Rejoice! Rejoice! Again I say, Rejoice!
A professor gave his students a writing assignment. There was a piece of paper with a single dot on it and the assignment was to comment on what you see. Each student did that from their own perspective. Each saw the dot and worked from that perspective. When the professor gave the papers back, he commented to the students that each student had written in relationship to the dot, not to the blank whiteness of the page which was far greater than the dot. Yet, it was the one mark and not the blankness, the purity of the paper that captured the attention of the students.
In the Second Reading, we have St Paul saying Rejoice! Rejoice! Again I say, Rejoice! Often we think this is only possible if we are like a child coming back from trick or treating, that people with the serious problems of being an adult could never be this free. I mean seriously, one rejoice maybe but not three. Look at the news – Trump must have done something again and then there are those fires somewhere in the world and then sickness, money trouble – my children don’t get me started. Seriously, in this joyful Sunday of Advent, how about one Rejoice and don’t sing, and then we move on because we must get back to the bad news of our lives. However, I do say it. I sang it all morning like a delusional person, like St Paul. Why? Because I have a perfect parish filled with perfect and problem free people who are shepherded by a perfect and encouraging pastor? No, of course not, especially the perfect pastor part, but because I see more good than bad today.
St Paul had his problems. Listen to them: three times I was beaten, once I was stoned (and not Justin Trudeau style), three times I suffered ship wreck. He was imprisoned many times, spending years in prison not for crime but to keep people happy. He was betrayed, abandoned by friends, yet three Rejoices because he saw the white on the paper and not the one mark. Our lives, even the most terrible, are still filled with good because God is good. What about all the problems in the world, shouldn’t we focus on them? No, because God has a solution for them. That is right and it is what Christmas is all about.
A priest was complaining to God and he said, “Lord, what are you doing? The world is full of chaos and disaster, poverty and disease, hatred and racism, actually tons of ‘isms.’ Why are you not doing anything?” God said to him, “I have done something, I created you.” I can rejoice today because God created you and me and believes that we are the difference in this world. He trusts us. You see this is what Christmas is all about. The incarnation. the flesh taking of God. Now we know that Jesus will not come again this year in Bethlehem in a manger so why get all excited? Because we are being reminded again to allow Jesus to take flesh in us. What if the whole world was filled with people determined to bring Jesus to the world in their actions and their prayers? That is an exciting thought, something to rejoice over. We know that one person in love with Jesus does an amazing amount of good. What if we all decided to focus on making Jesus present to the world this year? What if we all decided to let Him be born into the messiness of our lives? I am sure it was no accident that He, the Lord of Heaven and Earth, was born in a stable full manure and smelly animals. That way, not one of us could say my life is too messy for you, Jesus, wait until I clean it up.
Rejoice! Rejoice! Again I say, Rejoice! Jesus wants to make His home in you in the midst of your messiness and it is there that your life can be Jesus to others. The time is near, Christmas is close at hand. Let us think of something that is very real that will happen for most of us in a few moments. Jesus will come physically into your lives in Communion. If you are not able to receive, you need to invite Him in in spiritual Communion. Yes, I know it is amazing that Jesus wants to come into each and everyone of our lives this very day. Definitely something to rejoice in but what do you think our Lord wants to do? Do you think He wants to merely come and leave? Sometimes I think Jesus is a bit like my mom and dad. Whenever they come over they like to do something, they struggle to just hang out. I have to put in rules when they come. Mom, seriously, no cleaning before five in the morning. Don’t you think Jesus is coming today to do something, to heal, to console, to make Himself manifested in your life, to take flesh and bring His love and goodness to the world? Jesus, what do you want to do? Rejoice! Rejoice! Again I say, Rejoice!