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Gaudete Sunday (Third Week of Advent)
Saint Ignatius of Loyola Church, Boston College
December 16, 2012
Rev. Joseph M. O’Keefe, S.J.
At the beginning of the week, I had a homily all planned out for today. It was
uplifting and humorous, or at least I made an attempt at humor. But given the
events of Friday, I can't bring myself to give that homily.
How do we cope with such tragic news?
On the front page of today's Boston Globe is an article written by Jim Dwyer of the
New York Times. The title of the article says it all, I think. Quote "Abruptly,
Christmas joy feels unthinkable-and essential."
Given the events of Friday, Christmas joy does indeed feel unthinkable. Have any of
us been able to watch the TV or open a newspaper without choking up. Beautiful 6
and 7 year old children brutally murdered. Families forever marked by a profound
and unfathomable loss. Children's innocence stolen by sounds of screaming and
gunfire, and horrific visions of bloody brutality.
Like all of you, I am sure, I have been trying to process the relentless details of these
accounts. It occurred to me that stories of such brutality are not new. Sadly, human
history has been littered with horrific events. Two weeks to the day after the events
of December 14, December 28, as it does every year, the liturgical calendar of the
Catholic Church memorializes the innocent children killed by King Herod in his
desperate attempt to ensure that there would be no challenge to his authority. As
Matthew describes this mass murder, he quotes Jeremiah the prophet:
A voice was heard and Ramah, sobbing and loud lamentation; Rachel weeping for her
children, and she would not be consoled, since they were no more.
How tragic and sad that the Feast of the Holy Innocents came two weeks early this
year. That the sobbing, loud lamentation, and weeping came from a sleepy little
community called Newtown, Connecticut.
Abruptly, Christmas joy feels unthinkable.
When will it ever end? These events bring us to the quintessential advent prayer,
“rorate caeli,” rend the heavens and come down Lord to save us; " “Veni, Veni,
Emmanuel," "Come, O Come, Emmanuel, disperse the gloomy clouds of night. And
deaths dark shadows put to flight."
Where do we go from here? Where do we find joy this Christmas season 2012? As
unthinkable as joy seems, Jim Dwyer is right: in 2012 especially, Christmas joy is
essential.
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On the wall of the sacristy of the Discalced Carmelite sisters in Danvers is a poster
with the following inscription: "Joy is not the absence of sorrow, but the presence of
God." Joy does not mean carefree, happy-go-lucky, cheery, insouciant.” Joy is not
whimsical, ephemeral, or capricious. No -- It is deep, it is constant, it is real. And, in
2012 holiday season especially, joy is essential.
How to be joyful? We should heed the advice that St. Paul gave to the people of
Phillipi two millennia ago, which we just heard in today's epistle: "rejoice in the
Lord always. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, make your requests known to God." When there is nothing else we can
do, when we cannot resolve the crisis, when we cannot reverse time, when we
cannot change the tragic events of last Friday, in our humility and in our poverty, we
make our requests known to God. We pray.
And when we pray, we are reminded of the hopefulness to which we had been
called, even in the midst of sadness and grief. When I heard the news on Friday, my
mind immediately went to the 19th chapter of Matthew's Gospel. Jesus, embracing
the little children in his loving arms, told his disciples, "let the little children come to
me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these." I
believe deeply that on Friday morning December 14, 2012 Jesus embraced 20 little
children.
Yes we pray. And we ask ourselves the question that the crowd asked John the
Baptist in today's gospel, "what should we do?" The answer I think, is the answer
that John the Baptist gave to them so long ago. When we don't know what else to do,
we give what we have too those who do not have, we share with those in need, we
treat people with honesty and integrity as the tax collectors of yore, we do not
practice extortion, we do not falsely accuse anyone. To paraphrase Saint Luke, we
live lives of care and generosity. We pour ourselves out for love of others. We
become more loving parents, children, spouses, siblings, friends, colleagues, and
citizens. We do not repay evil with evil, we repay evil with goodness, each one of us
in the particularity of our lives.
And I think in some ways, as we learn more and more about the events of Newtown
Connecticut, God has answered our prayers through the example of others. We have
witnessed great acts of horror, and great acts of heroism. Embrace the heroism, not
the horror. Embrace the heroism of Dawn Hochsprung, the dedicated and seasoned
principle of Sandy Hook School, who put herself in harms way, who laid down her
life for the children in her care. Embrace the heroism of Vicky Soto, the teacher who
gave her young life to protect the children she loved she loved and who loved her in
kind. Embrace the heroism of spirit that is so evident in Robbie Parker, father of
Emily Parker age 6, one of the children who was killed. Coming out of church last
night, Parker spoke of his beautiful little girl. He expressed his sympathy and
condolences to the other parents who lost their children and to the families of the
adults were killed. And then, with remarkable generosity and faith, he spoke directly
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to the family of Adam Lanza, "I can't imagine how hard this experience must be for
you, and I want you to know that our family and our love and our support goes out
to you as well." Fighting back tears with his voice cracking, this 30-year-old father of
three asked that the tragedy quote "not turn into something that defines us, but
something that inspires us to be better, to be more compassionate, and to be more
humble people."
In the midst of the dark clouds of these days, we look for bits of blue sky; “O come, o
come, Emmanuel, disperse the gloomy clouds of night.” In the midst of palpable evil,
we look for God; in the midst of sadness and grief, we look for joy. And we find that
joy in goodness, compassion, and humility.
Yes, on this Gaudete Sunday 2012, Christmas joy feels unthinkable – And yes, on this
Gaudete Sunday 2012, Christmas joy has never been more essential.