Sunday Reflections

We have arrived at the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday. The pink candle, is lit, reminding us to “Rejoice in the Lord always,” as St. Paul tells us. Rejoice, exult, be glad we are urged.

Yet the people of Israel at the time of the prophet Zephaniah, like people today, had little cause to rejoice. Despite this, he tells them not to fear, that “The Lord, your God, is in your midst.”

Six hundred years later, things were still grim. John the Baptist preaches repentance to a people who also knew hardships under the thumb of their Roman colonizers. Somehow, they still had hope. They flock to be baptized and ask what they should do. Listening to John, they were filled with expectation. Was he the promised Messiah?

No, one who is more powerful is coming who will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. John shares the good news of the coming ministry of Jesus.

Listening to the morning news these days hardly inspires hope. Wars rage, migrants flee difficult conditions, and addiction, poverty and homelessness claim many on our streets. Yet the billionaires get richer and corporations take their profits at our expense. What would John the Baptist say to them?

Still, there are signs of hope if we open our eyes to see them. St. Paul’s letter gives us clear directions. “Do not worry about anything. But in everything, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.”

The word in this reading that stands out for me is thanksgiving. One way we can cultivate hope is to practice the attitude of gratitude. Every day take some time to give thanks for at least five blessings. As we enter a Jubilee Year of Hope, let us ask ourselves: Where did we see God today?

 I am thankful for a friendly stranger, the non-profit groups who are building affordable housing, churches that are feeding the hungry, the first responders who are there when we need them, and the beauty of God’s creation.

The Lord, our God, is in our midst, through the actions of many. May their example inspire us to join our own words and actions to theirs so that we may help to bring about the Kingdom of God on earth.