On the day that the Catholic Liturgy offers the faithful a jubilant pause amid the penitential period of Advent, the Precursor tells us “what we should do” to find true joy, so longed for by every creature.
Gospel of the Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday)
10 And the multitudes asked him, “What then shall we do?” 11 And he answered them, “He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.” 12 Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?” 13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than is appointed you.” 14 Soldiers also asked him, “And we, what shall we do?” And He said to them, “Rob no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.” 15 As the people were in expectation, and all men questioned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he were the Christ, 16 John answered them all, “I baptize you with water; but He who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17 His winnowing fork is in His hand, to clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His granary, but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire.” 18 So, with many other exhortations, he preached good news to the people (Lk 3:10-18).
A happy pause in the midst of penance
Throughout the year, the Liturgy of the Church evokes the most varied sentiments: sadness during Holy Week; overflowing yet temperate delight in the Resurrection; hope during Ordinary Time; festive jubilation in the great Solemnities. At a certain moment, we come across a manifestation—perhaps one of the most accentuated in the Liturgy—of comfort and joy in the midst of penitence. This characteristic note marks just two Sundays in the year: the Fourth Sunday of Lent, called Laetare, and the Third Sunday of Advent, designated with the name Gaudete, which will be the object of our reflection. In it, the Church opens a hiatus amidst the asceticism and constant preoccupation with conversion—appropriate attitudes for the season of Advent and preparation for Our Lord’s coming—to speak of joy, infusing us with new strength.
“Rejoice in the Lord always!”
Gaudete, the first word of the Entrance Antiphon of the Mass of the day, means “rejoice”, and is drawn from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. […] The Lord is at hand” (Phil 4: 4-5). Indeed, hope in Jesus’ birth must be accompanied by a sincere desire to change one’s life. These interior movements need stimulation, and it is exactly what this third Sunday of Advent affords: altars are once again adorned with flowers, instruments play during the Eucharistic Celebration and vestments have a pleasing rose hue to symbolize festivity and the idea of rest. The entire Liturgy, including the readings and prayers, focuses on rejoicing, for our Holy Religion does not lead to sorrow, nor to a life of eternal suffering, but rather opens the perspective of a joyous and consoling future.
Only in view of this joy does our readiness to suffer have meaning, as the same Apostle explains: if Christ has not been raised, our faith would be in vain. (cf. 1 Cor 15: 14). The Resurrection of Christ is the promise of our own resurrection and therefore our eternal happiness. What would be the value of all the efforts made in life, if there were no assurance of a final reward, a happy eternity? Without this incentive we would lose heart. Therefore, our entire attention should be focused on one point: we will one day be in the eternal company of God!
This is the goal of this Sunday’s Liturgy: to fill us with joy in view of the future. We should, then, consider the Gospel from the perspective of this supernatural gladness, founded on the fact that we are children of God and have the promise of an eternity with Him, if we persevere on the good path until the end.
A Liturgy pervaded with joy
The first reading proclaims the end of the prophecy of Zephaniah: “Sing aloud, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel! Rejoice and exult with all your heart, O daughter of Jerusalem! The Lord has taken away the judgments against you, He has cast out your enemies. The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst; you shall fear evil no more. On that day it shall be said to Jerusalem: “Do not fear, O Zion; let not your hands grow weak. The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will renew you in His love; He will exult over you with loud singing as on a day of festival” (3:14-18a).
Although Zephaniah was a prophet of tragedy and doom, this passage is a harbinger of joy and consolation, because those who truly consider the wonders of the future, even in facing great suffering, are always joyful. When a good Catholic is struck by illness or some other misfortune, he is able to show remarkable stamina and resignation, since Someone above him—Our Lord Jesus Christ—suffered incomparably more in order to grant him the extraordinary happiness of living eternally with Him.
The second reading—the aforementioned letter of St. Paul—also confirms this exultation, saying: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let all men know your forbearance. The Lord is at hand” (Phil 4: 4-5).
The Apostle to the Gentiles wrote this letter from within the dismal prison where he was incarcerated in Rome (Phil 1:7,13,17). History tells us how inhumane prisons were in those times. According to Holzner, “Christian antiquity is filled with recriminations of the terrible treatment of prisoners and their cramped quarters, of the frightful conditions in Roman prisons. […] The Romans themselves considered the punishment of imprisonment to be a terrible suffering, cruciatus immensus, and decried the high mortality rate among prisoners.”1 However, even within this situation, Paul exhorts: “Rejoice”. His heart overflows with joy, and in such adverse circumstances, this gladness cannot be of a natural, carnal or worldly character, but divine, coming from above, penetrating deep into the heart making it rise above any suffering. He is absolutely unshakable: “Have no anxiety about anything” (Phil 4:6).
This is the duty of all the baptized. We have, more than anyone else, the potential to doing good, for in Baptism we received an infusion of all the virtues and gifts of the Holy Spirit, like a marvellous supernatural organism, which, driven by actual grace, enables us to perform meritorious acts. For this reason we should be assured that when we practice a good act, we do it not by our own fallen nature, but by the action of grace, which is a treasure deposited in us by God Himself, the reason for the supernatural joy that we feel.
As the Saviour’s coming approaches: joy … and conversion!
For these reasons, as the birth of Our Lord draws near, the Church wants to give the faithful an early sampling of the consolations, fervour and effects of the graces proper to the feast of Christmas. This third Sunday, therefore, opens a new phase in Advent. The First Sunday made clear reference to the coming of the Saviour, the Second made the same announcement even more openly expressive, and now it is affirmed by the pen of St. Paul “The Lord is at hand!”
If the reason for rejoicing is the birth of Jesus, we must base this joy on fulfilling the Law of God, in the continuous desire for an inner transformation. The Gospel in this Liturgy illustrates, once again, the prophetic figure of the Precursor, calling all to this conversion.
II – Conversion Requires Concrete Gestures
St. John came to prepare the way of the Lord by preaching a change of life. The impact produced by this mysterious figure and his burning words attracted crowds that flocked to meet him. Since he arrested the attention of many, religious and political passions were easily set in motion. Nevertheless, God’s envoy had higher ambitions. His preaching aimed at reaching the innermost soul, moving the will and awakening the conscience. In view of his proposal, various situations arose which demonstrated that his listeners were so intensely anxious to follow him because they yearned for happiness. Carrying this good disposition forward required metanoia—a change of mentality—a renouncement of fixed ideas, vices and disorderly passions. As Maldonado says: “A sure sign that a preacher has obtained fruits with his congregation is when the listeners come to him with a restless and agitated conscience to discuss their salvation!”2 In this way, John showed many how they should live.
True joy is found in generosity
“10 And the multitudes asked him, ‘What then shall we do?’ 11 And he answered them, ‘He who has two coats, let him share with him who has none; and he who has food, let him do likewise.’”
The austere reformer softened his words when preaching to the humble; those who sincerely thirsted for conversion. This verse shows that his counsels breathed kindness. But would those Jews have observed St. John the Baptist’s dictates if they had limited their meaning just to sharing clothes and food with the needy? If this division of goods was the only goal of the ascetic prophet, it would have been easy for even the Pharisees to follow the Precursor! Such recommendations should therefore not be taken in a strictly literal sense. According to Fr. Maldonado, the Precursor indicated “a type of all-embracing charity, that is, a virtue practiced together with all its corresponding duties. […] He repeatedly recommended charity towards neighbour, proposing it as the essence of the path to salvation.”3 They must, then, have understood the need to give their lives a new perspective, to leave their old selves and renounce all attachment to material goods.
It is entirely legitimate to make free use of things that serve a personal, family or community necessity, but never to satisfy egoism. Since God has given us the instinct of sociability and, above it, the moral law and grace, our primary concern should be to do good for others, without discrimination. This disposition of soul, of continuous and generous giving to others, makes our souls overflow with joy.
Egoism camouflaged behind a profession
12 “Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, ‘Teacher, what shall we do?’ 13 And he said to them, ‘Collect no more than is appointed you.’”
A certain group of John’s listeners wished to clarify how to proceed in their particular case: the tax collectors. In those ancient times, this profession was not regulated by the legislations in existence today, and there was, therefore, no exact assessment as to how much was owed to the state. This largely depended on the determination of the collector, who could set the amount to be paid by the taxpayer. In reality, tax collectors should have abided by prescribed norms, but frequently they added extra charges to the true amount, contributing the proceeds not to the public treasury, but to their own pockets… They benefitted at the cost of others.4
This practice revealed egoism disguised in the exercise of a profession, because instead of having God as the centre of their lives and actions, serving the common good with honesty, they preferred to impose heavy financial burdens for their own gain. The Precursor taught them the same general principle as the crowds—the duty of charity towards others—but applying it concretely to their particular case: do not charge more than what has been established, since this would be unjust. As Cardinal Goma y Tomás asserts, “The Baptist requires no more of them than the fulfilment of their duties within the strictest justice; he does not impose an unbearable burden on them, as the Pharisees did with everyone.”5
The vice of exercising authority for personal gain
“14 Soldiers also asked him, ‘And we, what shall we do?’ And he said to them, ‘Rob no one by violence or by false accusation, and be content with your wages.’”
Soldiers were “salaried people, ordinarily recruited from among vagabonds, criminals, and runaways from the parental home.”6 Further influenced by the rude and often demoralized environment of their military training, they were regularly in a position to commit theft and abuse of authority with no reprisal from their superiors. John recommends gentleness and equanimity, prohibiting unjust violence and urging them to be satisfied with their meagre pay which they usually sought to supplement with censurable pilfering. He counselled them to fulfil their duty strictly in favour of the established order and the common good. In this regard, St. Augustine points out with precision: “The militia does not prohibit doing good, but evil. […] If the soldiers were like this, [honest], even the State itself would benefit.”7
What surfaces from this series of Gospel examples—undoubtedly there must have been many other matters of conscience resolved by the Precursor’s orientations—is St. John the Baptist’s psychological tact and discernment of spirits, along with an artful ability to harmonize his clear vision with justice and charity. He knew the opportune and exact word to say to lead all to conversion, and he did this with the moral authority characteristic of those who live in the security of virtue and know how to find in it the happiness that is possible in this land of exile. In fact, John’s answers are simple. “No matter who asks the question of him, he answers: ‘Be just in the work you do. Live as you should, being righteous and conscious of the needs of others.’ That is, in fact the only valid answer. The Christian should always be joyful, and his serenity should be evident to all.”8 The practice of virtue consists in the exact fulfilment of our obligations.
The impact produced by the Baptist
15 “The people were in expectation, and all were asking in their hearts if John was not the Messiah.”
John’s uprightness, considered a true beacon in the notorious moral, religious and political decadence of the Chosen People, produced the spiritual well-being of a sincerely peaceful conscience in his followers, and soon his prestige began to increase. Finally, a fearless, strong, disinterested voice, rose above the errors of the powerful. Public opinion easily leaned in favour of crediting a man consumed by love of the good, and he increasingly appeared to them as someone invested with authority by God Himself.
Thus, the Israelite people were quick to imagine the Baptist to be the Messiah, long awaited by righteous souls as the solution to their situation. Contributing to this, among other factors, was the general knowledge that the seventy weeks of years of Daniel’s prophecy had been completed (Dn 9:24), the common growing discontentment with foreign domination, to which was added the prophecy about the sceptre of Judah (cf. Gn 49:10), and the vague memory of the mysterious events in Bethlehem and Jerusalem, thirty years before.
If John had not been an unpretentious soul, filled with the desire of giving full restitution to God for everything received, this would have been his ideal moment for self-projection within the Jewish social structures of the time, attributing to himself an aura of grandeur—which he already naturally possessed in everyone’s eyes—and drawing all attention to himself, putting aside the One who should be announced. Had he acted thus, he would no longer be seen as a means, a precursor or a prophet, but as the sole and exclusive end. However, since he was, on the contrary, entirely loyal to the lofty mission entrusted to him by Providence, this situation only served to emphasize his spotless humility.
Always pointing to the One he preceded
16 “John answered them all, ‘I baptize you with water; but He who is mightier than I is coming, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.’”
This personage, so forceful, urged everyone to a baptism of conversion, symbolized by immersion in the waters of the Jordan. Yet he announced the coming of someone stronger than he… how was this possible? Could someone surpass the Baptist himself, the awakener of consciences, the ascetic Prophet? … It is easy to imagine this question arising in the minds of the people at the suggestion that someone would arrive who would be greater than the one whom they had imagined to be the Messiah.
To emphasize this contrast more sharply the Forerunner uses a most eloquent symbol. Untying the thong of a sandal was, at that time, the task of the least qualified among the servants. Most travel was done by foot during those times, and the feet were exposed to the stones and the dust of the roads being only meagrely protected by sandals. Upon arrival at a destination, a slave would commonly remove the sandals to clean them, while the feet were washed and perfumed. John uses this image from daily life to stress the infinite distance separating him from the true Messiah, professing within his interior deep sentiments of total submission and devotion, almost praying: “‘For I am not worthy to be ranked so much as among His servants, no not even the lowest of His servants, nor to receive the least honoured portion of His ministry.’ Therefore He did not merely say, ‘His shoes’, but not even ‘the latchet’, which kind of office was counted the last of all.”9
This adorable Redeemer, whom the Baptist preceded, would fittingly bring the true Baptism, no longer penitential or symbolic, but transforming, by the action of the Holy Spirit. Indeed, just as water washes the body, the soul is purified of its sins by the action of the Spirit, as gold is melted by contact with fire, to remove all impurities that dull it. Fillion says: “With this, John showed the total inferiority of his person and of his baptism. Water washes only the exterior, the face or the surface; the fire of the Holy Spirit penetrates deep into hearts to clean them. Only Baptism conferred in the name of the Messiah was to produce the true remission of sins.”10
The Messiah comes rewarding and punishing
17 “‘His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.’ 18 So, with many other exhortations, he preached good news to the people.”
In these last verses, the Evangelist seeks to highlight the idea of reward and punishment, always present in the announcements made by the Baptist about the future Messiah, as well as the necessity for a change of life. Using powerful language before the multitudes, John revealed some of the divine attributes of the Saviour, with a comforting connotation for some and menacing for others. For those who resembled the good grain, such words would have been like a soothing balm, but for those whose conscience relentlessly accused them of being like useless chaff, His expected arrival was threatening. As St. John Chrysostom says, “For if thou continue wheat, though temptation be brought on thee, thou wilt suffer nothing dreadful; nay, for in the threshing floor, the wheels of the car, that are like saws, do not cut in pieces the wheat; but if thou fall away into the weakness of chaff, thou wilt both here suffer incurable ills, being smitten of all men, and there thou wilt undergo the eternal punishment.”11
Again, the Forerunner brings to light the need for spiritual openness to a constant and efficient conversion in the particular life of each person; the only path to true happiness. Eternal joy or endless torment: that is the inevitable choice of those multitudes who flocked to meet John, and this is the tremendous option offered so clearly to us, two thousand years later…
III – Joy Is Within Our Reach
To have our own resurrection always in sight, despite being fully aware of the disintegration that bodies undergo after burial, turning into dust—to have the hope that, post-mortem, we will enter the eternal company of God after recovering the same body in its glorious state to enjoy eternal happiness in Heaven—is what imparts courage and strength. So why chase after happiness where it does not exist?
The irreplaceable happiness of a good conscience
We may frequently forget or ignore that losing baptismal innocence is the greatest loss in life. It means losing the greatest treasure entrusted to us by the generous hands of Providence, for by losing innocence, evil tendencies surface more vehemently and falls are the consequence, our soul even stooping to the sad situation pointed out by Our Lord in Gospel: “Every one who commits sin is a slave to sin (Jn 8:34).
In fact, when we fall into the misfortune of sin, we are mistakenly striving after happiness deriving from pleasure, which we believe will be infinite and eternal. Such pleasure, however, is always fleeting and submerges our soul in frustration. O weak nature! Running after vacuity, thinking it to be the absolute, pursuing happiness where it is not to be found! St. Augustine says: “To rejoice in injustice, rejoice in infamy, rejoice in things vile and shameful… in all this the world finds its joy, in all this which would not even exist if man did not desire it. […] The joy of present times consists in unpunished wickedness. Surrendering to human depravity―fornication, diversion at the theatres, drunkenness, contaminating oneself in uninterrupted disgrace: this is the joy of the world. But God does not think like men; divine plans are one matter, and human plans another.”12
In deciding to embrace sin, we distance ourselves from the true and irreplaceable joy of a good conscience, which no fortune, no carnal pleasure, no satanic pride, no worldly glory can offer. If some day we have the misfortune of staining our innocence, let us speedily seek to reacquire a clean heart and a new and right spirit (cf. Ps 51:10), washing and purifying our soul in the Sacrament of Confession. Whoever has never felt the consolation of the certainty of being forgiven upon leaving the confessional, has not experienced one of the greatest joys that can be experienced in life. The joy of regaining lost innocence is worth more than anything on earth.
Happiness: true inner vitality
In conclusion, it must be understood that even in the worst situations, we must never lose heart; rather, we should always be filled with confidence. According to the marvellous teaching presented in the Gospel of today’s Liturgy, God is continually available to us, desiring to give us even His own Mother to accompany and attend to us. Let us then follow the counsel of St. Augustine, “‘Rejoice in the Lord always,’ that is, rejoice in the truth, not in iniquity; rejoice in the hope of eternity, not with the flowers of vanity. Rejoice in this way, in any place, and at all times remember that ‘the Lord is near! Do not be anxious about anything.’”13
Let us be joyful even in the midst of the worst tragedies, for our joy will give us the vitality and strength to practice virtue. Thus, the Child Jesus will find our souls ready to receive Him at the supreme moment in which He is mystically born in the Sacred Liturgy and in our hearts. ◊
Notes
1 HOLZNER, Josef. Paulo de Tarso. São Paulo: Quadrante, 1994, p.558.
2 MALDONADO, SJ, Juan de. Comentarios a los cuatro Evangelios. Evangelios de San Marcos y San Lucas. Madrid: BAC, 1951, v.II, p.451.
3 Idem., p.452.
4 Cf. TUYA, OP, Manuel de. Biblia Comentada. Evangelios. Madrid: BAC, 1964, v.V, p.786.
5 GOMÁ Y TOMÁS, Isidro. El Evangelio explicado. Barcelona: Acervo, 1966, v.I, p.339.
6 Idem, ibídem.
7 ST. AUGUSTINE. Sermo CCCII, n.15. In: Obras completas. Sermones (5º). Madrid: BAC, 1984, v.XXV, p.413.
8 NOCENT, Adrien. El Año Litúrgico: celebrar a Jesucristo. Introducción y Adviento. Santander: Sal Terræ, 1979, v.I, p.131.
9 ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM. Homily XI, n.4. In: Obras. Homilías sobre el Evangelio de San Mateo (1-45). Madrid: BAC, 2007, v.I, p.207.
10 FILLION, Louis-Claude. Vida de Nuestro. Señor Jesucristo según los Evangelios. Madrid: Edibesa, 2000, p.100.
11 ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, op. cit., n.5, p.212.
12 ST. AUGUSTINE. Sermo CLXXI, n.4. In: Obras completas. Sermones (1º). Madrid: BAC, 1958, v.VII, p.147.
13 Idem, n.5, p.148-149.
