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Philippians 4: 4-7

“Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again:  rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all.
The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, 
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, 
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding 
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”

The Word of the Lord.

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Christmas is only two weeks away!

For many of us, our trees have been decorated, most of our gifts have been wrapped, and our ugly Christmas sweaters have returned. 

Soon enough, empty nests will be filled with kids returning from college, relatives from out of state, or friends we’ve finally made the time to reconnect with.

It truly is a blessed time of year. 

But I wonder, can we keep this holiday spirit going year-round? Or is Christian joy something seasonal?

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Saint Paul says, “Rejoice always!” Not, “Rejoice during the month of December.”

Or, “Rejoice until Christmas.”

But, “Rejoice always!” 

God calls us to be happy year-round! That’s partly what we celebrate today on Gaudete Sunday, the truth that Christians are called to be joyful people.

But honestly, how can we translate this holiday cheer into being joyful year-round?

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Let me offer four simple tips. Perhaps one or two might stick and become a New Year’s resolution.

1.) Give more gifts.

Every Christmas we’re called to be generous. But don’t stop giving on December 25th. 

Keep giving.  In fact, give more. 

But instead of giving Apple’s AirPods or a smart watch, give the gift of yourself. Don’t let any commercial or advertisement convince you otherwise.

Most of the gifts we buy this Christmas will be out of style next year. 

But you never will be. What your family and friends need more than material things is you. You are the greatest gift of all.

If we focus on the giver – not the gift – then Christmas joy will be ours year-round.

2.) Spend more time with God.

For some of us, God gets more time during Advent than other times of the year. 

In preparing for the birth of Christ, we may have attended daily Mass, said an extra rosary, attended an Advent bible study, or spent a few extra minutes in prayer. 

But when the anxiety and busyness of life returns, these routines shouldn’t stop; our relationship with God should never be seasonal.

The formula — before, during, and after Christmas — is always the same: 

More God equals more joy.

3.) Keep your eyes on Christ. 

During the Christmas season, most of us fill our homes with Nativity sets, Advent wreaths, and angels atop our Christmas trees. 

All those little bits of Christmas décor are reminders of God’s presence in our lives. We need these reminders. 

But not just during the month of December. We need them year-round. When the Christmas decorations come down, put other reminders of Christ up. 

Replace the Christmas tree with a family altar, the Advent wreath with a crucifix, or the Nativity scene with a statue of Jesus, Mary, or a favorite Saint. 

Keep some physical sign of your faith in view for yourself, your children, and for all who enter your home, and the true source of Christmas joy – Jesus Christ – will be with you always.

4.) Go the extra mile. 

The holidays often inspire us to be a little more generous with our treasure and time.

For example, how many of have written Christmas cards, made an extra phone call, or purchased a gift from the giving tree? 

When the holidays conclude, keep it up. Keep sending cards, keep making phone calls, keep making time to reconnect. It never hurts to remind people how important they are in your life. 

And beyond the calls and cards, how many of us made time to bring communion to the homebound, visit the sick, or serve the poor among us?

Keep it up. Stay involved. Go the extra mile. 

Strangely enough, the more we give ourselves away, the happier we become.

Make loving your God and your neighbor your top priority in 2023 and you’ll experience Christian joy year-round.

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In two weeks we will celebrate Christmas. Holiday cheer is everywhere. But it doesn’t have to end on December 25^th. 

In fact, it shouldn’t.

In order to keep it going, however, we must give more gifts – particularly, the gift of ourselves. Keep our eyes fixed on Christ. And make loving our God and neighbor our top priority in 2023.

Then Christian joy will be ours year-round.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, Merry Christmas and God bless you.

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Images: (1) We Sell Pictures (2) Bethel Place (3) The Printery House

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Gospel: Matthew 11: 16-19

Jesus said to the crowds:
“To what shall I compare this generation? 
It is like children who sit in marketplaces and call to one another,
‘We played the flute for you, but you did not dance,
we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.’ 
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they said,
‘He is possessed by a demon.’ 
The Son of Man came eating and drinking and they said,
‘Look, he is a glutton and a drunkard,
a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ 
But wisdom is vindicated by her works.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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There’s an old saying about faith: “To those who have it, no explanation is necessary. To those who don’t, no explanation is enough.”

Faith takes root in the hearts of people who want to believe. 

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This is the essence of what Jesus is saying in today’s Gospel. “To what shall I compare this generation?” he says. 

They are like inconvincible skeptics; no person, no explanation, no miracle will be enough.

John the Baptist came to them preaching fire and brimstone. He lived in the desert, fasted, and clothed himself in camel’s hair. His message was of repentance. 

But the people criticized him for being too strict.

Then Jesus came living amongst the crowds, dining with tax collectors and sinners, even turning water into wine. 

The same people who criticized John the Baptist for being too strict criticize Jesus for being too lax. No display of faith – either from John or from Jesus – was enough. Some simply didn’t want to believe.

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I can’t help but see something of our own modern world in that. Sometimes we can explain our faith until we’re blue in the face, but people just shrug their shoulders.

For those with faith, no explanation is necessary. For some without it, no explanation is enough.

Let’s pray for those who struggle to believe, that somehow God would spark a desire in them to change – and see the goodness of God, present in so many.

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Image credits: (1) Christian images, Amazon.com (2) Britannica (3) Pinterest

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Gospel (Luke 1:26-38):

The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Have you ever watched an eagle soar in the sky?

It’s simply awesome. 

It’s majestic. It’s free.

But if you trim its feathers, then instantly it’s grounded, making it unable to fly. 

You might say, clipping a bird’s wings prevents it from becoming fully alive.

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In the Gospel, it feels like Mary’s wings have been clipped.

She’s grounded in fear. 

Imagine her sitting comfortably on the sofa during an otherwise ordinary night. Maybe she was watching something like The Real Housewives of Nazareth when suddenly the angel Gabriel appears to her and says: 

“Behold, Mary you will conceive in your womb and bear a son…and of his kingdom there will be no end!”

“Excuse, me!” She must’ve thought. “Can you say that in my good ear?” 

After all, Mary wonders, “Who’s this angel anyway? Where is he from? And how can I become pregnant? I’ve had no relations with a man! … And how will I tell Joseph? He’ll never believe me!”

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Suddenly, her future seems uncertain, as if her plans have been thrown out the window. She’s too terrified to consider what this all means.

Her wings have been clipped. 

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Perhaps some of us have had a similar sense of fear.

Think about how you may have felt after receiving a malignant diagnosis. Or how your heart ached when your child went off to college, leaving you with an empty nest. Or the day you were laid off after working for the same company for thirty years.

Like Mary, sometimes our lives take unexpected turns, leaving us grounded in fear.

But Mary’s faith enabled her to overcome that fear, embracing a future yet to be written. “Let it be done to me according to your word,” she says.

With hindsight, we know what a blessed future it will be.

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As we turn to face 2023, the Gospel invites us to embrace yet another year, trusting that God is with us, just as he was with Mary.

No matter what stage of life we’re in – whether we’re newly baptized, teenagers, newlyweds, parents, grandparents, seniors, or somewhere in between, God has a plan.

As it’s written in the Psalms, “The Lord watches over the footsteps of his faithful ones.”

With faith – not fear – we’ll become fully alive.

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Image credits: (1) Radio Angelus (2) Leonardo DaVinci, Annunciation (3) Twitter