Readings: Isaiah 35:1-6, 10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11;

The word “joy”, in one form another, was used six times in our Gospel today. Do you think God is trying to tell us something? We have put away our dark vestments today; we have traded our purple and midnight blue vestments for rose vestments.

Do you think the Church is trying to tell us something?

The dark night in which the world waited helplessly for its Savior is coming to an end; Christmas is drawing closer; Christ will soon be born. Christ himself is the sun that lights up the dark night sky, and he is drawing near; the horizon is beginning to glow with a pale, rose-colored light. The rose vestments are a visual echo of the words of the First Reading, which called us to rejoice.

Today is the Sunday of Rejoicing. But isn’t this a naive, childish thing to do in today’s world? After all, the world is still flooded with sin. Every day the news reports about death, violence, genocides and natural disasters. Isn’t it selfish and foolish to rejoice in the middle of such a suffering world?

Not at all. We do not rejoice because we believe Jesus came to bring heaven down to earth. Rather, we rejoice because we know that Jesus came to open a path from earth into heaven. The joy of the Christian is the joy of a hope guaranteed by God himself. This is true joy, the joy of hope, and Christ is its source.

His revelation is the pinprick of light that is the source of true, lasting joy, not the anaemic joy that is inspired by the passing flicker of a fragile candle. It is not hard to let this spirit of true joy brighten up our lives these days, as Christmas comes closer.

Even though consumerism has learned to take advantage of this season in many places, it has done so by surrounding us with decorations, images, and music that can serve as excellent reminders of the truth that Christ has come to live among us – the truth that is the source of Christian joy.

The evergreen wreaths and Christmas trees are a symbol of God’s undying love, always green and fresh, even in the middle of darkest. The lights and glittering bulbs remind us that Christ’s light came to conquer the darkness of sin and ignorance, and that it will always continue to shine, leading us to true happiness.

But above all, the manger scenes that abound this time of year vividly portray the most amazing fact in human history: God actually became a human being. He was actually born once as Mary’s little baby, so that by our faith in him we could be born again as children of God. The manger in Bethlehem, in fact, is the reality that all the other symbols point to.

Today, as Christ renews his presence among us in the Eucharist, let’s promise that as we approach the celebration of Christmas, we will let that presence bring joy to our hearts – true joy, the kind that only Christ can give.