REJOICING BEFORE THE LORD

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

Zeph 3:14-18; Isa 12; Phil 4:4-7; Lk 3:10-18

Rejoicing at the Presence of the Lord

The prophet Zephaniah’s prophecy of the coming of the Messiah is the first reading today, the third Sunday of Advent, traditionally known as the Sunday of Rejoicing or Chairete Sunday. The name is the Greek word for rejoicing. We light the pink Advent candle to show the rejoicing mood of the Church. Zephaniah prophesied during the same time as Jeremiah, before the fall of the kingdom of Judah and Jerusalem. Like Jeremiah, he warned the people of the wrath of God that was coming due to their social and religious corruption. The passage we read today is one of his clearest forecasts of the future coming of the Messianic kingdom, which will come when the Lord has punished the unfaithfulness of his people. “Shout for joy, daughter of Zion, Israel, shout aloud! Rejoice, exult with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has repealed your sentence; he has driven your enemies away. The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst; you have no more evil to fear.” The Lord would decree the punishment of the sins of the people of Judah and their king. After they suffer the punishment, the Lord will take back the kingdom that belongs to him by sending the Messiah he promised David and the people of Israel.

We find similar prophecies in both Isaiah and Jeremiah, and even the prophecy of Baruch last Sunday has the same content. The cause of the great rejoicing of the people on the day Yahweh will deliver them is his presence, which he would establish in their midst. “When that day, word will come to Jerusalem: Zion, have no fear, do not let your hands fall limp. The Lord your God is in your midst, a victorious warrior.” The people of Israel have always enjoyed the presence of God, defining them as the people of God. The presence that the prophets foretold must be unique beyond what has been. The prophet Zephaniah foretold this in these words: “he will exult with joy over you, he will renew you by his love; he will dance with shouts of joy for you as on a day of festival.” It is extraordinary because the rejoicing is usually by the people. The Lord’s manifestation would be as never before, that his love and jubilation over his people would be remarkable. Isaiah prophesied the same thing as used in the responsorial Psalm. He invites the people to match the vibe of their God who rejoices over them; they are to sing and dance for joy at the fullness of salvation Yahweh has granted them. “Sing a psalm to the Lord for he has done glorious deeds; make them known to all the earth! People of Zion, sing and shout for joy, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.”

These prophets of old announced the great joy of the coming of the Messiah, the coming of God the Son in human nature. It was a great thing that has never been experienced and will never happen again. The Gospel tells us of the fulfilment of the prophecies when John the Baptist came from the wilderness to preach conversion to the people in preparation for the revelation of the Messiah to Israel. The mission of the Baptist, as outlined in the prophecy of the return of Elijah, is to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children. We have interpreted this to mean the call of the people to reflect on their behaviours and lifestyles, which are fruits of their way of thinking and willingness. The Gospel records that John the Baptist did that. “When all the people asked John, ‘What must we do?’ He answered, ‘If anyone has two tunics, he must share with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same.’” In this way, he prepared them to receive the Messiah. The Church invites us to do the same this season to prepare for the celebration of Christmas.

We are to rethink our behaviours and lifestyle to judge whether they reflect the fact of the gift of salvation we have received through the coming of the Son of God in human nature. There is always room for improvement in our reception of the Gospel message. Preoccupations with worldly affairs sometimes diminish our appreciation of the great love of God, demonstrated in the Father sending his Son to be our Saviour. The remembrance of this great gift should be a cause of great joy for us. Saint Paul, therefore, invites us to be happy in the full awareness of the Lord’s nearness. “I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord; I repeat, what I want is your happiness. Let your tolerance be evident to everyone: the Lord is very near.” The knowledge of the nearness of the Lord to us is the mainstay of our salvation. We must constantly meditate on this great truth and mystery. The nearness should promote our confidence in prayer every day, understanding that he hears us and is ever willing to answer us according to the will of the Father. Let us rejoice in the nearness of the Lord and dance with joy as we get ready to celebrate Christmas. John the Baptist advised us to share this joy with everyone around us.

Let us pray: 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 the 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.