3. Sunday of Advent: JOY

“Rejoice” – in Latin “Gaudete” – is the motto of the third Sunday of Advent. “Rejoice in the Lord always! I shall say it again: rejoice!” We can read this in the letter to the Philippians. On the Advent wreath, the pink candle is lit today.

““I feel like I’ve won the lottery and want to hug the whole world!” – “I’m bursting with joy!” – Maybe, or hopefully, everyone knows the feeling of infinite joy that some event brings with it. It is a feeling that makes one hover above the ground, that produces “butterflies in the stomach”.

The Holy Scripture often speaks of joy. We can find more than 200 places in the Old Testament and over 100 in the New Testament. The Holy Scripture presents the joy of God as a source of power (“…, for rejoicing in the LORD must be your strength! “, Neh 8,10b), which allows one to maintain one’s inner balance even in unpleasant situations. Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

Service to a neighbor may also give joy to the servant, for joy can be incredibly contagious. As an Asian saying goes, “Thousands of candles can be lit by the flame of one candle without their light getting weaker and joy does not decrease if it is shared.“

Whenever we are happy, we become light and bright and we open ourselves to the world. It’s like a light inside. Look at a person who is happy. He is radiating! Something inside opens and radiates outwards. It frees him and so he crosses his inner borders to the outside. He is then often transformed – different than usual!

And when was the last time you were truly full of joy, laughed from the bottom of your heart or were “on cloud nine”? When did you last experience a special moment that was out of the ordinary and in which you seemed to be floating above the ground?

They say that people who have visions are usually happy. And because of this happiness, they are fully motivated – and this state of mind has nothing to do with age. But is it always something big or special that gives us moments of happiness? Or can it also be small, everyday joys that touch our hearts?

People in abundance become tired and dull, they no longer recognize joy, it is lost and only emptiness remains. That is why it is or would be good to have limits, including limits to growth and income. In nature, trees do not grow into the sky either. There is a “natural” limit and this also allows others to grow and live. In our economic thinking, however, there is no upper limit, which leads to disadvantage for many people and the exploitation of our planet’s resources. It is only when we feel restrictions that we notice the relief when they become fewer or even disappear. The seasons of Advent and Lent would still remind us of this.

Pope Francis urges us to spread the gospel with joy. How can we do that if we have lost our laughter, our love, our enthusiasm? If our business activities or the worries of everyday life offer no or only limited opportunities to express our joy? Often, Sunday Mass has become a weekly ritual without providing new and refreshing inspiration or even joy. And the daily little prayer, this conversation with God, may have been pushed into the background or even forgotten long ago.

The third Sunday of Advent should remind us of joy and bring it back to us. We are reminded of God’s promise, which became reality in Jesus. Joy is actually of divine origin and Christianity is, by its very nature, a religion of joy. “Christ is the joy,” Pope Paul VI once said.

„But where did joy go“ we have to ask ourselves. Is joy still contagious so that it invites, promote and motivates? Where did “the ignition” go that appeals to people of all ages? Father Jordan did not say in vain in one of his chapters: “Who does not burn does not ignite!”

It is time to rediscover our joy and to unleash the enthusiasm in our faith again. God loves us, he wants to be with us and for us, in our lives and with our concerns. Faith and closeness to God is a gift given to everyone in their own way, but not everyone is willing to appreciate it or deal with it. Those who have recognized and experienced it should express their joy and share it with others every day.

Let us infect others around us with joy.

„Rejoice – always!“ – HALLELUJAH

• Biography of the Author(Read Below)..
• Latest Posts (view them )..

Christian

Latest posts by Christian (Posts)

• Merry Christmas – Feliz Navidad – Feliz Natal – Joyeux Noël – Frohe Weihnacht - 22. December 2024
• 4. Sunday of Advent: LOVE - 21. December 2024
• Update to Congo project: “Water is Life” - 20. December 2024