December 10-11, 2011
Third Sunday of Advent – Gaudete – ‘REJOICE’
Isaiah 61:1-11 First Thessalonians 5:16-24 John 1:6-28
As an Anaheim child riding the bus home from school in early June….the appearance of firework stands were sure indicators that Summer vacation was not far distant! Our recent Cyber Monday has become so closely associated with Christmas that it is the equivalent of a Christmas Carol being sung! Bespeaking the nearness of Christmas, the Scripture readings likewise take on a more focused and hopeful note: ‘Rejoice heartily in the Lord’… ‘Bring glad tidings’… ‘’Proclaim liberty to the captives’… ‘Announce a year of favor’. Lacking a ‘Nativity’ story, the Gospel of John introduces the ADULT Jesus, the one we most wish to encounter and the one to whom most of us desire to cling in our abandonment and despairs.
Surrounded by the hype and exuberance of our commercial endeavors, wise parents (with an eye to their pocketbooks and wallets) will frequently caution their children to not anticipate the ‘impossible’ for Christmas. It is equally wise for us to consider precisely who it is we are preparing to embrace afresh on Christmas Day? Have we somehow forgotten the messages of sacrifice, struggle and cross that the past years have whispered into our souls? Have we somehow replaced the Jesus of Good Friday with a ‘fantastical’ image of a God who is a gumball machine who will magically repair our flattened tires and remove unwanted belly fat? With two weeks remaining of this ‘season of preparation’, for what/whom are we preparing? Have we somehow slipped into creating unrealizable expectations that will surely disappoint? Are we preparing to accept the commitment of a God to walk with us in our everyday struggles…but not preserve us from those struggles?
Christmas, with either its pleasant, warm and comforting memories…or…its sad, disappointing and unsettling recollections, is but two weeks away…and will be upon us in a flash. What is it you seek from this Christmas? Does your broken-heart need healing? Are you captive to a memory, a loss, a disappointment of resentment from which you need freeing? Are you a prisoner to whom you have spent a lifetime becoming…and want a year of favor? As wise people of faith, Gaudete Sunday reminds us that Christmas is near…and that the choicest of presents cannot be found on the internet or at the Mall. Are you ready?
Thank you for you sharing this rose-hued weekend with our Corpus Christi Community. These are the final opportunities to PRE-ORDER your Christmas Tamales from our HAVEN Bootstraps Ministry….they will be available for pick-up NEXT WEEKEND. This Wednesday, the 14th, will be the ADVENT opportunity for the Sacrament of Reconciliation at both the 10:30am – ONE Priest, and 7:00pm – FOUR Priests celebrations…don’t miss out! Please take a Bulletin with you for news of next weekend’s Rectory Open House, the Christmas Mass Schedule and all sorts of other holiday odds and ends. Also…a reminder, please do not take those lovely little Mass Response Cards home with you…they are meant to remain in the rows for your use….and especially for those who will be joining us in a few weeks for Christmas who won’t be familiar with the changes! As the holiday festivities start to consume you….and as you consume more holiday fudge, remember, you are loved! FKB
