John 1: 6-8, 19-28
The Word:https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121723.cfm
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O God, who see how your people
faithfully await the feast of the Lord's Nativity,
enable us, we pray,
to attain the joys of so great a salvation
and to celebrate them always
with solemn worship and glad rejoicing.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever.
(Collect of Mass)
I think one of the most beautiful things God has created is watching a little baby laugh. They may be responding to the smiling face of their parent, or maybe they’ve been tickled by a sibling, or maybe their older brother or sister has made a crumpled face and they respond with baby laughter. The very sound of it has an effect on us; we can’t help but smile or laugh ourselves. Normally, one might say: “Gee, what a happy baby.”
However, if one were to change the phrase a bit and say to the parents, “You have a joyful baby” it may sound odd. Our normal expression is the all inclusive word, "happy." In the scriptures we hear that when Mary visited her older cousin Elizabeth the baby in the womb of Elizabeth “leaped for joy.” There is a reason the mysteries of the Rosary are not referred to as the "happy" mysteries but the joyful ones. Our scriptures remind us that “joy” is something much deeper and more lasting. It touches our soul and is not dependent on external factors but on an interior conviction of our relationship with God in Christ Jesus.
Between global concerns in the call for war and conflict, the American political judgements and accusations, the many businesses that are challenged, our challenging health concerns, money woes, children who no longer participate in their faith, and the endless political battles between ideologies and candidates, what is there to be happy about? We all just want it to end.
St. Paul was no naïve preacher out of touch with reality or trying to be sarcastic. Jesus coming gave to humanity new hope rooted in a fuller revelation of God. We should rejoice always because we come to know that we are not just born into this world with no purpose or value. As beloved sons and daughters of a loving Father, whose heart is seen in Jesus, we are invited to share in the same divine life that Jesus enjoys with his Father. That personal encounter with God touches us in the soul and gifts us with the Spirit of joy as we know that God is in love with us and invites us to approach him in trust.
With God all things are brought together. The coming of Christ into the world meant, as John the Baptist reminds us, one who will share his Spirit with us and reconnect with humanity that had been separated by sin. So, joy in the deepest sense means that we accept God’s proposal in Christ. To live by the blueprint of Biblical values as members of his kingdom. The voice of John reminds us what is important and what will bring us closer to God. As Isaiah reminds us in the first reading as well to know that God will bring “glad tidings . . . healing . . . liberty” to those forgotten.
It's not riches and power that bring true joy but knowing that we are loved by God. Joy is not the numbing of pain, or the denial of real life problems but rather an inner conviction that God is always with us. We see this in the ministry of Jesus – his healing and teaching; his reaching out to the separated and shunned. In Christ we know we are not abandoned or forgotten by God. If we seek the good in all things, to follow in his Way, we know we are right with God despite opposition we might find, and all is balanced and as it should be. To know that is a call to go beyond emotion which is happiness and to enjoy a deeper sense of connection with God which brings joy. If that is our conviction, then we are able to “rejoice always.”
So, John the Baptist prepares us to hear this new perspective. As long as the prophets spoke among the people, they recognized the active presence of God among them. Although these prophets were all generally treated badly by authorities, still the common people felt that the position of a prophet of God was a significant sign of God’s faithfulness to his people. But for hundreds of years before the baptizer appeared, no one claimed that position.
John leads them through a process of elimination and finally says, “I am not the Christ, the prophet Elijah or THE prophet (Moses)” but his purpose is to point to one greater and say in essence: “There HE is.” This voice, as St. Augustine wrote, prepares us for the Word to come. This creates anticipation in the people and sets the stage for Jesus entrance. Such an event must have filled people with great joy hoping that now all things will be made right and their oppressors (the Romans) will be expelled and they will be free again.
Maybe this has not been an especially joyful year for you. You’ve been juggling concerns about health with limited finances. Humanity across the world is uniquely united on the hope for something better in the new year. Maybe adult children still haven’t returned to the practice of their early Catholic faith or it has been a tough year for grandparents and you’ve had to make some uncomfortable decisions about caring for them. Maybe life has just been more of a roller coaster than a smooth highway.
If we are convinced God lives among us and walks with us in our joys and sorrows. As St. Paul implies today God is with us “in all circumstances” we can rest in a joy rooted in God’s promise. This may be a time to identify what is lacking in my spiritual life; that I really haven’t connected much with God this past year. I’ve gone through the motions but never took the time to seek more. I’ve done nothing but complain about politics and been filled with fear.
The words of Pope Francis remind us of good news strong enough to give us a reason for hope. In his letter entitled The Joy of the Gospel our Holy Father writes: There are Christians whose lives seem like Lent without Easter. I realize of course that joy is not expressed the same way at all times in life, especially at moments of great difficulty. Joy adapts and changes, but it always endures, even as a flicker of light born of our personal certainty, that when everything is said and done, we are infinitely loved.” (EG, # 6).
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