Pastor's Letter -- December 12, 2021

The Third Sunday of Advent is always celebrated as “Gaudete Sunday” or “Rejoice Sunday.” This comes from the first word of the Introit or Entrance Antiphon for today’s Mass: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near” (Phil 4: 4-5). We are reminded of the imminence of the Lord’s coming and our closeness to the feast of the Lord’s Nativity, which Advent anticipates. These words also open our Second reading for this weekend. St. Paul urges us to let our kindness be manifest, and not be anxious as we make our requests known to God. As the Lord’s coming is near, we are exhorted to rejoice! Liturgically we express this joy by lighting the third candle in our Advent wreath, which is brighter than the rest, typically a rose-colored candle; the priest wears rose colored vestments (The priest wears this color of vestment only twice in a year - on the Third Sunday of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday and on the Fourth Sunday of Lent, known as Laetare Sunday; Note: Blue is not an officially approved liturgical color in the United States). Our celebration highlights our belief that the light of the Lord is gradually dispelling the darkness and gloom that envelops the world.

One thing I have found helpful with Advent is the exposure to some not so popular books of the Bible. By including these readings in the liturgy for Advent, the church intends to show that the expectation of a Davidic Messiah is entrenched in the history and minds of the people of Israel. These Old Testament readings from the prophets, both major and minor, speak of God’s love and fidelity to the covenant made to Abraham and his descendants. They speak of Israel’s sin in abandoning the worship of the One true God and their prostitution with foreign gods. They also communicate God’s response to the people’s sin by allowing them to be taken into Exile by their enemies, their cities sacked and their Temple destroyed. The readings are however not only about the dark times in Israel’s history; they also present the prophets as proclaiming messages of hope and of an anticipated restoration. The fulfillment of these prophecies of redemption, although begun in the return of the exiles to Jerusalem, will only come to completion when the long awaited Messiah comes. He will fulfill in his person and through his ministry all that was spoken of him in the law and the prophets.

Last weekend we read from the prophet Baruch. This week, we read from Zephaniah. The name “Zephaniah” literally means “Yahweh protects.” He is the only prophet for whom we have a genealogy from the fourth generation. He prophesied during the reign of Josiah (640-609) and probably from Jerusalem since he seemed to know a lot about what happened in the city and in the court. He preached about the coming Day of the Lord. This day would be a day of judgment against Israel’s enemies, but also a warning to the chosen people. It should lead them back to the repentance, obedience and humility that they so sadly lacked. It is only on this grounds that they would survive the calamity that would accompany the divine visitation. He spoke of a faithful remnant who will be left to enjoy the fruits of salvation (Zeph. 3:12-20).

The Assyrian kings had imposed heavy yokes upon many peoples, demanding a heavy tribute from them. The Lord speaks as if Assyria was his instrument. It was he who destroyed their cities because of their idolatry. But the Lord calls on the faithful remnant to wait on him, for on that day, he would vindicate them and judge the wicked. Our First reading for this weekend is a continuation of this promise of restoration by the Lord. On that day, when the Messiah comes, they will need not be afraid of any foe within or from outside, as the Lord the king of Israel would be in their midst. We see in Zephaniah that chastisement from the Lord is always a reflection of God’s mercy. God is merciful.

We all need the mercy of God; without it none of us can stand (Psalms 130:3). This period of preparation for the Lord’s coming offers us the privilege to humble ourselves before the Lord and ask his mercy in the sacrament of reconciliation. As part of our effort to assist us in our reflection on ways to best ready ourselves for the Lord’s coming at Christmas and at the end of time, we will have an Advent Talk here in Church, to be given by our own parishioner, Monica Markovich. This will take place this Tuesday, December 14, 2021 at 7:30 pm. There would be opportunity for individual sacramental confessions after the talk. On Thursday, December 16, 2021 from 5:30 pm until 8:30 pm we will have another opportunity for reconciliation. We have invited a number of priests to help us with this penance service. Please plan to come, and on time.

Rejoice, the Lord is near! With blessings from my heart,