It is tempting to hear St. Paul’s invitation on this Gaudete Sunday, from the First Letter to the Thessalonians, in which he exhorts us to “rejoice always and pray without ceasing,” and want to dismiss it as not applying to us today in the difficult circumstances of the COVID 19 pandemic. We might think that Paul has no understanding of our difficulties and therefore should not be exhorting us to be joyful, given the realities of our time. Yet, if anyone knew suffering, it was certainly St. Paul during the many trials and sufferings that he endured for the sake of the Gospel. Paul was imprisoned, flogged and ultimately executed for his faith. There are few people who knew the difficulties that he knew. If anyone has the authority to exhort us to remain joyful and pray through difficulties, it is certainly St. Paul.
While it is St. Paul who exhorts us to “rejoice always and pray without ceasing,” it is the Blessed Mother who gives us the model and example of how it is that we are to do this. Mary welcomes the Lord despite all of the difficulties that this will cause her. She has not yet been married to Joseph when the Angel Gabriel arrives to announce that she will be with child by the power of the Holy Spirit. To be with child before her marriage to Joseph could mean great suffering and rejection for Mary. Despite this, she gives her “yes” to the Lord. Her words, “Be it done to me according to your will,” give us the example of how she allows herself to be over-shadowed by the Holy Spirit. As Mary gives her “yes” to God, Christ comes to dwell within her, and through His presence in her life, Mary is able to remain at peace and deal with all of the difficulties and trials that she and Joseph would face. With Christ, the Holy Family is undaunted by the trials of their poverty and exile into Egypt. Mary stands at the foot of the cross and instead of crying out against God in anger; she is firm in her faith and confidence in God’s power to overcome all things. In today’s Psalm Response, we hear Mary’s response to God’s invitation to her that she allow Christ into her life. Her words from the Gospel of Luke are profound:
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for He has looked with favor on His humble servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed,
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is His Name.
He has mercy on those who fear Him
in every generation.
He has shown the strength of his arm,
He has scattered the proud in their conceit.
He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
and has lifted up the humble.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich He has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of His servant Israel
for He has remembered his promise of mercy,
the promise He made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.
These words, known as the Magnificat, are prayed by Mary after she learns that she will be the Mother of the Lord. In a powerful way, the Magnificat describes how we are to allow Christ into our hearts in order that with Him we may overcome all things. Like Mary, we are invited to turn away from self, so that Christ might come into our hearts and save us in every situation. In difficult situations, my own inclination is to do the opposite of Mary. I am often tempted to try and prove my own greatness and ability to deal with difficult situations on my own. Mary, on the other hand, opens her heart to God and allows the Holy Spirit to enter. As a result, she knows a peace that allows her to overcome everything and live in communion with God. By her docility to the Holy Spirit, Mary becomes the model of the blessed life and shows us how it is that we are called to welcome the Lord into our own situations. Her communion with the Lord, as it was for St. Paul, is the source of her happiness and ability to rejoice at all times.
Through Mary’s words in the Magnificat, we are told how the prophecy that we hear proclaimed in the Book of the prophet Isaiah will be fulfilled. The prophet speaks of a good news that will be proclaimed to the oppressed, liberty to captives and release to prisoners. This saving word is fulfilled in Christ’s coming to each of us by the power of the Holy Spirit. Called to give our “yes” to the Lord, as Mary did, we too may know His presence in our lives throughout our trials by trusting in God and seeking to do His will.
That God will come to be with us in our trials, no matter how difficult they might be, is something that is hard to believe. In fact, I think many people doubt and dismiss this possibility all together. The trouble is, when we dismiss it, we harden our own hearts and make it impossible to allow the Holy Spirit into our hearts. As we rely only on ourselves, we will begin to realize that without God, there is sometimes little hope of finding happiness and peace.
During this Advent Season, Mary is the model of how we are to open our hearts to Christ and the saving message of His Good News. As the Lord comes to Mary, a poor and insignificant young women, so too He desires to come and set us free in our trials. As Jesus was born into the poverty of the manger, so too He wishes to come into the poverty of our lives. Only by acknowledging our need, by embracing our powerlessness, are we able to open our hearts to the transforming message of Christ.
I have spoken about this many times during this pandemic. When the pandemic first began in March, I had the crazy idea that I had to figure out everything and come up with a plan to get the parish through the situation. This caused me to panic and in some ways made me feel as though I was a prisoner of the present situation. It was only in realizing there was nothing I could do to control the situation, and opening my heart to the will of God, that I was able to find a real freedom to live in the present moment aware that I was in the same situation as many other people. As time moved along, so many people came forward with different types of support and help, that I realized it was not up to me to solve the problem. By letting go, and learning to trust God, I found a freedom that allowed me to be happy and at peace—while praying throughout the shutdown.
During His own ministry, Jesus taught us the prayer that helps us to live, as Mary lived, the blessed life. This pray is the “Our Father.” In it, we pray to do God’s will each day and to rely on God for what we need to be at peace each day. Through the words of this prayer, we invite God into our lives no matter what the situation that we might find ourselves in or the difficulties that we might be experiencing.
John the Baptist also shows us how to find the Lord in our lives. The great prophet does not announce his own greatness, talents and abilities. He proclaims the Christ and His power. This is the same thing that each of us must do if we desire to find Christ in our trials and know His saving power.
The Christian message is incredibly counter cultural. At a time when we all tend to be very individualistic and self-centered, Christ invites us to rely on Him and to care for others.
This Advent, we are invited to know a joy that can only be experienced by those who allow Christ into their hearts. Jesus wishes to be born into the circumstances of our daily lives and struggles no matter how messy they might be—even if they stink like a barn—like the manger. Mary the Mother of God, John the Baptist and St. Paul knew great trials and difficulties. They overcame them by giving their “yes” to the Lord and allowing the Holy Spirit into their hearts. Through their “yes,” they were set free to know a joy that would allow them to pray the beautiful words of the Magnificat and to “rejoice always and pray without ceasing.” May we all have the courage this Advent, in the midst of the COVID 19 pandemic, to give our “yes” to God and welcome Him into our hearts, so that we too may live the blessed life and proclaim the greatness of the Lord.
Blessings on this Gaudete Sunday!
Fr. Michael McGourty
Pastor, St. Peter’s Church—Toronto
This reflection based on the readings for the Third Sunday of Advent—Year A (Gaudete Sunday): Isiah 61: 1-11; Luke 1, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24; and John 1: 6-8, 19-28.
