16 December 2023 – 3rd Sunday of Advent (Sunset Mass) | Bambinelli Sunday

by Fr Joachim Robert

Dear friends,

As we celebrate Gaudate Sunday or Joy Sunday today, I feel a little bit uncomfortable wearing this pink colour but because it is a liturgical colour, I have to wear. But this Sunday, dear friends, this Joy Sunday give us a glimmer of light amidst the darkness that is around us. And it brings out joy, happiness that God is to come into the world and He will save humanity.

Joy amidst sorrow, hope in the midst of brokenness, hope that the Lord’s salvation is near and it is a joyful reminder that the Lord’s coming is close at hand.

We jog back for the past week.

The first week, the theme was about Vigilance, staying awake, wanting to see the Lord.

The second week was a Sense of Preparedness for the coming of the Messiah.

And after the preparation, this third week, dear friends, we are Joyful because the coming of the Lord is close at hand. And as I was thinking or reflecting on what to share, how to bring that message of joy and speak about joy today in the context of our theme for Advent: Enlarging the space of our tent.

And as I look at my own life, as I look at the parish community, I realise that I don’t need to look for things to say. Because as I was reflecting on this theme and also on all the preparations that has been done throughout this whole season of Advent right to now, there is so much of joy and happiness that each and every one of you are able to resonate.

As I look at all the activities with so much of joy, enthusiasm, inspiring one another and the love that you have for the community makes me and warms my heart to see the joy that is in you. I think that is something which is beautiful. We don’t need to speak about joy until we have experienced joy. And that experience of joy, dear friends, can be sensed in some way or the other.

Sometimes amid chaos that we are in, we too can find the peace. And that peace comes from a deep conviction of the joy and the trust that we have in this God who loves us, who welcomes us in whatever situation that we are in because He loves us.

And joy in scripture is not about attaining something temporary. Joy is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and that joy comes from being aware of God’s presence in your life. And when we are able to recognise the presence of God in our lives, dear friends, we exude that joy, we become joyful because we have the Lord together with us.

And this Advent preparation is a journey of preparedness, of enlarging the tents of our hearts to see others and allowing God to be present in their life and also in our own lives too. The question is: Are we aware? Are we able to recognise God’s presence in each and every one of us so we too can exude the joy and the happiness by sharing that love, the compassion, that kindness that God has blessed us with?

Last week, in the past two weeks, was tiring, was challenging because there were so many things that were happening around the parish and in the deanery.

The first thing I would like to highlight is the aspect of Homebound. And that shows the care of the community towards those who are elderly. And when you bring that joy of Christ, bringing Jesus towards the elderly and the homebound, and when they see you, they prepare themselves, waiting for the coming of Jesus. And when you minister the sacraments of confessions, the Eucharist and anointing, you see so much of joy and happiness that comes from those whom we minister. I go only once or twice a year but there are people who continuously go month after month to give communion for those who are sick. And this shows, dear friends, the care of the community towards those who are unable to come to church. And that is a reason for us to be joyful.

The second thing is Confessions. Last week we had confessions on Tuesday. And throughout this whole week, last week and this Monday and Tuesday, we will continue to have confessions. And that too, seeing so many people coming to be reconciled with God, coming to experience the mercy and the love of God is also a reason for us to be joyful because God is present in our life and God reaches out to us as you respond in love.

We also had the time of Adoration, Mondays to Fridays. There were quite a number of you who made time, made space in the business of your schedule, to come and be present with Jesus, praying for the community and also listening to Jesus. And making time for silence and being present with Jesus, dear friends, is also a reason for us to be joyful.

And with so many of you going out and Reaching Out and bringing the joy and the cheer of Christmas, especially to those we are underprivileged, those who are financially burdened, those who are unable to find hope and joy in their life, when you minister to them and make time, enlarge the space of your heart to be present in their life, that too gives us reason to be joyful.

And also the ‘Rejoice’ session that we have after Mass, of wanting for you to deepen your understanding, the depth of your love for God in what this whole Advent season is about is also a reason to be joyful.

And as you know, in our parish there are so many Funerals that we have. And even in those difficult and those trying moments of grief, we see so many of you coming to pray, encouraging one another, being there for them when they need support the most, comforting them, assuring them of your presence and doing what you can for the sake of the community is also a reason to be joyful.

And next week and the last week as well, we had and we will be having our Christmas gathering, inviting those who may be Catholics, who may be friends and relatives, who come to encounter Jesus in a special way to see how we as a community, as a Zone, as a people of faith celebrate Christmas. That is also a reason to be joyful.

And these are only a few to list, dear friends. There are many, many, many aspects of the parish which we can continue to see if we allow God to be present in our lives. And if we are able to see with the vision that God blesses us, to see the goodness that is present within our community, that is a reason for us to be joyful.

And again, dear friends, in all these experiences of faith, all these encounters of where God has brought us, and the care, concern that each one of you have for the community makes us understand and makes us realise that as we grow to become a Christ-centered community, to be inclusive, to be caring and to be united, it gives us great joy to welcome Jesus in a special way, especially during this time of Advent and Christmas.

And the Second Reading of today speaks to us and gives us an attitude that we need to have towards Advent and Christmas.

The first thing that Saint Paul tells the Thessalonians is to be happy at all times. In good times and in bad, be happy because your truest in God continues to grow.

The second thing he says is pray constantly. In whatever situation and circumstances of life that we are in, dear friends, we know that with God’s faithfulness and God’s presence in our life, God opens doors, God opens windows for us to find our strength in Him and to see His plans and purposes in our lives.

And the third thing is, and for all things give thanks to God, to be grateful. And as we are grateful for all the many, many blessings that God has placed in the path of our lives, dear friends, and when we are able to acknowledge the blessings, the joys, the sorrows that has led us to be where we are today as a community, let us rejoice and be grateful for these opportunities that God has blessed us with.

And together with the Responsorial Psalmist today, we can say:
My soul rejoices in my God.

And for me, as I look at this whole parish, in this whole time of preparation, each and every one of you, dear friends, have done some way or the other for the greater building of our community. And this celebration of Gaudate Sunday or this Joy Sunday renews our hope to be joyful and to place our trust in God once again, and to be focused on Him and on Him alone.

And let us pray that as God prepares our hearts for the coming of our Saviour, let us approach this time of preparation with rejoicing and happiness and with peace in our lives.

Click below to listen to the homily and watch the video:-

Click to live-stream Mass on 16 December 2023