This Sunday is Gaudete Sunday, otherwise known as “Rejoice” Sunday because of the intriot: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I say again, rejoice!” Instead of the royal and penitential purple, the Church lights the vibrant and joyful rose candle as both a reprieve from the penance of advent and a reminder of the nearing joy of Christmas when the Savior is born. In fact, the Gospel shows why we should rejoice in the form of a question: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” In other words, who is Jesus?
But who is “the one who is to come”? The Jews at the time of Jesus were looking for the Messiah, the anointed of God who will liberate them. Many misunderstood the Messiah to be a political leader who will free them from Roman rule. Yet, John the Baptist understood the Messiah to be more than just a political leader. However, there seems to be some doubt in the greatest of the prophets, which is why he sends his disciples to ask Jesus who he is. Jesus responds by citing Isaiah 35, referring to Himself as God who “comes to save.” The signs? The blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk, the mute speak. All these miracles point to who Jesus is and what he is about: to proclaim the Kingdom of God – the true liberation from sin that humanity craves.
Therefore, we should not look for another. Jesus is the “one who is to come” because God is here. The whole first chapter of Matthew’s Gospel speaks of Emmanuel: God with us. The genealogy speaks of God’s faithfulness through time with Joseph’s dream concluding in the great climactic message from Isaiah: “Look, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means ‘God is with us.’”
This is why we can rejoice today. We find ourselves in the same boat as John the Baptist. As John anxiously waited for God to fulfill His promises to Israel so we, too, wait for the Risen Lord to return again in glory, fulfilling his promise to be with us until the consummation of the world. All of our doubts and questions of God’s faithfulness find their definitive answer in Jesus Christ. Jesus is Emmanuel; the God who saves is indeed with us yesterday, today, and forever. So “rejoice in the Lord always. I say again, rejoice!”
Joseph Yuson – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta
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