Today is “Gaudete” Sunday - “Rejoice” Sunday - taken from the Latin first word of the Introit of the older rite of the Mass.
Today we rejoice because Advent - the time of preparation for Christmas - is half over - and our hearts are moved to quicken the pace of readiness - readiness for the arrival of Jesus in the stable of our hearts - this year - which will be unlike any other year!
The excitement of the nearness of the Lord is found in the first reading from Isaiah! “The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom.” All of creation senses the closeness of that which gives it life and being!: most especially - the highest form of creation: mankind!
Those who find themselves especially susceptible to the weakening and even debilitating effects of original sin take courage and rejoice as well - they have a new sense of confidence - they feel stronger! They know that soon the blind will see, the deaf will hear and the lame will leap and the mute will sing - of the glory of God!
In the gospel passage, Jesus identifies himself as the one who was prophesied in Isaiah! And not only did he give sight to the blind, make the lame walk, the deaf hear and the mute speak - but he also made lepers clean and raised the dead. Jesus makes it clear that his role is not one of political sovereignty or judgment, as expected by the people of Israel, but rather as one of blessing and healing for the needy and the poor!
Jesus concludes the passage by hailing his precursor as one of the greatest men in human history! John the Baptist was indeed a great prophet - for he literally announced and pointed Jesus out to the people - Jesus, the long-awaited Messiah! And yet, Jesus says that the least born into the kingdom of God - the least purified by his blood on the cross - is greater than he. The Old Testament can only go so far - and then, what is greater is that which comes from the blood of Christ shed for us all!
Rest assured that John the Baptist and all of the great personages of the Old Testament did gain entrance into the kingdom - but at the time that Jesus was speaking these words - as he had not yet given his life - the Old Testament still had to be fulfilled and transcended!
Christmas is not far off! The anniversary of the birthday of Jesus! There is much external preparation with the lights and the music - and this is important; but what is of equal import is the preparation of the place deep inside of us where we can experience the arrival of Jesus on Christmas Eve like never before! Let us decorate our hearts with garlands of special prayers, twinkling lights of special thoughts about others, and sweet sung music of things we are doing for others!
Lord, come and save us all!
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