Third Sunday of Advent
Today the Church celebrates Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday. We rejoice because we are at the midway point of Advent not because we get presents soon, but that we get to commemorate the Lord’s nativity! Today would have also been the feast day of the great St. John of the Cross, the spiritual director of St. Teresa of Avila!
St. John of the Cross once said, “God passes through the thicket of the world, and wherever His glance falls He turns all things to beauty.” In our first reading the Prophet Isiah says “The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song. The glory of Lebanon will be given to them, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD.”
I like to think that Isiah is not only talking about the real desert but also the desert of our hearts. How many times do we call upon the Lord, and we hear nothing back! But the good thing is that with all the noise in the world, even in the deep silence of our hearts, the Lord is still present. He will make the desert of our hearts bloom with beautiful flowers, and the Lord will truly come to save us as he has done many times before! So, rejoice! Do not be sad or weary. Go to the Lord who accepts you no matter what your state in life is, for his yoke is easy and his burden is light!
Reflection by Br. Maximilian Burkhart, OSB
Posted in Articles for Advent, Daily Reflections