St. Joseph Church Homilies

For a few weeks now, we’ve been reflecting on defining moments. For many, a past experience, event or season of life is evaluated not by weighing the ups and downs of the experience as we might when considering future plans, but by specific moments that define the value of the whole. A trip filled with many difficult moments can be remembered fondly when one singular moment of joy becomes the defining moment of the journey. Two people who come to church can walk away with completely different opinions about the experience when their minds have fixated on different defining moments. So, defining moments are important; they shape our understanding and view of the world and when considering the future, we often make choices that hopefully lead to defining moments filled with joy.

While some defining moments arise unexpectedly, they’re also made when we accept the opportunity to participate in something larger than ourselves: in the plan and work of God. We find defining moments in Mother Theresa’s decision to serve the poor or in Saint Francis’ choice to renounce possessions for the Kingdom. By willingly participating in something greater than themselves, these individuals have become our heroes and their defining moments challenge us to transform the ordinary moments of life into defining moments of our own. Thankfully, we have the Sacraments to help us do just that.

But even with the help of the Sacraments, it’s easy to go to church frequently or to do all kinds of good things for others yet never hear God’s word. Through the life of Samuel, though, we see the importance of making space to listen for God. Following his example, we pray, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.”, and work to carve out space in our day to listen for God’s word.

An important part of making defining moments is to seize the moments God presents to us and accept his call to cooperate. We set aside those fears that tempt to us run from God’s plan, as Jonah did, and instead follow him as the disciples left all behind to follow Jesus.

Early in the Gospel for today, we’re told of a crowd of people who were astonished by the teachings of Jesus. Maybe he was invited to be a guest speaker in their synagogue that day. The people saw something different about him though and begin comparing Jesus to the scribes, to those who were supposed to have been the authority, the leading experts, in God’s word. Today, if another copy of the scriptures, is needed, we just go and buy it; Amazon will even email a Bible out in seconds to those who order one. But in the time of Jesus, making copies of God’s Word was a huge and incredibly important job; and because of their job, copying the Word of God letter by letter, the scribes who did that work got to know the scriptures better than anyone. Except for Jesus, of course; he’s not just an expert, he’s who the Bible is all about! So, the people notices something different about how he proclaimed the Word; because the scriptures are all about him, Jesus revealed the meaning of the words better than anyone else could.

But then, someone possessed by a demon stepped forward and Jesus offered the crowd something more than words. He commanded the powerful demon to leave, and the man who came forth was freed. While reading the Bible, it appears as though demonic possession was more commonplace than it is today, and some suggest that maybe the demons mentioned in the scriptures weren’t really demons at all, but an attempt to explain mental illness or some other ailment. I don’t really like that proposal. After all, Jesus took demons seriously and treated those who were possessed differently than those who suffered illness; the sick: he healed. But, those possessed by demons: well, he casts those demons out.

We’ve been reflecting on defining moments. For many, a past experience, event or season of life is evaluated not by weighing the ups and downs of the experience as we might when considering future plans, but by specific moments that define the value of the whole. A trip filled with many difficult moments can be remembered fondly when one singular moment of joy becomes the defining moment of the journey. Two people who come to church can walk away with completely different opinions about the experience when their minds have fixated on different defining moments. So, defining moments are important; they shape our understanding and view of the world and when considering the future, we often make choices that hopefully lead to defining moments filled with joy.

While some defining moments arise unexpectedly, they’re also made when we accept the opportunity to participate in something larger than ourselves: in the plan and work of God. We find defining moments in Mother Theresa’s decision to serve the poor or in Saint Francis’ choice to renounce possessions for the Kingdom. By willingly participating in something greater than themselves, these individuals have become our heroes and their defining moments challenge us to transform the ordinary moments of life into defining moments of our own. Thankfully, we have the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation to help us do just that.

But even with the help of the Sacraments, it’s easy to go to church frequently or to do all kinds of good things for others yet never hear God’s word. Through the life of Samuel, though, we see the importance of making space to listen for God. Following his example, we pray, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” And work to carve out space in our day to listen for God’s word.

One of the biggest challenges with creating defining moments is seizing the moments presented. A great many fears of very real things often hold us back from seizing different opportunities and moments. Sometimes, fear might even urge us to run from a defining moment. Fear might hold a couple back from starting a family, or a young person back from accepting a call to priesthood or religious life.

In the first reading this week we hear about Jonah, who’s defining moment actually came before the beginning of the passage we heard, while he was in the belly of a fish. You see, God had to ask Jonah to go to Nineveh twice. The first time he was asked to go, Jonah refused. Nineveh was not the sort of place a Jewish prophet would want to go; it was a stronghold for the enemies of God’s people legendary for wickedness and cruelty. We may find it hard at times to talk about our faith at a family gathering or in the workplace, but the prospect of going to Nineveh filled prophets with dread.

Nineveh was the city of the enemy, filled with a godless people considered unworthy of God’s love. So, Jonah refused God’s call to go to the city. Perhaps he thought God’s plan to be futile, he might have also thought the people of Nineveh unworthy of God’s word or maybe he simply feared for his own life. So, instead of seizing the moment to cooperate with God, Jonah tried instead, to get as far away from God as possible eventually ending up in the belly of a fish. Indeed, living in opposition to God’s plan can lead us to some pretty harsh situations. Fortunately, the story of Jonah is a story of second chances that reveals how our God is a God of second chances. 

Like many of us who turn to prayer when things get tough, Jonah, from his grim position in the belly of a fish, realizes there’s no escaping God; he finally seizes the moment he has to pray and repent and the fish then vomits the prophet out onto the shore so God could ask him once again to go to Nineveh. That’s where today’s passage starts.

First, some good news: everything is arranged for the public celebration of the daily Mass. Participation in Sunday Mass is still online only, but our regular daily Mass schedule, Monday through Saturday mornings, resumes this week. There are a few catches though. First, only nine people can participate in each Mass. Also, all who come for Mass are required to give a name and phone number for contact tracing and face masks are required except for those with breathing difficulties. Definitely watch the eBulletin and website for changes to the schedule, especially around Adoration. I’d like to thank those who have generously offered to greet at the doors of the church each day and remind us all of how to keep our celebrations safe. I’m sure they would welcome assistance from any who wish to serve in this ministry; let me know if you would like to help.

I’d like to appeal to charity for a moment too. As a community of faith, we know we are called to care for the spiritual health of others along with our own. If you’re joining us in the church for Mass or Adoration and notice the church getting full and you’ve been to Mass or Adoration in the past few days, perhaps consider giving up your place so someone who has not been able to join can. We just want to be sure that all who want to come to church can, if not every day then at least once a week. Of course, if we find the limited capacity a problem. Fr. Isaac and I will offer more opportunities for daily Mass.

Anyway, last week we began reflecting on defining moments. For many, a past experience, event or season of our life is evaluated not by weighing the ups and downs of the experience as we might when considering future plans, but by specific moments used to define the value of an experience. We often use one singular moment to represent the whole.

This is why a trip filled with many difficult moments can be remembered fondly so long as one singular moment of joy becomes the defining moment of the experience. This is also why two people who come to church can walk away with completely different opinions about the experience; their minds have fixated on different defining moments. Defining moments are important; they shape our understanding and view of the world and when considering the future, we often make choices that hopefully lead to defining moments filled with joy.

While some defining moments arise unexpectedly, they’re also made when we accept the opportunity to participate in something larger than ourselves: in the plan and work of God. We find defining moments in Mother Theresa’s decision to serve the poor or in Saint Francis’ choice to renounce possessions for the Kingdom. By willingly participating in something greater than themselves, these individuals have become our heroes. The defining moments of these heroes challenges us to transform the ordinary moments of life into defining moments of our own and thankfully, we have the Sacraments of the Eucharist and Reconciliation to help us do just that.

In the first reading today, we heard about Samuel and a defining moment in his life. At the time of his birth about eleven-hundred years before Jesus, the Jewish people had just moved into the promised land and were beginning to discover their identity as a nation. The people weren’t united though and needed a leader, a king, to bring the various tribes into one united kingdom. But, who could choose such a king that all the people would accept and follow?

Just before this reading, the scriptures tell us that, “The word of the Lord was rare in those days…”[1]. This could suggest that the leadership of Eli, the high priest, was lacking. Eli may have been the spiritual leader of the people,

When making a judgement over future plans, it’s natural to weigh the pros and cons before determining if a plan is good or not. Should I buy a new house, return to school or accept a new job offer? Is it time to ask the girl out or to take a vacation? When considering the future, we weigh the pros and cons and then determine which plan is best.

Generally, this works well when judging future plans, but when considering the experiences of the past our minds take a different approach. I recently read that when we evaluate a past experience, event or season of our life we don’t weigh the ups and downs of the experience as we might when considering future plans. Instead, we tend to judge and evaluate experiences or seasons of our life based on specific moments that come to define the value of the whole. Maybe a special encounter with a teacher defines the whole experience of grade six for you. Maybe you have a favorite story from your last vacation that defines the whole trip. We often use one singular moment to represent the whole.

This is why a trip filled with many difficult moments can be remembered fondly so long as one singular moment of joy becomes the defining moment of the experience. This is also why two people who come to church can walk away with completely different opinions about the experience. Their minds have fixated on different defining moments. Defining moments are important; they shape our understanding and view of the world and when considering the future, we often make choices that hopefully lead to defining moments filled with joy.

I think that if you were to reflect on the defining moments in your life, you would find that sometimes defining moments seem to arise unexpectedly. Maybe your courageous response to an unexpected crisis, an experience that reshaped an old outlook or a relationship that challenged you to grow became a defining moment for you. I have no doubt that the ongoing challenges of the pandemic continue to create defining moments for many.

However, defining moments can also be made. Defining moments are made when we accept the opportunity to participate in something larger than ourselves, in the plan and work of God. The choice to set out on a long journey to meet God was a defining moment for the wise men. We find defining moments in Mother Theresa’s decision to serve the poor or in Saint Francis’ choice to renounce possessions for the Kingdom. These individuals recognized opportunities to participate in something greater than themselves and they have become our heroes because they did so. The defining moments of the lives of these ordinary people challenges us to transform the ordinary moments of life into defining moments of our own lives.

In the Gospel today, we heard about the baptism of Jesus. As our Lord rose up from the waters, the Holy Spirit descended on him and the voice of God was heard. This is a defining moment for Jesus that connects him to the plan of God the Father, marking the beginning of his public ministry. New life, threatened life, the journey to adulthood, commitment to a life-long vocation of service: these are all ordinary milestones in the life of every person and it’s at these milestones that Sacraments, like Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, Marriage and Holy Orders are celebrated. This is no accident; in the celebration of these Sacraments, we pray that these milestones would be made into defining moments, that the opportunity to participate in something larger, the plan and work of God, would be taken up by those who receive these Sacraments.

The making of defining moments isn’t limited to life milestones though. Each day offers opportunities to make defining moments. It is easy to get into a pattern of living day to day, week to week,

THE DECISIVENESS OF THE MAGI

Isaiah 60:1-6; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12

We will closely follow the Gospel’s account of the coming of the three magi to Bethlehem to find in it some practical instruction for our life. In this account the historical element mixes with the theological and symbolic element. In other words, the Evangelist did not intend only to report the facts, but to inculcate the things to be done, indicate models for the readers to follow, or avoid. As the rest of the Bible, this page too was written “for our instruction.”

There are three different reactions to announcement of Jesus’ birth that clearly emerge in this account: that of the Magi, that of Herod and that of the priests. Let us start with the negative models, the ones to avoid.

First of all, Herod. He, just having heard the news, “was greatly troubled.” He convokes a meeting of the chief priests and scribes, not to know the truth but to plot deception. Herod represents the person who has already made his choice. Between God’s will and his will, he has clearly chosen his own will. He sees nothing but his own interests and he is determined to cut down any threat to the current state of things. He probably even thinks that he is doing his duty, defending his royalty, has caste, the good of the nation. Even ordering the killing of the innocents must have seemed to him, as with many dictators in history, a measure demanded by the public good, morally justified. From this point of view the world is full of many “Herods” even today.

Let us turn now to the attitude of the priests and scribes. Asked by Herod and the Magi where the Messiah is to be born, they do not hesitate to give the right answer. They know where the Messiah is born; they are even able to tell others; but they are not moved. They do not run to Bethlehem, as would be expected of people who await the coming of the Messiah, but remain comfortably in Jerusalem. They act like road signs: They indicate the way to follow but they remain immobile on the side of the road.

We see an attitude symbolized in them that is also found among us. We know well what is necessary to follow Jesus and, if the need arises, we know how to explain it to others, but we lack the courage and radicality to seriously put it into practice. If every baptized person is for this reason “a witness to Christ,” then the attitude of the chief priests and the scribes must bring us all to reflect. They knew that Jesus was in Bethlehem, “the least” of the cities of Judea; we know that our daily encounter with Jesus takes place where our fellow men and women are and in our workplace. Therefore we must understand more clearly, that God is calling us to serve Him in and from the  ordinary material and Secular activities of human life. He waits for us in the laboratory, in the operating theatre, in factory, workshop, in the home,etc. Let us understand this well: there is something holy, something divine, hidden in the most ordinary situations and it is up to each one of us to discover it.

We finally come to the protagonists of this feast, the Magi. They teach not with words but with deeds, not by what they say but by what they do. They have not tarried, they have set on the way; they have left the security of the environment familiar to them, where they are known and revered. They have acted decisively; they have not hesitated. If they had begun calculating, one by one, the dangers, the unknowns of the journey, they would have lost the original determination and would have been lost in vain and sterile considerations.

One last precious indication comes to us from the Magi. “Having been warned in a dream not to return ...

One of the words from this feast’s Gospel that stands out is the word ‘amazed’. The shepherds told everyone about their experience on that first Christmas: about the vision of angels, the announcement of the long-awaited messiah and the discovery of the saviour present as a baby in a stable. We’re told that everyone who heard the shepherds were amazed. Of course, we don’t know if all agreed with the shepherds or if all believed their tale, just that all were amazed by what the shepherds had to say.

On one hand, our Christian faith helps us recognize the presence of God in ordinary things. In our relationships with others, in acts of compassion, words of kindness, beauty or in many other ordinary good things we can find God; and indeed it is great that we find God in the ordinary happenings of everyday life. But at the same time, our faith proclaims many amazing things too. In fact, we find God present in the ordinary only because his presence spills over into them from the great and amazing things he does.

Our faith is rooted in things revealed to us, in things so amazing that we wouldn’t recognize their greatness without God’s help. To many who perhaps witnessed the birth of Jesus or saw the family in the stable, the scene may have looked very ordinary: the birth of a child of a poor and unlucky family. But with the help of God, the shepherds saw what was really going on; they recognized that something very special was happening before their eyes.

While ordinary things may affirm our faith, it truly is the astonishing things, on certain extraordinary historical events that no one could ever have anticipated that gives life to our faith. During this season, we celebrate the entry of God into the world, the loving choice of our maker to willingly sharing our existence beginning with the motherhood of Mary.

So, our job is to have eyes, minds and hearts open to recognizing these astonishing things because, unfortunately, not everyone does and they miss out on an awful lot. Not everyone who saw the child in the manger realized they were witnessing an act of God’s love and not all who witnessed the many miracles of Jesus recognized their saviour. More recently, I think of the apparitions of Mary or the sign of the saints. These are all amazing, historic moments that no one could have ever predicted.

Perhaps this year, a goal might be to dwell on the amazing things that build up our faith. What is it about our faith that astonishes you? What incredible moments or acts of God’s love amaze you? It’s crucial to be aware of what amazes us not only because it builds up our faith but because it forms the Good News we share with others. After all, why would anyone proclaim a faith that was anything but amazing and how can we ever hope to win disciples for Jesus unless all who hear us are amazed by the Good News we share? Not everyone is going to agree with or believe the Christian message, but the Good News remains always something truly amazing.

One of the words from this feast’s Gospel that stands out is the word ‘amazed’. The shepherds told everyone about their experience on that first Christmas: about the vision of angels, the announcement of the long-awaited messiah and the discovery of the saviour present as a baby in a stable. We’re told that everyone who heard the shepherds were amazed. Of course, we don’t know if all agreed with the shepherds or if all believed their tale, just that all were amazed by what the shepherds had to say.

On one hand, our Christian faith helps us recognize the presence of God in ordinary things. In our relationships with others, in acts of compassion, words of kindness, beauty or in many other ordinary good things we can find God; and indeed it is great that we find God in the ordinary happenings of everyday ...

REFLECTION ON THE FEAST OF THE HOLY FAMILY.

  On this Sunday following the Nativity of the Lord we are joyfully celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family of Nazareth. It is a most suitable context because Christmas is the feast of family par excellence. This is the most demonstrated by numerous traditions and social customs, especially the practice of gathering together as a family for festive meal and for greetings and exchange of gifts. Jesus willed to be born and to grow up in a human family, they raised and educated him with immense love.

The family is the bed rock of the society. If the family is good the society will be good. A Pius Monk went into the Chapel to pray and he was seeing a vision of the devil. He made every effort to bind the Devil but to no avail. He was confused and the Spirit of God asked him to ask the Devil his mission, the devil said that he had to assignments to execute on earth [to destroy the family and catholic priesthood]. Jesus Christ instituted two Sacraments in His Church to make the Society holy-the sacrament of the priesthood and the sacrament of marriage. Through the sacrament of the priesthood Christ sanctifies the priest as well as his Parish.Similarily through the Sacrament of marriage, Jesus sanctifies not only the spouses but also the entire family.

According to CCC its the duties of parents to educate their children. For parents to be able to do that they must create an atmosphere of mutual love, respect and understanding. The education should not be limited to secular sciences’ like mathematics, use of computers etc. all these are important no doubt, but it must include their spiritual formation. So, parents should not fill that they have fulfilled their responsibility by sending their children to schools and providing for their material needs like food,clothing,shelter, and taking them out for sport. They must create an atmosphere of spiritual formation at their homes.                

Apart from God children owe their existence to their parents. It is through them they have their existences. They must honour ,love and respect them. They must accept correction from them. They must be kind, truthful and obedient to them. Children must be grateful to their parents and consult them while taking important decisions.

We need to make a family a confessional rather than a courtroom. A   Senior Judge of supreme court once congratulated a newly married couple with a piece of advice: see that you never convert your family into a courtroom, instead let it be a confessional. If the husband and wife continue to argue like attorney in an attempt to justify their behaviour, their family becomes court of law and nobody wins. On the other hands, when husband and wife-as in confessional are ready to admit their faults and try to correct them, the family becomes a Heavenly one. In addition to the above, let them know that feelings, emotions,desires,dreams, likes and dislikes of a person add colour to his or her life. A person who ignores the feelings and emotions focuses on the thought alone, is sadly no better than a machine. The greatest treasure is hearts full of feelings. Our heart is a garden where there is large place for feelings and emotions. THE feelings grow as freely as flowers, and thus help make life beautiful. And the greatest flower that blooms in the garden of the heart is love.

 Let us extend the boundaries of our family: the homeless man or woman today in the streets of big cites, fighting the cold and the snow, is part of our family.The drug addict in a den, or living in fear and aloneness this day, is member of our family.  The person sitting in the prison cell for whatever reason is also a child of God. All these,

I remember when mobile phones first became affordable. They were far from inexpensive, but many got one for emergencies; the fear of bad news justified the expense; bad news can send us running. What if something comes up that we need to drop everything and tend to it? What if the school calls or the boss? What if there’s been some accident and the life of a loved one is in peril? News can be life changing; the stakes are high and we don’t want to miss out.

Of course, it’s often the bad news we prepare for. But can good news be as important and life changing as bad news? What kind of good news would cause you to drop what you’re doing and leave? For the birth of your own child, sure that’s easy! How about the birth of someone else’s child? Well, that’s different; it depends on how you’re related. We heard today about how, after hearing about the birth of Jesus, the shepherds abruptly stopped what they were doing and went to see for themselves. They had the option of ignoring the angels who delivered to them some very good news, but instead, the shepherds risked losing their jobs, their livelihood; the Good News they heard was just that good, it is that life changing.

Two things are required to have a life changing encounter with God: seeking and revelation. Someone has to be looking for God and God has to reveal himself. Now, for both the shepherds and for us, God has taken care of the revelation part through the Good News delivered by the angels. But there’s still a part that depends on us: seeking God. Had they not been waiting for and seeking the messiah, I’m not sure the shepherds would have ever left the flocks they were protecting, risking their jobs and livelihood, to visit a family in a barn. The shepherds were changed because they found what they were looking for.

The shepherds had been seeking God; so, when they heard the Good News, they had no problem risking their jobs and when they saw the child the shepherds were changed. Outwardly, little was different; they still had to spend their days smelling like the animals they protected, doing a job that no one really wanted to do. Poverty, disease, the rule of tyrants: none of these things disappeared. But inwardly something was different. As they returned to the fields, the shepherds did something that shepherds aren’t really known for: they boldly told everyone about their experience of meeting the messiah. They were no longer just shepherds; they were loved by God.

Like the shepherds who went to Bethlehem, we come to this place to meet the long-awaited messiah. He is here, in our praise and fellowship, in the proclamation of the Good News and in Communion. I promise, you will meet Jesus here. But to be changed as the shepherds were, we must be seeking him. We must be longing for a saviour to remind us of God’s love. We must be ready to drop whatever it is we’re doing to go and meet him and when we hear the Good News, we’re prompted to take risks when called to welcome him into our world.

Having encountered the love of God, I have no doubts that the world looked different for those shepherds. Their job, their joys, sorrows, blessings and toils all took new meaning because they knew God was with them. My prayer for each of you this Christmas is that you experience something similar. Our Mass here won’t take COVID away or any of the many things we each struggle with. But through this and every Mass, we know, beyond doubt, that God is with us!

God of all creation send us the help of your Holy Spirit so we may be willing to go and see Jesus without delay. May we be willing to listen for God’s call to drop what we’re doing and join in the Good News that God brings to the world. May we be bold like those Shepherds, to trust that indeed Jesus is Good News for all people, to share our faith,

Honestly, I’ve been nervous about a possible Christmas lockdown, but I think we’ve managed to avoid that. Certainly, keep an eye on the news and on our website; but I think we’ll be able to celebrate Christmas in person here. I hope I’m right about this too because hundreds are expected to join us in person and hundreds more online and we’re so excited to welcome so many guests in praising God. I know our welcome will ensure that all leave with fond memories. In advance, I want to thank all those who will contribute to our Christmas celebrations: our musicians and lectors, those greeting at the doors, those who will decorate this space later this week, those running the live streams and anyone who will help our celebrations.

Sure, a reduced capacity here probably means a bit less stress in the parking lot; but it saddens me a great deal to think that not everyone who wants to join us here will be able to do so. Many of you have reserved space for your household and it’s been so helpful for planning. It does sometimes happen that people who reserve a spot are unable to come for that time, so I have to be upfront about something: because we really don’t want to turn anyone away, reservations will be honoured only till the start of each Mass. When it comes down to it, if there are empty pews inside and people waiting outside, our hospitality ministers will give away reserved spots once Mass begins. If you didn’t manage to reserve a spot for Christmas Mass and want to join us, there is hope: we always make a few spots available on a first-come-first-serve basis. If you’ve reserved a spot or not, definitely arrive early.

During Advent, we’ve reflected on the experience of facing an unexpected change of plans, something the pandemic has forced us all to endure. It’s an experience fitting for this season, as the scripture passages we hear often include figures who all had to change their plans at the announced coming of the Saviour. Everyone, including his opponents, had to change their plans after encountering the presence of Jesus. A change of plans is difficult and naturally resisted; we usually don’t like it. But it’s often exactly what we need. Growth requires change, for things to not be as they are. This need for growth and the struggles of change are signs of our need for a saviour.

The Sacraments of Baptism and Reconciliation are a couple of ways we willingly accept a change of plans from God. Through these Sacraments, the plans of sin for division, destruction and death are exchanged for God’s plan for freedom and life. God has a plan for us, not just for happiness and pleasure, but for something much more enduring, for joy. Inspired by the words of the prophet Isaiah, we pray that we would accept God’s unexpected change of plans as clay accepts the plans of the potter.

In the Gospel reading for today we hear about Mary, a young woman who encounters an angel who announces some Good News: the birth of the long-awaited messiah. Mary is called to be the mother of the long awaited messiah and the father will be God himself through the Holy Spirit. Truth be told, I hope I never encounter an angel in life here as Mary did. Once in heaven, that’s fine. But in this life here, an encounter with an angel will undoubtedly involve a major change of plans.

I like to think that Mary is a planner, that she takes time to plan things out. If she’s full of grace as the angel proclaims, then she must be wise and have a good plan for her life and the life of her family. It’s easy to imagine her and Joseph, the man she’s engaged to, planning their life together. Maybe they were looking for their first house or thinking of what it would be like to bring their family to the synagogue on the sabbath. Maybe Mary had already picked out names for her children and Joseph looked forward to passing his woodwork...

Before entering seminary, I had a few different summer jobs. Not all of these jobs were enjoyable; in fact, many were awful. But such is life when you’re young, uneducated and have to take what you can get. Now, I know it’s all in my head, but to me it always seemed as though the second half of a shift went by quicker than the first. Getting past the half-way point in a shift just seemed to make the end more real and I have no doubt that realization put a small smile on my face.

Maybe that’s why we’re prompted to reflect on joy for the third Sunday of Advent. The lighting of the pink candle lets us know that we are well into the last half of Advent. Even though our celebrations may be a bit more subdued this year, excitement for Christmas builds anyway. Listen again to the advice Saint Paul gave to the Christians of Thessalonica, “…rejoice always…”[1]; it’s almost a command really, a command for joy that can leave us wondering, can joy be commanded? Can joy be willingly chosen during lockdowns or when facing illness or death or any of the other trials so many endure?

For the last couple of weeks, we’ve reflected on the experience of changing plans, especially on the experience of facing an unexpected change of plans. It’s an experience the pandemic has forced us all to endure and, for the most part, we don’t like it. It’s an experience fitting for the Advent season too, as the scripture passages we hear often include figures who all had to change their plans at the announced coming of the Saviour. Everyone, including his opponents, had to change their plans after encountering the presence of Jesus.

A change of plans is difficult and naturally resisted. But, in so many ways it’s often exactly what we need. Growth requires change, for things to not be as they are. Our need for growth and the struggles of change are signs of our need for a saviour. The Sacraments of Baptism and Reconciliation are a couple of way we willingly accept a change of plans from God. Through these Sacraments, the plans of sin for division, destruction and death are exchanged for God’s plan for freedom and life. Inspired by the words of the prophet Isaiah, we pray that we would accept an unexpected change of plans like clay accepting the plans of the potter.

Joy is another unexpected change of plans from God. Sure, there are many ways we can find happiness and pleasure in life and the pursuit of these experiences is a huge driving force for many. But joy: that comes from God. You see, while pleasure and happiness are great gifts created by God for us to enjoy, there is one big problem with them. The sensation of pleasure and the emotion of happiness are both incredibly temporary. They depend on what things are going on around us. We’re happy till the vacation is over and we take pleasure till the bucket of iced cream is empty and then we’re left unhappy and perhaps miserable.

Joy is different though. Joy doesn’t depend on things outside of us but on the presence of the saviour within. Today, we heard from the prophet Isaiah, “I will rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall exult in my God; for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation…”[2]. The prophet knows joy is found not in his friends, his possessions, health or security. No, Isaiah knows joy is found in what God has done for him, in a gift that can only come from God. Isaiah is joyful because he knows God loves him and does all he can to draw him close. What a change of plans! With Jesus near, no longer do we have to settle for happiness and pleasure which are conditional on so many things. Instead, we can choose joy because of just one infinitely trustworthy person: our all-loving God.