HOMILY FOR THE 3RD SUNDAY OF ADVENT YEAR A.

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Isaiah 35:1-6, 10; Psalm 145:6-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11.

“THE JOY OF WAITING ON GOD!”

By: Rev. Fr. Charles Onyeka Ezejide

·      Today we celebrate the 3rd Sunday of Advent. Today more than ever before, the coming of the son of God at Christmas is closer to us than ever. And the advent season affords us that opportunity to make adequate preparation to receive the Lord at Christmas.

·      Today the church celebrates “Gaudete Sunday” which means Joy or happiness. We are happy because the coming of the son of God is closer than ever to us. The word “joy” is interchangeably used with happiness and rejoicing

·      For the four Sundays of Advent, the Lord continues to write us a personal letter through the readings on the best way to make preparations for his coming, what we should do and what we should not do, and most importantly how to occupy ourselves while waiting for his coming because “an idle mind is the devil’s workshop”.

·      Listening to the readings of the season of advent, and waiting on the Lord at the same time, can be boring, scary, and tiring, hence on this third Sunday of advent, he is telling us to stop leaving in fear while waiting but rather be joyful in waiting on God.

·      Dearly beloved in Christ, that is why the entrance antiphon says to us “rejoice in the Lord; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near” (Phil. 4:4). The coming of the Lord should rather fill us with joy rather than fear because he is coming to bless us, he is coming to restore all things, he is coming to make all things beautiful again, he is coming to heal our infirmities, he is coming to mend all broken relationships, he is coming to restore our joy!

·      In the first reading (Isaiah 35:1-6,10), the Prophet Isaiah tells us that we should rejoice and come alive again because soon and very soon we shall behold the glory of God as revealed in his son. And when his son comes, there are signs that will accompany his coming; he will “Strengthen all weary hands, steady all trembling knees and say to all faint hearts, “courage! Do not be afraid” (Is. 35:4)

·      On this Sunday, the Lord is telling all those who have been living in fear to take courage and not be afraid, whatever your insecurity is, table it at the feet of Jesus, and whatever your anxiety is surrender them to Jesus, whatever your bondage have been put your trust in God because “your God is coming, vengeance is coming, the retribution of God; he is coming to save you” (Is. 35:4).

·      When the Lord comes our joy will be full and we will testify at his presence because “the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf unsealed, then the lame shall leap like a deer and the tongues of the dumb sing for joy for those of the Lord has ransomed shall return. They will come to Zion shouting for joy, everlasting joy on their faces; joy and gladness will go with them and sorrow and lament be ended” (Is. 35:5-6, 10).

·      My brothers and sisters, I do not know what you are passing through at this very moment but the word of God comes today to strengthen you because your situation cannot and will never be worse than the image we see in the first reading, let the announcement of the eminency of the Lord’s coming to fill you with Joy, know that in his time he will make all things beautiful and “in his days justice shall flourish and peace till the moon fails” (Ps.72:7). And since the moon can never fail, our joy will be everlasting! 

·      The second reading (James 5:7-10), tells us that to enjoy the fruit of God’s presence which is eternal joy, we need to be patient because the Lord is coming really soon. We must not go about counting our losses, or complain about our setbacks because in complaining we get distracted and may miss the mark and the accompanying blessings.

·      Dearly beloved in Christ, the world may live in denial about the eminency of the Lord’s coming, but the accompanying signs and even the frenzy in the air cannot go unnoticed. That is why in the gospel reading (Matthew 11:2-11), Jesus tells us that the accompanying signs and wonders are but indications that the Lord is in our midst.

·      The Lord is coming to cure us of our blindness, to salvage us from spiritual leprosy so that we may get up and walk in power, our eyes that have been blocked by bad news and setbacks will be opened again to receive God’s divine testimonies, those of us who are dead and decayed in sin, he will raise us up again, he will bring us back to life again so that our faith may become contagious. The prerequisite for all these is that we do not lose faith and hope in God.

·      Today we must learn to live in the joy of the Lord’s presence. We must wait on the Lord in joyful hope and know that those who remain committed till the end while saying No to sin and distractions will enter into his eternal gladness.

·      No matter the distraction, no matter the long wait for the Lord’s coming, and no matter our frustrations, we must always remember that the Lord is coming, and his coming is to bring us consolation and good tidings. Therefore, our mantra every day should be “Come Lord, and save us” (Ps. 145:1).

·      Joy is an acronym that means J=JESUS, O: OTHERS, Y: YOU.  Authentic joy comes from a healthy relationship between Jesus, others, and you!

·      May the Lord give us the grace to patiently wait on him and may his coming bring us peace and endless joy through Christ our Lord, Amen!

·      Happy Sunday!!!

 

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