Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11
“Gaudete”: Happiness Sunday
I sometimes ask myself why my name is Ayodele, a name which means “happiness has come to our home.” Is this “happiness” for me or for my parents? Are my parents still very happy that they have me as a son, given the fact that they are not Roman Catholic and they did not approve of my choice of the priesthood in the Catholic Church. What I am today, was that what they wanted or dreamt of when I was born? You can imagine how many possible questions to be asked about the reality of my birth and name. However, one thing remains sure, my parents and myself are all seekers of happiness. In fact, every human being wants to be happy; and there are many people who fight for animals to be treated with kindness because happiness is a desire of every creature, human and otherwise.
The reason for talking about happiness is not far-fetched, this third Sunday of Advent is called “happiness Sunday,” even if the literal translation of the Latin verb “Gaudete,” which is an imperative or command is “be happy,” taken from the Antiphon of today’s Mass. If there is a command to be happy, it is logical to ask the reason for this happiness. You see why I was mussing on my parents’ reason for naming me “happiness has come to our home,” and whether myself, the bearer of the name, I am happy.
The imperative -.rejoice or be happy – comes from one fundamental source: Jesus is the source of happiness for Christians. This point is important before Christmas so that we do not forget the reason for Christmas. Yes, we need to prepare for Christmas, so that when Christmas comes, it should be a cause of great rejoicing for us. This happiness is not just based on the promise of salvation, that Jesus is Saviour, that he will save us in the future, NO! The presence of Jesus in our lives is already the reason for our joy. Emmanuel – God with us – is the cause of our joy. In fact, here is the full statement of today’s Antiphon: “gaudete in Domino semper iterum dico gaudete – rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!” The Lord is the source of our joy, nothing else.
If the presence of God in our lives is the source and cause of our joy, as the command “rejoice in the Lord” suggests, then we can rejoice even today before Christmas day, provided that the Lord is with us, and he is our joy. The general mistake of every generation of human beings is to think that happiness comes from sex, money, power, beauty, intelligence and the consumption of all kinds of substances. The realization that these cannot bring us joy is the beginning of Christmas. The truth is that we resort to all those because of fear and anxiety. For once, at least for me, the statement of Reagan that all we need to fear is fear itself, has biblical resonance. Our first reading talks about the need to extirpate fear as a precondition for happiness. When we see the rate of suicide, substance abuse, egoism, etc., in the so-called First World, and among the rich and powerful of Third World countries, it becomes evident that the absence of Jesus is the presence of sadness and the absence of happiness.
The “weak knees” and “feeble hands” of which Isaiah speaks, in the first reading, which need support from feebleness, are those plagued by their sense of inadequacy and fear that they cannot support themselves. Those around them need to remind them that God has not abandoned them. The exact words of Isaiah indicate that FEAR is the basis of “weak knees” and “feeble hands;” just look at a coward who dies one thousand times before his death – he trembles and quakes with fear. The statement of God, through Isaiah, is reassuring: “say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God!” We are back full circle to the reason why happiness eludes us and why we result to all kinds of sinful acts to find happiness, false and elusive happiness.
If we take seriously the beginnings of our first reading, the fact that joy and happiness are a future, and not a present promise, then we will understand that as long as we live in fear, joy will continue to elude us. There is joy only in God. When we have God, fear disappears, and joy comes in to dwell with us. Isaiah himself alludes to this when he says, in our first reading: “The glory of Lebanon will be given to them, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.” What is the “glory” and “splendor” of God, if not God’s presence? The presence of God is synonymous with happiness. The absence of fear is the presence of God. When fear disappears, those who used to be afraid begin to see in fellow human beings God’s presence, and every help they receive is attributed to God himself.
Imagine if Jesus were to say to you and me today: ““Go and tell John [prisoners] what you hear and see.” The storyline is easy to decipher: violence, corruption, addiction, killings, etc. Our generation has the predilection for bad news, good news has virtually disappeared. The bringers of good news are qualified as the naïve and ignoramus of this world. But then, the message John received in jail was good news, that God dwelt among his people; a presence that restored sight to the blind, hope to the hopeless, smile and laughter to the sad. Yes, today, we take lessons on how to smile, we need laws in order to be neighbours to one another, we need tax credit and political agenda to be charitable to those in need: nature is dead, all that remains is nurture!
Just compare and contrast the beginning of today’s gospel and its end: “When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, ‘Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?’ . . . Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” On the one hand, John-the-Baptist, although in prison, he still was interested in what Jesus was doing; the good news of salvation still fascinated him. Instead of complaining and whining, NO! On the other hand, Jesus praises a prisoner whom he did not free from prison, John. In fact, John was beheaded in that same prison where Jesus left him. The lesson here, though, is to ask what sent John to prison – the joy of the gospel and the fear of the good news. When John confronted the king with the dictates of the gospel because John was fearless, the king was afraid of John and put him in prison. You see, even in prison, John was still joyful, asking after Jesus Christ; while on account of fear, Herod was sad, despite his power, wealth, and influence.
Have you ever imagined what kind of good news Jesus preached that left John in prison to be beheaded? What kind of good news is in the Bible when the righteous suffer and crooks and criminals go scot-free? What kind of joy Jesus offers, when he ended up upon a gobbet himself! Well, Jesus anticipated these questions and he forewarned us saying, “And blessed is the one who [is not scandalized by me] takes no offense at me.” Going by Jesus’ warning, the joy of the good news does not preclude imprisonment. Also, it does not mean that every physically disabled person will be restored from disability. The joy of the Lord simply means the assurance that God journeys with us in sickness and in health. This is the example of John-the-Baptist, who was in prison, but was still happy. Like the joy of Christ, who will not shy away from the Cross when the time is ripe. So should it be with you and me: happiness through thick and thin.
It is at this point that the idea and message of James, in our second reading, becomes very important and necessary. The necessity for patience, especially when the going goes tough, teaches us a lesson in happiness. We shouldn’t be happy only when all is sleek and rosy, but always. Remember the words of Paul, which guides this Sunday’s reflection: “gaudete in Domino semper iterum dico gaudete – rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice!” To rejoice ALWAYS means that God’s presence is always with us whether we are sick or healthy, poor or rich, beautiful or ugly.
Assignment for the Week:
Can you find ways to remain happiness all week long?