“Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4)

Gaudete Sunday 2011

By Rev. Robert Johnnene OFD

Mission Saints Sergius & Bacchus/ Franciscans of Divine Mercy

www.missionstsergius.org

Based on Philippians’ 4:4-7, Psalm 84, John 1:19-28

“Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say Rejoice” (Philippians 4:4)

St. Paul, in his letter to the people of Philippi, sends us a very powerful message on how to live our life. During this season of advent as we prepare ourselves for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ and the salvation his coming brought to all of the human race we should reflect on what Paul tell us in his letter to the Philippians; “Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Do not worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing, fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.” Rejoice in the Lord!

With so many grumbling about one thing or another these days and with the economy and the world in a state of turmoil and with the daily news services reporting one horrible event after another it might seem difficult to REJOICE.. Just the knowledge that so many children of God around the world are living in poverty, suffering from discrimination, homeless, and being killed because of the greed and power seeking of others, we might wonder how we could ever REJOICE IN THE LORD!

It might just be that the cause of all the suffering facing the world today is that so many have put God totally out of their daily lives and replaced Him with the desire for fame, fortune, power and just plain greed.

Others claim that they are too busy to give God a portion of their time every day or even on Sunday. They have to work or have shopping, a game of golf or a sporting event to go to rather than take an hour to devote to Thanking God and Seeking God’s blessings.

If they would just take some time to think about their life and who gave them the abilities they posses they might come to the realization that all things came from the creator. If they could only realize that then possibly, just maybe, they might come to the awareness that they need to thank God for what He has provided them and take a more active participation in acknowledging God in their life.

All over the globe people are decorating their houses and purchasing gifts in preparation of celebrating Christmas and Chanukah.

Both of these celebrations honor God yet most people focus on the commercial aspects of the holidays and forget about the true meaning of them, REJOICING IN GOD!.

Without God, neither of these holidays would exist.

Let’s make sure that we have set aside time in these last two weeks of Advent to thank God for all He has provided us. Let’s plan to attend a religious ceremony as a part of our celebration plans. For those who are Christian, attend church and receive the Eucharist. Remember the words of John the Baptist; “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize. Though his ministry follows mine, I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandal.” (John 1:26-27) John is speaking of, Jesus Christ and after John Baptized Christ a voice came out of the heavens proclaiming “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” Matthew 3:12-13

Christmas is the time we set aside to recognize Christ’s coming here in order to teach us the way to happiness and everlasting peace and open the way for us to achieve eternal salvation.

Let us acknowledge that precious gift from God, the Gift of His beloved son and make room in our lives every day to “Rejoice in Him” through prayer and works of charity, compassion and love for ALL God’s children.

Let us strive to live our life every day in a manner that is in accordance with the way Christ instructed and work toward being more considerate, compassionate, understanding, forgiving and caring for all those around us rather than just concentrating on our own needs.

What a wonderful way to present our gift to Almighty God in thanksgiving for all He has done for us. AMEN