By Fr. Roy Cimagala

The 3rd Sunday of Advent is usually dubbed as Gaudete Sunday (Rejoice Sunday) because the Entrance Antiphon of the Mass for that day starts with the joyful greeting, “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I say, rejoice! The Lord is near.” (Philippians 4:4-5)

We are clearly encouraged to be happy as the birth of Christ is now fast approaching. But we have to know what this true Christian joy is. It simply is not a cheap and shallow one, the effect of feasting and bright and colorful decors with music and caroling all around. Rather, it should be the effect of a clean heart that gives the most appropriate welcome to Christ.

Thus, in the gospel of the Mass, we are somehow reminded of the need for repentance, an act of general spiritual and moral cleaning, so Christ would be most happy to enter into our lives.

The gospel is about John the Baptist, the precursor of Christ, who, when asked by the Jews who he was, clearly said, “I am, as Isaiah prophesied, a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord.” (John 1:23) That, though not in so many words, means that John the Baptist is appealing for repentance from everyone, an appeal that given the temper of the times, can be described as a “cry in the wilderness.”

And so, even if the season of Advent is in general marked by a spirit of sacrifice as preparation for the coming of Christ, it also should be characterized by joy. Joy is what we all actually long and yearn for. We want to be happy. Glee and bliss are the unspoken ultimate goal we want to attain. But how should we do it? That’s the problem.

Especially now when we are bombarded with all sorts of trials, challenges, pressures, we end up harassed, losing joy and peace easily and for extended periods, reacting to things with tension and irritation, and often plunging into despair and depression.

In reaction to this predicament, many people resort to deceptive quick-fixes and other forms of escapism — alcohol, drugs, sex, isolation, or wild lifestyle — not knowing they are just poising themselves for an uglier crash.

We need to clarify some basic issues here, since we seem to be in the middle of a thickening confusion and drifting to a kind of hell on earth. Mental cases are piling up, some studies report, indicating many people do not anymore know how to cope with their situation.

We have to learn how to find joy then, its true source, the one that can be attained and felt in whatever setting we may find ourselves in. Joy should not be based only on some shallow and shifty ground, like our physical, emotional or social conditions. They are very unreliable foundations, and can be very dangerous.

True Christian joy can only be an effect of repentance, a sincere return to Christ who gives us all that we need to regain our true dignity. And repentance should not be a difficult thing to do. All we need to do is just to say as sincerely as possible that we are sorry for our sins. Better yet, we go to confession, the sacrament that clearly gives us the divine absolution for our sins.

And even if, at the back of our minds, we somehow know that we would still fall into sin sooner or later, we should not be hindered in expressing repentance as often as necessary, since God always forgives. He always understands and is compassionate and merciful. Of course, on our part, we should try our best not to abuse the goodness of God./WDJ