Rejoice in the Lord

The readings today http://usccb.org/bible/readings/121111.cfm is full of reminders to rejoice, to be happy. Well, it’s not called “rejoice Sunday” for nothing.

I rejoice heartily in the LORD,

in my God is the joy of my soul;

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My soul rejoices in my God.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

for he has looked upon his lowly servant.

From this day all generations will call me blessed

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Brothers and sisters:

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.

In all circumstances give thanks,

Two things struck me in this Sunday’s readings. First is of course, rejoicing. The readings reminded me who my reason for rejoicing should be. It is normal to be happy about things of this world – career promotion, lovelife, good friends, loving family…but these things are temporary. These things will not bring us full, complete joy. A single thing can happen, and it would be enough to take that joy from us, to replace joy with sorrow. That’s why we should find our reason for this happiness in God – because only God will be forever, only God will not disappoint, only God will love us unconditionally.

Why should we rejoice in God? Because God loves us so much! He sees us in a way “higher” than we see ourselves. He sees the good in us even if we ourselves are having a hard time finding it. He knows us more than we know ourselves. He believes in us more than we believe in ourselves. Yes, He loves us more than we love ourselves. God continues to use us, however unworthy we are, or however un capable we think of ourselves. He still continues to believe in us, to use us for his work. He still continues to bless us mightily, even if we don’t deserve it. He continues to love us even if we don’t love him back, even if we hurt him, even if we forget him when everything is doing well. For me, this is more than enough reason to bring me joy, for me to rejoice in the Lord.

Out of this joy comes service. This is the second thing that struck me. It is natural to love and serve God once we know and realize how much he loves us and what he’s done for us. John the Baptist, in today’s gospel, is a very good example of a servant of God. He knew his role and he knew God’s role. His role as a servant of God was clear to him. He knew he was unworthy to untie the strap of Jesus’ sandals. All focus should be on God, and not on him. His heart was in the right place as he was serving.

May we always rejoice, knowing how much value God has put on us – knowing how much he loves us. And out of that joy, may we find it in our hearts to serve Him and bring other people closer to Hm. This advent season, may we continue to prepare the way – for Him to enter our lives and the lives of others.