Imagine if we could live in a permanent state of grace, ever
conscious of God-with-us, ever mindful of the Lord’s faithful presence in our
lives. Wouldn’t that bring true joy?
Indeed, this Sunday’s readings speak to that joy. In Zephaniah, the shout for joy is directed
at the remnant returning from exile that will represent Jerusalem, and wedding
language is used to refer to the relationship between God and his people being
restored. God rejoices in his beloved,
and that means us – God’s exuberance is meant to fill us, include the whole of
ourselves, while we are called to allow
that joy to fill us. That is grace.
Our psalm text this week is actually a canticle taken from
the Book of Isaiah, and it clearly reiterates the message of the first
reading: With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. The water here is nurturing, life-giving; the
people will thrive according to the steadfastness of their relationship with
God. And so it goes with us: we thrive only when we allow that live-giving
water to enter into us, and fill us – grace, again. And if the psalm is sung prayer, it is one
that might be used by the Philippians, who, Paul says, should make [their] requests known to God, through
prayer and petition. In other words,
they need to let God know what they need, in order to restore the relationship,
thereby reestablishing peace, the peace
of God that surpasses all understanding.
Rejoice in the Lord always,
Paul says not once, but twice. Rejoice!
In that relationship is grace.
Where do we find God within, so that we might rejoice? Luke’s Gospel offers a partial answer: every time we share our cloak, or share our
food, or, by extension, share any part of ourselves with other, we are
manifesting the love of God, and God is with us. As we continue our Advent preparations, we
are called to step out of ourselves, so that we might find true joy in our
connection to other, and thereby, to God.
Shout for joy!
This reflection is based on notes from Fr. Pat's Scripture class.
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