Homily
for Advent 3
December
13, 2020
Joy
That Can Never Be Taken Away
A lot of people have told me that
they can’t wait until the year 2020 is over. For many, it’s been a tough year. It
was lonely during quarantine; many people lost loved ones or suffered from
Covid themselves. Others lost their jobs and their money, or were overwhelmed
with depression or anxiety. Most people had their plans upended this past year,
as it seemed like chaos reigned.
But – give thanks in all
circumstances. The Word of God is clear – not only in the “good circumstances”
but in ALL circumstances. Even in 2020, even in the midst of a pandemic and
chaos and suffering – we must give thanks.
My friends, where does our joy come
from? Does it come from our bank account, our health, our relationships, our
plans, our secure future? All of these things are fine, but if that’s where our
joy is found, it’s very shaky ground. All of these things can be taken away –
and many of them have been taken away.
What cannot be taken away? You are
loved; you are forgiven and redeemed; you are being sanctified for eternal
life. These things can never be taken away.
You are loved by God. That is the
foundation and rock of our life. Our first reading speaks of God’s love for His
people as a bridegroom for a bride. Those of you who are married: can you
remember your wedding day? How happy it was! How you delighted in your spouse,
how radiant they looked, how you were so thrilled to be “theirs” until death do
us part! The Word of God says that God has that same delight in you and me – He
rejoices over us, He aches and longs to be with us, He thinks about us
constantly and wants to shower us with blessings.
Or perhaps those of you with
children will understand God’s love through your children. When you look at
your children, you always want what’s best for them. You love them
unconditionally, even when they mess up. How can we, weak people that we are,
have such an immense love for other human beings and not realize that it’s only
a dim reflection of God’s perfect love for His children?
To know that we are the beloved of
God is the cornerstone of our joy. No matter what happens, this reality can
never change.
But God is not content just to love
us in a vague way – He wanted to make it incarnate, so He took on flesh and
died on a Cross to reconcile us to the Father. Jesus could have shed a single
drop of His Precious Blood and redeemed a thousand worlds as sinful as ours,
but He was not content with shedding only a drop of His Blood – He wanted to
pour out every single drop, to enter into the most horrific and shameful death
known to mankind, to demonstrate the depth of His love. If you ever doubt that
God loves you, look at a Crucifix. God would rather die than spend eternity
without you.
And eternity with Him is precisely
the invitation He offers to you! In the excellent book, “The Five Love
Languages,” the author notes that one way we show love to others is to spend
quality time with them. That’s definitely my “love language” – I love to just
hang out with friends, playing board games and sharing a meal or going hiking
together. So when God invites you and me to spend eternity with Him, hanging
out and sharing the Banquet Feast of the Lamb, that invitation is a clear sign
of His love!
These things can never be taken away. As
chaotic as this year was – and as crazy as next year will certainly be – we can
still “give thanks in all circumstances” because we know we are loved by God,
redeemed by Him, sanctified by the Spirit, and invited to Heaven. Nothing can
take that away.
So we rejoice, but not in the world.
The world and its pleasures are passing away. Our psalm response urged us to
“Rejoice in God”. If our joy is deeply rooted in Him, then nothing can take it
away!
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