Reflection From

Fr. John

December 15, 2024

Happy Gaudete Sunday! The rose colored candle and vesture indicates that we're now beyond the halfway point in our Advent journey of renewal in the foundations of our faith.

Quoting the people in our Gospel today, "what shall we do" to live this spiritual life which is our calling? What are we to do to welcome the Advent of the Lord in our lives anew? One thing is for sure: it doesn't take any extraordinary feats or demonstrations of religious fervor. The quest for excellence in living expectantly the spiritual life can begin today, by being the best we can be right where we're at now in the context of our daily lives. The attitudinal shift that comes from the awareness of the nearness of salvation is a powerful impetus in our journey to spiritualize our day to day sojourn of faith. Maybe it is not so much the point of "what shall we do?" as much as "how we should be?" as we seek to be open to God's revelation of life.

In our Gospel today, Luke employs the words of Saint John the Baptist to drive home the point that time is of the essence. There is no time like the present to make things right. As the people of old awaited the coming of the Messiah, they did what they could do right in the context of their own circumstances. John did not insist that they live like him, eating grasshoppers, wild locusts and honey, while being dressed in a camel skin cloak. He challenged them to be themselves, their true selves. Repentance is very much the process of getting us in touch with what we should be, what God created us to be. It's doing what's right, giving what can be given, sharing what we can share, doing what we should be doing, right in the context of our own daily lives. Saint John asks us all to embrace the quest for excellence, living life to the full, by opening ourselves to conversion and spiritual longing right in the context of our lives today.

What are we to do to live the spiritual life, to live life to the full in truth and conviction? Saint John challenges us to spiritualize our lives, to embrace conversion, to repent en route to developing the fullness of our human personalities in Christ. No extraordinary feats or demonstrations of religious fervor are required to make this happen. Yet, by the grace of God and the sincerity of our hearts, we are simply challenged to be the very best, receptive, disciple that we can be, right in the context our lives. The quest for excellence, living life to the full, begins today. That is what we are to do individually, and as church, to the glory of God. When this happens, we'll have many reasons to say (or sing) gaudete, i.e., rejoice!

Father Davis

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