December 17, 2023（Third Sunday in Advent）
Father Ken’s Message:
Good afternoon, everyone and welcome to the Catholic Cathedral of Sapporo. Today is the Third Sunday in Advent in the liturgical Year B, which is traditionally known as “Gaudete Sunday,” or the “Sunday of Joy.” This year because Christmas is on Monday, Advent is only 22 days long. Actually, next Sunday is officially the Fourth Sunday in Advent, but it is also Christmas Eve. On that day, we will have a Communion Service at 12:30 PM, and at 9:30 PM a Christmas Mass. Please come if you have the time and energy to wish Jesus “happy birthday.”
Firstly, let us review the history about why we call today the “Sunday of Joy.” Before the Second Vatican Council (October 11, 1962- December 8, 1965) Advent was seen as a second Lent to prepare us Catholics for Christmas, just as Lent was set up to prepare us Catholics for Easter. This tradition went back to the 9th century under the leadership of Emperor Charlemagne (747-814 AD). Catholics were asked to fast three times a week. Prior to this, since the 4th century Advent was a joyful mood. The reforms of Emperor Charlemagne lasted for 1200 years, but Vatican II, turned back time to before his time to restore the sense of joy in Advent. Under Charlemagne, the Third Sunday of Advent was considered to be a “Sunday of Joy” because he allowed Catholics to rest from fasting on this day. Also, rose or pink colored Church vestments were created to celebrate the change of mood, and even after Vatican II, we still hold on to this tradition.
For me personally, the food explanation about Advent is too thin, and makes us Catholics seem obsessed with food. I rather like to think of the etymology of the word “joy” that means “to give or to make joy.” It is actually an action-oriented selfless feeling or sacrifice out of love or appreciation for another. All the Bible readings for today’ Mass and Gospel express this attitude of joy. They all remind us that God is the source of our joy. In the First reading from Isaiah God is described as a generous Father figure who answers all of our physical and spiritual needs. In the Psalm today we read Mary’s Magnificat song of praise for selecting her to be the mother of Jesus and the meaning of the savior coming to save humanity from the damage of sin and hate. St. Paul in the Second reading teaches his early Catholic believers to always be joyful and grateful to God by expressing thanks to him in prayer. And in the Gospel, the important John the Baptist humbly explains to the religious leaders of his time 2000 years ago about who he is compared to Jesus; “I am not even worthy to untie his sandal strap” (John 1:26-27). John the Baptist is really a good model of spirituality for all of us because his form of humility points him in the direction of Jesus. His role was to point out who Jesus was to the people of his day. John the Baptist gave up everything for Jesus to show his love for him. At each Mass before we receive the Holy Eucharist, we repeat the prayer that John the Baptist said, the Agnus Dei (Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.) Ergo, the joy of John the Baptist has also affected us spiritually and now at every Mass we remember his important role in salvation history and also repeat his same prayer. Joy is infectious in a healthy way.
Before I finish, I would like to give credit to another famous Catholic saint who was also filled with joy for Jesus. I am talking about St. Francis of Assisi. This year is the 800th anniversary of his setting up his first Nativity display in a small cave in the small city of Greccio, Italy, north of Roma. He was inspired to do this from his visit to the Holy Land in 1219-1220. St. Francis returned to Italy filled with such joy for the life of Jesus that he wanted to show him to people through the invention of the Nativity creche. It was actually a live representation of the birth of Jesus with local people taking roles as actors for Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, etc. After it, a Mass was said to show the connection to the Holy Eucharist. Our holy father pope Francis is a great fan of the spiritual importance of the Nativity creche also as a means of evangelization and for spiritual growth. The Nativity creche is like a 3-D version of the Gospel stories about Jesus’ birth stories recorded by Matthew and Luke. The simplistic beauty of the Nativity creche is like a photograph explaining one of most important messages of the Bible that God is one of us and that he loves us so much that he wanted to visit us in person through Jesus. The Nativity creche serves to inspire us to also serve others who are homeless and helpless to make them comfortable and serve their needs. Finally the Nativity of Jesus in a dirty stable tells a vital message. It shows how love humanity has fallen through sin to reject God the same way Adam and Eve did long ago. The Nativity creche is therefore a sign of hope, a new beginning of the world to rebuild and restore it in the spirit of love for God and one another.
My dear brother and sister Catholics and other guests to today who might have no faith, let us join with Isaiah, Mary, St. Paul and John the Baptist and through our joy and love help to restore our world to its original beauty. God bless you all and Merry Christmas.