Sunday, December 13, 2009: Zephaniah 3:14-18A; Philippians 4:4-7; Luke 3: 10-18 (Third Sunday of Advent)

“Rejoice in the Lord Always. I shall say it again: rejoice.” These are the words of St. Paul to the people of Philippians. In this short letter which is only four chapters, St. Paul uses the word, “Rejoice” fourteen times. Paul wrote this letter when he was in prison in Rome. He was in danger of death but from within all that he was going through, he had the inner freedom to not only rejoice in his own sufferings but to exhort the Philippians to stay in the realm of joy. In the very first chapter of the letter, Paul tells us why he can live in joy despite all the pains and afflictions that he has to endure in prison. He says, “For to me life is Christ, and death is gain.” This is a spirit of a man who has surrendered his whole life totally to Jesus Christ. He is like a blank check in the hands of Jesus Christ, waiting for Jesus to write whatever He wants on him. It is no longer about him, but it is about Jesus Christ. His pains, afflictions and sufferings mean nothing to him, the only thing that is of value to him is Jesus Christ. It is this radical selflessness and total dedication to Jesus Christ that predisposes Paul to continue to praise and worship God even when things are very difficult. We always think of our freedom as being external. In America we speak a lot about freedom. Authentic freedom is inward and it is freedom not from God but freedom for God. It is that freedom that enables God’s people to continue to praise God when they are being persecuted.

In Acts of the Apostles 16: 16 – 34 when Paul and Silas were imprisoned in Philippi. Rather than seat in prison complaining and whinnying how the world is unfair to them, they went into praise. The bible says, “About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened, there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundation of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.” (Acts 16:25-26.) Their internal freedom led them to praise and prayer and that led to their external freedom. In the book of Daniel 3 when King Nebuchadnezzar ordered the people to bow down and worship the golden statue which he had set up, three Jewish men who were administrators of his province of Babylon refused to comply to his orders. This was reported to him. He sent for them and insisted that they should bow down and worship the statue. He threatened them that if they do not bow in worship to the statue, he was going to throw them into a blazing furnace. These three men had the inner freedom to say to him, “If our God, whom we serve, can save us from the white-hot furnace and from your hands, O king, may he save us! But even if he will not, know, O king, that we will not serve your god or worship the golden statue which you set up.” (Daniel 3: 17-18) The king was furious and ordered the furnace to be heated seven times more than usual. These three men were bounded and thrown in the furnace. When they were thrown into the furnace, the word of God says, they started “singing to God and blessing the Lord.” They were not complaining but they were singing to God and blessing God. As Christians we must develop the attitude of praise. When we praise God when things are difficult, we are not rejoicing in the fact that things are difficult, we are affirming the fact that our joy is independent of all the sufferings and afflictions of this world.

Our joy is rooted in Christ Jesus and because Jesus Christ, the Immanuel is always with us, nothing can take away our joy from us. In John 16: 20 – 22, Jesus tells us that we will weep and mourn while the world rejoices; we will grief but our grief will be turned into joy. He continues, “So you also are now in anguish. But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.” There is no way we can lose this joy because to lose it is to have lost Christ. That is the reason sincerely convicted Christians are always happy people. If someone tells you he or she has surrendered completely to Jesus Christ and yet, they are angry and unhappy people, ask them which Jesus it is. When you surrender completely to Jesus Christ, you are letting go of your worries and disappointments and accepting the joy of Christ. This is the reason many of the early Christian martyrs happily embraced the crown of martyrdom. Jesus Christ himself was an example of this inner freedom and love when he embraced his cross and forgave those who had passed the sentence on him.

If you have been living in fears and anxieties; if you have become so frustrated because nothing seems to be working for you, it is time for you to begin to rejoice. You can begin to rejoice because your victory is at hand. St. Paul says in the second reading, “the Lord is near.” The first reading of today says, “the Lord, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear.” If there is anything that you are still worrying about, stop being worried. Bring everything to God in prayer “with thanksgiving” and God will give you his peace. As I said last Sunday, this year’s Christmas must be different. You have until December 24 to turn all your worries to Jesus Christ and embrace a life of joy. This week, we will again give you another opportunity for the sacrament of reconciliation. On Wednesday from 7PM to 9PM, I will be available in the church for confessions. Come to the sacrament and let Jesus Christ accept all your worries and anxieties and fears and let him give you the fullness of joy.

For your challenge this week, come to the sacrament of reconciliation on Wednesday or try to schedule one with a priest some time during the week.