Is it too early to be joyful? Fr. Matt Stewart, SJ, reflects on what it means to be joyful, even when we are still waiting for the Lord. Based not the readings for Sunday, December 13, 2020.
“Joy to the world, the Lord has come!” What? Too soon?
I’m Father Matt Stewart, and this is my one-minute homily.
Today, the third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete Sunday” which means “Rejoice!”
We hear this call throughout our readings today. Isaiah cries out “I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul.” Today’s Psalm exhorts us to let our souls rejoice in God. And Paul tells the Thessalonians to “Rejoice always!”
Joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit, so when the Spirit is at work in us people will experience us as joyful. There are ways in which we have brought joy to others, and even experienced it ourselves, even in a year as challenging as this one has been.
So…what are all the ways that joy has been real for you this year?
As we embrace the joy of the Spirit alive in us, both heaven and nature can start singing “Joy to the World” already today, even though the Lord hasn’t come quite yet.