3rd Sun of Advent Yr B, Dec 13, 2020 - Is 61:1-2a, 10-11; 1 Thes 5:16-24; Jn 1:6-8, 19-28
An Ancient legend has it that there was a Native American tribe whose members had become reckless and warlike and could not get along with anyone even themselves. The tribe had become self-destructive.
Out of concern, a chief, of one of the tribes, called a meeting of all the elders, from every tribe, to decide what might be done with the tribe that was having these problems. Many wanted to punish the tribe but they argued about what sort of punishment could be effective in getting the tribe back to normal.
They decided that the best way to discipline the tribe was to take away joy from the tribe’s members. In fact, they decided to hide joy so that joy could never be found again. One leader said they should take joy to the highest mountain and hide it there. But someone else said that that would not work because someday someone would climb the mountain and find it.
Another suggested that they bury joy but others protested because they knew that someone would eventually just dig it up. A third thought that they should sink joy in the deepest ocean. But they decided that, sooner or later, someone would learn how to dive down there and bring it up.
Finally, the wise elder chief came up with the perfect solution. They would take joy and hide joy deep inside the heart of every human being - for no one would think to look for it there.
According to the legend, human beings have been running and scrambling all over the earth for years and years – climbing, digging, diving – and even Christmas shopping, searching for joy – searching for something that already exists deep down in their hearts. Joy is not something to be found - out there. It can only be found - in here, in our hearts
How then do we experience joy? There seem to be only two ways. The first is when someone shares their joy with us, by doing something for us, and the second is when we share our joy with someone else by doing something for them. In both cases, the joy deep down in our hearts is allowed to come to the surface and to be set free.
Our first two readings and our responsorial psalm today call on us to rejoice, to let our souls rejoice in God who has done so much for us, and to not quench the Spirit. And what is a fruit of the Spirit? – Joy!
In the Gospel today we hear how John the Baptist refused to lay claim to being the Christ, the anointed of God, or to be Elijah, or the Prophet. Instead, John bore witness to the light, and that light, that illuminated a world stuck in darkness and sin, was Jesus. John the Baptist knew and understood his own role – to prepare the way for Christ’s coming and to point the sinner to the Savior – our Lord Jesus. Jesus shared himself and the Good News of salvation with us.
What better way to share our Joy than to follow Jesus’ example and do as Jesus did? Because God knows, we all really need some joy right now. With that in mind let me tell you this: At St. Andrew the Apostle, 2 kindergarten twin sisters saw me one day, and yelled, “Fr. Mike, Fr. Mike, we saw you at Church.” “You did?” I asked. “Yes,” they replied, “You were wearing that pink dress” [the rose-colored chasuble] Oh boy! Leave it to innocent children to bring back some joy right when we need it the most.