A Lectio Divina Approach to the Sunday Liturgy
BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD (Series 8, n. 3)
3rd Sunday in Advent, Year C – December 13, 2009 *
“Rejoice! The Lord Is Near!”
BIBLE READINGS
Zep 3:14-18a // Phil 4:4-7 // Lk 3:10-18
(N.B. Series 8 of BREAKING THE BREAD OF THE WORD: A LECTIO DIVINA APPROACH TO THE SUNDAY LITURGY includes a prayerful study of the Sunday liturgy of Year C from the perspective of the Second Reading. For reflections on the Sunday liturgy of Year C based on the Gospel reading, please scroll up to the “ARCHIVES” above and open Series 2. For reflections based on the Old Testament reading, open Series 5.)
I. BIBLICO-LITURGICAL REFLECTIONS
The sense of joyful expectation for the coming of the Messiah is at the heart of the Advent season. Joy permeates our messianic waiting. Unmitigated in intensity, the spirit of joy encourages in misfortunes. Knowing that God is in control, the attitude of joyful hope helps us to prevail even in gloomy, distressing and hostile situations (cf. Zep 3:14-18a). Dynamic and impelling, the joyful expectation at the coming of the Messiah requires acts of charity and deeds of justice in an ongoing process of personal conversion (cf. Lk 3:10-18).
Through the Second Reading of this Sunday’s Mass – called fittingly “Gaudete Sunday” - we have received a beautiful gift from Saint Paul: his witness of joy and his inspiring call to rejoice in the Lord always (cf. Phil 4:4-7). Writing from a prison in Ephesus to the Philippians, the first church that Paul established on European soil in the Roman province of Macedonia, he was sharing with them and with us, through time and space, the confident joy that springs forth from deep faith in Jesus Christ. Paul reminds the Philippians and us that the Lord Jesus is the motive and guarantee of our joy, which is to be shared with everyone in the form of kindness and serenity. As we look forward to the final coming of Jesus Christ at the parousia, or end time, we are not anxious, but rather warmed with joyful hope. In our Advent expectation we do not despair, but are filled with the grace of peace.
According to the scholar Aelred Rosser, what Paul is actually saying is: “If joy is the basic expression of our faith and our kindness known to all; if we refuse to surrender to anxiety, and if thanksgiving is the substance of our prayer – then the peace of God, which is beyond anything we can imagine, will guard our hearts and minds.” Indeed, Saint Paul’s remarkable message for us this Gaudete Sunday is a source of comfort, inspiration and greater insight. Paul’s fundamental response to the Lord’s Good News is that of optimism and joy. He challenges us to make it ours as well.
The people of Advent expectation are a people of joy. They are a bunch of joyful optimists, rooted in union with Jesus Christ and anchored securely through deep faith in him. The following charming story gives us an idea of the undaunted conviction that animates a joyful optimist (cf. “The Optimist” in A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul, ed. Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen, Deerfield Beach: Health Communications, Inc., 1993, p. 180). His trust in the good that is in store is total and unyielding.
There is a story of identical twins. One was a hope-filled optimist: “Everything is coming up roses!” he would say. The other was a sad and hopeless pessimist. He thought that Murphy, as in Murphy’s Law, was an optimist. The worried parents of the boys brought them to the local psychologist.
He suggested to the parents a plan to balance the twins’ personalities. “On their next birthday, put them in separate rooms to open their gifts. Give the pessimist the best toys you can afford, and give the optimist a box of manure.” The parents followed these instructions and carefully observed the results.
When they peeked in on the pessimist, they heard him audibly complaining, “I don’t like the color of this computer … I’ll bet this calculator will break … I don’t like this game … I know someone who’s got a bigger toy car than this …”
Tiptoeing across the corridor, the parents peeked in and saw their little optimist gleefully throwing the manure up in the air. He was giggling, “You can’t fool me! Where there’s this much manure, there’s gotta be a pony!”
II. POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART
When we are discouraged, do we cling to the Lord who is in our midst, our mighty savior? Do we trust that he will rejoice over us with gladness and renew us in his love?
Does our joyful messianic expectation encourage us to be responsive to present situations that need to be rectified? Do we ask, “What should we do”?
Do we believe that the Lord is near and is in our midst? Do we rejoice in the Lord always, avoiding useless anxieties? Do we pray to God in a spirit of trust and thanksgiving and allow the divine peace to enfold us?
III. PRAYING WITH THE WORD
Leader: Loving Father,
let our deep union with Jesus Christ,
the Lord who is to come,
be manifested in deep joy and kind deeds of mercy.
Deliver us from useless anxieties
as we wait in joyful hope
for the coming of your Son in glory.
Almighty God,
in this ad interim time of waiting,
we know and trust that you are in control.
Your mighty power makes us peaceful and secure.
We turn to you in prayer of praise and thanksgiving.
We offer you our humble intercessions
and surrender fully to your gracious, saving will.
In this period of Advent expectation,
help us to be efficacious builders
of your eternal kingdom of love, justice and peace.
Do not allow us to be smug, passive and complacent.
Enlighten us to be proactive Christian disciples
who zealously ask, “What should we do”.
Let us act on your word devotedly and creatively.
Assist us to pursue your saving will
We love you, O merciful God.
You are with us as our mighty Savior.
In Jesus Christ,
renew us with your saving love
and let us sing to you with gladness.
May we – the people of Advent expectation – exult for joy,
now and forever.
Assembly: Amen.
IV. INTERIORIZATION OF THE WORD
The following is the bread of the living Word that will nourish us throughout the week. Please memorize it.
“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again rejoice!” (Phil 4:4)
V. TOWARDS LIFE TRANSFORMATION
ACTION PLAN: In this period of Advent expectation, pray intensely that you may truly be a people who rejoice in the Lord. Let your joy in Christ and his peace be felt by the people around you through your deeds of kindness and mercy.
ACTION PLAN: That we may truly be people of Advent expectation that is marked with love, joy and peace, make an effort to spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration. Visit the PDDM WEB site (www.pddm.us) for the EUCHARISTIC ADORATION THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR: A Weekly Pastoral Tool (Year C, vol. 6, #3).
Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang PDDM
PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI
SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER
60 Sunset Ave., Staten Island, NY 10314
Tel. (718) 494-8597 // (718) 761-2323
Website: WWW.PDDM.US