminding us that a new part of us is about to be born!
Advent is a time Prayer & Penance in preparation, with an expectation and hope surrounding our Lord’s first coming into the world and the anticipation of his second coming to judge the living and the dead. In a sense, the baby Jesus has already entered our lives in a way that calls us to grow... Grow to understand that in our adult faith, we must make adult decisions to stay prepared and ready for our call to Discipleship!
Let’s walk a quick journey through the Scripture from last week until now. Last Sunday John the Baptist appeared, preaching in the desert of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" It was of him that the prophet Isaiah had spoken when he said: A voice of one crying out in the desert, Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.
Our call is to announce the same, and to point to Christ, and help others make the connection, with a STRAIGHT PATH, for as we all know, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line... Or as my Son in Law said, “That way you spend less time in the desert,” which does have merit. Why would we want to leave someone in the midst of a desert experience of faith, when we can help guide them home, where, as Isaiah prophesied in the First Reading, “They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song.”
So today, will you answer that call to bring joy to this world?
Remember, you’re more qualified and prepared than you think, and you have many great examples to follow.
MARY! Last Monday, we celebrated the The Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, who was prepared from the start to welcome Christ into this world, and as the greatest Disciple of all, she said YES, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."
JESUS, THE GOOD SHEPHERD! At Tuesday’s daily Mass, Jesus added another basic question: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills and go in search of the stray?” OF COURSE!
And when you find them, Wednesday’s Gospel offered the invitation that all Christians can offer to those in need: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest.”
THOSE WHO WERE VISITED! Thursday’s joyous Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe can offer us the reassurance that the response to a joyous visit can produce a joyous result. Juan Diego saw Mary, and we will forever see her as depicted in the Tilma, that familiar image of the Blessed Mother, or as Mary’s cousin Elizabeth proclaimed upon meeting her, “For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy.”
Our visits, and sharing of the Good News, can bring the true joy of Jesus Christ, helping others, not only to meet their Lord, but to truly have him as part of their own lives!
JOHN THE BAPTIST: Which brings us back to today’s celebration of Guadete Sunday, and another look at St. John the Baptist, our Parish Patron and final example of how we can bring joy. As John pointed toe Christ in last week’s Gospel, Jesus points back to John asking all of us, “What did you go out to the desert to see? To see a prophet? - Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you. Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
So, Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near. (Phil 4: 4-5)... So let’s not to forget to share this joyous Good News!
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