Deacon Tom Anthony

Third Sunday of Advent
Lectionary: 9

Reading 1 Zep 3:14-18a

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you
he has turned away your enemies;
the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
he will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.

Responsorial Psalm Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6.

R. (6) Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Reading 2 Phil 4:4-7

Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again: rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all.
The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Alleluia Is 61:1 (cited in Lk 4:18)

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel Lk 3:10-18

The crowds asked John the Baptist,
“What should we do?”
He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,
“Teacher, what should we do?”
He answered them,
“Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.”
Soldiers also asked him,
“And what is it that we should do?”
He told them,
“Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages.”

Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
“I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Exhorting them in many other ways,
he preached good news to the people.

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 Never forget Joy. Regardless of the circumstances we find ourselves in, Jesus is always with us and will never abandon us. With that understanding can come an overwhelming feeling of hope and peace if we only let Jesus Christ love us. Too many times happiness is mistaken for joy and because of that the impact of joy is reduced. Happiness is fleeting. It comes and it goes based mostly on physical and mental stimulation of the moment. It is present when our earthly desires are satisfied and it leaves us when we desire for more of the same. Joy goes beyond these limitations and encompasses everything that is spiritual; taking the mental and physical aspects of ourselves along with it. Here, we are able to encounter the love of Jesus Christ which has the ability to conquer everything that may challenge us.

In the Scripture Readings today we are told to have no fear and that the Lord is in our midst. This should offer consolation to know that our God is with us regardless of what we face. Negative thoughts can be forced out if only we focus on His presence. Within that presence is pure joy and pure love that will require nothing more to make it perfect. We are told that there should only be rejoicing to the point of shouting out with gladness that God is here. Everything is going to be alright. These statements are a promise not of things to come but of a reality to be realized; a starting point that can influence all of our experiences if we allow it. What calamities can there be that cannot be overcome with God? This is why we are told to celebrate and let joy overcome us.

Paul tells us in his letter to the Philippians for all of us to rejoice in the Lord always and that He is near. In other words, He is with us now; right beside us and inside of us. With that, there should be no anxiety and that all of our prayers and petitions will be answered. If this is acknowledged, then the Peace of God will come upon us. It is in the moment where we find God and where this peace is found. Searching is not required, for searching is an exercise of our will above that of God’s. Accepting that God is here is a surrender of our will in favor of His which will then lead to us experiencing God in the moment. It is here, in the moment, that joy, peace, and love are experienced.

Imagine all of our problems disappearing. How would we feel? It is through Jesus Christ that the feeling of absolute freedom can be realized. This freedom is a complete freedom from us. It is us through our thoughts and acting upon them that make us prisoners and limit our potential. Our thoughts need to always include the input of Jesus Christ. He is here for that purpose: to guide us and love us completely. With such an advocate, our possibilities become limitless. Life is not about the future. It never has been. Life is about the moment with Jesus Christ. It is here now that joy can be found and, with joy, everything all that is good, for nothing but good can come from God.

Deacon Tom