December_11

This is the third Sunday of Advent, which is known as Gaudete, or Rejoice Sunday. If we used the Opening Antiphon, instead of a song, the first word was Gaudete which means "rejoice" in Latin. This is the midway point between the beginning and end of Advent--actually, past the midway. It is a time to focus on God’s promise of Christmas, the Incarnation. It’s a time to focus on the gift of joy that we all have received. The word “joy” was used over a half dozen times in the readings. If you had a classic Catholic education, you remember that joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is a gift given to you in baptism, and confirmed in Confirmation. Paul tells us in Galatians that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. You have these gifts. You were given them. If you seem to have lost one, it’s not God’s fault. But when it comes to joy, we ask God to renew that gift in us tonight.

Joy is not happiness. Happiness is on the surface. Joy is deep down inside. Joy is certainly not pleasure. As a matter of fact, it can be on the flip side of pleasure at times. Joy is eternal. It is a deep contentment that we are loved by God, and you always will be. Not only you, but your loved ones. This gift is one we need to show to others. Now, if you would like to be more joyful, if you have misplaced the gift, or have not used it to its fullness, and you were to ask me, “How can I be more joyful,” I would say this: “Be more generous.”

There is a direct correlation between the generous person and the joyful person. Even at Christmas, when we talk so much about giving, and that’s beautiful. Dickens’s great Christmas Carol shows us Scrooge, who had so much wealth but no joy. Do you know anyone who is truly generous who is not joyful? Can you imagine a Scrooge-type character who is generous? Or a generous person who is a Scrooge-type character? Generosity. “There is more joy in giving than receiving,” it says that in Acts. I never met a person on their deathbed complain that he was too generous in life. So, be generous.

Be generous with your time. Yesterday, I spoke to a man who is starting his post-doc here, and he said, “I feel badly I got away from giving of my time. Is there a Habitat for Humanity here? I need to get involved. I promised years ago I’d do something with my time.” Frankly, time is a more precious commodity for many of us than money is. We can get more money, but we can’t get more time. So, be generous with your time.

Be generous with your talents. We discussed that a few months ago, with the parable of the Talents. The way God set this world up, He has given us all some talent. Together, we have all the talents we need to be perfectly harmonious. The reason there are problems in the world, and in the nation, in the community, in the church, and in the family, is that someone’s not giving their portion in investing their talents in the world, in the church, in the nation.

Finally, be generous with your money. If you don’t have much, then give what you can. But if you’ve been blessed, then be very generous. If you’ve been very blessed, be very, very generous. Have you ever seen a hearse pull a U-Haul trailer? It’s said that, “A person who is very generous during life is a person of love. A person who is generous on their death bed is afraid.” So, give it away now. I’m serious. Do you know, and I’ve seen this. We all need some money. We all need health insurance, a little pension is nice. It makes us feel a little secure. What happens when you get too much money, is you think you are your own source of security. And you’re not. That’s a lie. If you’ve got a good pension, and you’ve got a good health plan, and you’re collecting too much money, get rid of it. Give it away. I’ll guarantee you that you will be happy, and you’ll be more joyful. Kids like that, too. Buy them lots of gifts at Christmas.

Is God a joyful God? He’s the source of joy. He’s the source of music. He’s all joyful, and he’s all generous. Blessed Julian of Norwood said,