Readings IS 61:1-2A, 10-11, 1 THES 5:16-24, JN 1:6-8, 19-28

We are now in the third week of Advent, Gaudete Sunday. This Sunday is marked by rose vestments and the idea of rejoicing in the coming celebration.

This week we can look at where the angels are leading us. Isaiah reminds us the Lord has anointed us for the world. We are to be heralds to the poor, brokenhearted, and downtrodden of our neighborhoods. In doing this, we help to free ourselves from the challenges posed by the materialistic society that surrounds us.

We all fall prey to the materialistic nature of life that goes on around us. After all, we want to provide everything possible for our families to make their lives easier. This time of year, as we are preparing for Christmas is an especially tempting time to go overboard. We can decide that our family and friends need to be impressed by the amount of money spent on gifts. This decision can be based on a giving nature. When we try to take care of those around us just to impress we fail to lead the way to Christ. Doing this only perpetuates the materialistic culture that we live in. Luckily the church has given us a way to help guide us back to the path. That is in the sacrament of reconciliation.

We can feel isolated in the way we are taught by Christ to lead our lives. Christ taught a manner of living that was countercultural during his time as one of us. It is equally countercultural today. We can certainly feel like we hear John remind us today of what Isaiah had prophesied. He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord.”

We are called to be that voice crying out. While this may mean saying and doing things that go against the society we live in, it is necessary to help us on our path to salvation. In doing so, we also remember what St. Paul is telling the Thessalonians. “In all circumstances give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.”

This means while we are leading this Christ-centered life we need to be full of joy and rejoicing. We are not alone in this task, and we are led by God followed by his angels. We are not called to be frightened of angels, but to look to them for leading us along the path. Angels themselves serve God as we have already learned by comforting and providing hope to the afflicted. They help us see the glory of God and prepare the way for God to work.

So in doing this work, we are called by St. Paul today to “Rejoice always.” He also calls us to “pray without ceasing” These two concepts seem to be impossible on the surface. How can we always be rejoicing? We tend to let our circumstances in life determine our joy, some examples of circumstances that may rob us of joy.

We got stuck in a traffic jam.
The kids are driving you nuts. Work is getting crazy and stressing us out.

With all of those things happening it is impossible to rejoice always when we base it on our circumstances. The joy we read about in the scripture has nothing to do with circumstances. God’s will is you always have joy regardless of your circumstances. His joy is bigger than your circumstances and bigger than you. It is not a feeling or emotion it is a gift of the Holy Spirit.

When we let our circumstances dictate our joy we rob ourselves of the Joy that God wants for us. The only solution is prayer. We all need a strong prayer life, but we need to work at it. While a life of prayer without ceasing seems impossible, if we look at it in terms of gratitude and thanksgiving it becomes a little easier. We offer prayers for our circumstances so that we can be filled with Joy. When we determine this will work, and we work at it, we find it becomes what we worship.

So what are some common themes for worship in the society we live In? I would list money, power, pleasure, sports, the kids and I am sure you can think of others. When we worship these things, we find that we cannot be joyful in all situations. We find ourselves praying for just a little more of what we worship, but then we find out that this object we worship changes with the stress of the day.

When we change our lives, which is the point St. Paul is making we can begin authentic worship. When we begin to worship God, we begin to act like angels who worship God with their entire being. They will live in God’s presence and stay focused on him. Scripture describes angels as constantly worshiping and praising Him. In fact, one of the most solemn and sacred moments at Mass is taken from the prophet Isaiah’s description of angelic worship: at a great distance…

I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted,
and the train of his robe filled the temple.
Above him were angels, and they were calling out

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
Isaiah 6.1-3

In today’s gospel reading we hear the familiar story that always accompanies our Advent celebration: the story of John the Baptist. The greatest and last of all the prophets John is a towering figure in the Gospels who helps us recognize and receive Christ. The Bible says

He came to testify to the light
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light
But he came to testify to the light.
John 1.6-7

That’s what angels and saints, and ordinary everyday Christ-followers do; we’re not the light, he is, we testify to the light.

Our daily prayer time and our weekly worship at Mass are not meant to be the sum total of our worship. What is wanted is a change in lifestyle, a worshipful life, a life filled with worship.