"What's the first thing you think of when you think of Catholics?" What do you think the response would be? I can tell you what I would like the response to be, one word, joy.
Wouldn't it be great if the first thing that popped into people's minds when they thought of you and me was those are some seriously joyful people. I don't know if I like them or agree with them, but you can't deny those people have got some joy.
So important to Advent, it even has its own color, the rose-colored candle for joy. Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday. Rejoice. Have you ever noticed that Christmas is bubbling over with joy? Evidently, a lot of us have missed that news because Catholics are not always associated with joy.
More often than not, people think of us with long faces, furrowed brows, somber looks. But everywhere you turn, Christmas is bubbling over with joy from the very start. Zechariah, fulfilling his task as a priest in Luke 1 in the temple, an angel appears, says, "You and Elizabeth are going to have a son and you're going to name him John. He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth." Elizabeth, in Luke 1, receives a visit from her cousin Mary, who has conceived Jesus. And when Mary arrives, the baby leaps in Elizabeth's womb for joy. Luke 2, angels have the wonderful task of sharing the good news of Jesus' birth. God arrives with the shepherds and says, "I bring you good news of a great joy for all people." And then, best of all, in Matthew 2, with the wise men, they arrive on the scene, they discover Jesus, and when they see the star, they rejoice with exceeding great joy. It's a lot of joy. Joy is everywhere. Christmas is dripping with it.
I was invited to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe with a parish community that had suffered some dark moments in its past. Their church committee and pastor had planned the traditional services that included Mexican food, mariachi music, crowning of Our Lady, but despite their preparations they feared the worst that their neighbors and friends would not return to their new location.
At the crowning service, I brought my puppet Spinach to share the story of Juan Diego and miracle meeting Our Lady on the hill in Tepeyac in Mexico. A dozen children and 50 adults attended the service. The following morning 25 faithful came at 5am to celebrate with the sound of mariachi music followed by Mass at 6am, Then, a miracle took place, not in Mexico City but on Smoke Ranch Road in a mall that has the words Divine Mercy printed on its windows. That evening the church was standing room only overflowing into the adjacent room with hundreds of people and children. Best of all, their was joy, hugs and kisses, smiles and greetings, parents and grandparents, friends and neighbors, who had returned to church to share their devotion to the Mother of God Guadalupe and restore their joy in one another. The mariachi band played, the people were swaying their arms high above their heads in praise of God and celebrating the joy of the Lord.
Jesus Christ is all about joy. Jesus brings a great joy. Joy to the world, the Lord has come. Let earth receive her king. Let every heart prepare him room and heaven and nature sing. Shout it from the rooftop. Whisper it to a friend. Joy sustains you in the highest moments, or in your darkest moments of despair. We know the Lord and nothing can change that or remove that. We have a joy that is inextinguishable. Joy is at the center of God's heart. Christmas is really about God changing you. It's about Jesus. There is no greater joy than Jesus.
Lord I pray for all my Sonshine Friends and my special Friends at Divine Mercy in Las Vegas. You turned their fear that no one would come to their new home into a joyful celebration of life and love for one another. I shared in my greeting to the people to literally go out and ask everyone they meet “Would you like to come to my church?” And when someone would respond: “Why?” You simply reply: “At Divine Mercy, we are dripping with joy!”
