Joy to the World! The Lord is come… soon.
This week in preparing for this bulletin reflection on the Advent virtue of joy, what came to my mind was the song Joy to the World in particular by Whitney Houston from the movie The Preacher’s Wife. One part of the song says:
“Everybody sing joy
Sing joy to the world
All over the world
Sing joy, oh
Sing Joy, everybody sing
Joy to the World”
On the Third Sunday of Advent, the Church in her wisdom, gives us, the people of God, Gaudete Sunday, which is Latin for “Rejoice” Sunday. Gaudete Sunday, signified by the rose colored candle in the middle of the Advent season of waiting and preparation reminds us of joy. Joy not because the Lord has come, but because the Lord is coming. A week from today we will celebrate the Fourth Sunday of Advent and Christmas Eve. The Lord is coming and coming soon.
Even as I typed out the above lyrics to Joy to the World, my body and head were bopping to the beat of the song. Joy I believe is something much deeper than simply happiness. Joy is something that moves us to share our good news with others. Joy is an experience of God’s love and care for us that we can’t contain and yearn to tell others. Joy is something:
Jesus Offers You
It is the joy, that leads Mother Mary to go in haste to visit her expecting cousin Elizabeth (Luke 1:39). Mary just found out that she will bear the Son of God through the coming of the Holy Spirit and the Power of the Most High overshadowing her. And what does she do? She goes in haste to greet Elizabeth. She moves and acts quickly. Mothers in my life have shared how difficult the first trimester of childbearing can be and Mary probably knew that too, yet that does not stop her from going to visit Elizabeth.
As we journey through this last full week of Advent, may you and I feel, experience, and share in haste the joy - Jesus Offer You - at the birth of Christmas that is eminent, first in ourselves and our own prayer life, and then with others. “Everybody sing joy, Sing joy to the world”
