Today’s liturgy opens with an antiphon that seems to explode, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.” This is why the Third Sunday of Advent is also known as Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday.
Joy is all over in today’s liturgical celebration. Even the ponderous purple color of Advent gives way to a lighter and brighter tone of rose. And the reason is clear: “The Lord is near.”
In the first reading, Isaiah exhorts the exiled Jews in Babylon to rejoice because the Lord is coming to set them free and bring them home. On that day, “the desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song…”
What a welcome message to us at a time when there seems to be little to rejoice about. We have barely recovered from the battery of super-typhoons, floods and earthquakes that battered our land in these past months. Our misery could have been mitigated and made bearable if not for the insatiable greed of those responsible for the trillion-peso flood-control projects that are not delivered. The socio-economic crisis triggered by the calamities and the scandal has now turned into a political one as some groups readily exploit the situation to destabilize the present order and advance their sinister agenda, whether political or ideological.
In the face of all this, the Church invites us not to lose hope but to trust that God will come. He is not far. And when he comes, he will turn our deserts into gardens and our mourning into joy. He will bring healing to our land and to our people. This is our sure hope and the reason why we rejoice.
In the second reading, St. James echoes the same assurance, “Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand.” He asks us to wait for the Lord patiently as the farmer waits for the rain. The farmer cannot force the rain to come; he can only wait. Likewise, God will surely come but in his own time. Interestingly, James exhorts the believers not to grumble against one another while waiting. Difficult times can be testing on our perseverance and make us turn inward. We can easily blame one another and become bitter.
This is an important and timely reminder for us as we strive to rid our society of corruption and embark on the work of rebuilding our nation. True, we need to sustain the momentum in our advocacy for good governance. But we cannot always be marching on the streets and shouting invectives. We cannot always be angry and combative.
We wish instant change, but we also know that haste makes waste. There are no short-cuts to authentic reform. We need to be patient with ourselves and with one another. More importantly, we need to engage everyone in the task of nation building.
We can start by building trust with one another. There is place for everyone in this noble project including those who may have had a contentious past but are now determined to change. Just as God accepts the repentant, we too should be open to reconciliation with former adversaries who are sincere in joining the cause. After all, God does not take any pleasure in the death of the erring. Rather, he wills that everyone turn from his former ways and live. (cf. Ez 18:23)
In the gospel, John the Baptist sends his disciple to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” To which Jesus replies, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.”
We do not know exactly the reason why John asks the question. Is he troubled by doubts about Jesus as he now languishes in prison and suffers the dark night of the soul? Or does he simply intend to lead the last of his followers to Jesus as he did with the apostles John and Andrew? Whatever the case may be, Jesus points to the scriptures for signs to validate his identity and mission. He is the Promised One who comes to bring healing, cleansing, life, and salvation. He is the reason for our great rejoicing.
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