(Third Sunday of Advent (C): This homily was given on December 14, 1997 at St. Pius X Church, Westerly, R. I. by Fr. Raymond Suriani. Read Philippians 4: 4-7; Luke 3: 10-18.)

"How to rejoice ALWAYS."

Once upon a time, there was a stonecutter. Each day he went into the mountains to cut stones. And while he worked he sang; for though he was a poor man, he desired no more than he had, so he had not a care in the world.

One day he was called to work on the mansion of a nobleman. When he saw the magnificence of the man’s home, he experienced the pain of desire for the first time in his life and he said with a sigh, "If only I were rich! Then I wouldn’t have to earn my living in sweat and toil as I do now."

All of a sudden, he heard a voice say, "Your wish has been granted. From now on, anything you desire will be given to you." He didn’t know what to make of this until he returned to his hut that evening and found in its place a mansion as magnificent as the one he had been working on. So he gave up cutting stones, and began to enjoy the life of the rich.

Not long after, on a hot and humid day, he happened to look out his window. He spotted the king going by in his carriage, accompanied by nobleman and slaves. He thought, "How I wish I were a king myself, sitting in the cool of the royal carriage." Well, his wish was immediately granted, and he found himself reclining in the comfort of the king’s carriage. But as it got later in the afternoon, it became unbearably hot. He looked out of the carriage window, and began to marvel at the power of the sun, whose heat could penetrate even the thick walls of the carriage. "I wish I were the sun," he said to himself. Once again his wish was granted, and he found himself sending out waves of heat into the universe.

For a while, everything was fine. But then, on a rainy day, he attempted to pierce through a thick bank of clouds and found that he couldn’t. So he immediately got himself changed into a cloud, and rejoiced in the power he had to keep the sun away. But eventually he turned into rain, and was quite annoyed when he hit a large rock and had to flow around it.

"What?" he cried. "A mere rock more powerful than I? Well, then, I wish I were a rock." So there he was standing tall and strong on the mountainside. He rejoiced--but only for a brief moment--until he heard a strange chipping sound coming from below. He looked down, and caught sight of a little man cutting chunks of stone from his feet.

"What?" he shouted. "A puny creature like that more powerful than a huge rock like me! I want to be a man!" So he immediately changed, and became what he had once been--a stonecutter.

Fr. Ray, what does this story have to do with Advent, and the Scripture readings we just heard? Actually, it has a lot to do with both. The man in this story had a goal: he wanted to be able to rejoice always. And there’s nothing wrong with that! To rejoice continually is a laudable ambition, as St. Paul makes clear to us in today’s second reading from Philippians 4. But the stonecutter made a mistake--the very same mistake that many people make during the Advent and Christmas seasons: he tried to find his reason for rejoicing in things, in people, and in good circumstances. First, in things: "If I become rich, I’ll be able to rejoice always." Then, in people: "If I become the king and have others to serve me, I’ll be able to rejoice always." Finally, in good circumstances: "If nothing gets in my way--if I can do just what I want--I’ll be able to rejoice always." And isn’t it interesting--the man ended up exactly where he began. He never found a satisfactory reason to rejoice continually, so he literally went around in a circle.

The lesson for us, my brothers and sisters, should be clear: our rejoicing, if we want it to be continuous, can never rest on things, on people or on good circumstances. That’s because things wear out, people die, and good circumstances are sometimes few and far between.

St. Paul knew this as well as anyone, which is why he said, "Rejoice IN THE LORD always." To rejoice in the Lord is to rejoice in the Unchangeable. To rejoice in the Lord is to rejoice in One who will not grow old and die. To rejoice in the Lord is to rejoice in the only One who will always be there for us.

So this is what we need to do, during this season and throughout the year: if we want to rejoice always we must make the effort to rejoice in the Lord. Now notice I say that this requires effort. It requires effort because rejoicing is not an emotion, as some mistakenly believe. Rejoicing is a decision; it’s an act of the will. That means that I can rejoice in the Lord, even if I’m suffering. I can make a choice to rejoice in my God, who has promised to be with me and always give me what I need, even if I don’t feel like it!

This is one reason why our relationship with God needs to be our number one priority in life! If I’m going to make the decision to rejoice in the Lord, then I need to be right with the Lord. I won’t be able to rejoice in God if I’m in the state of sin. I won’t want to rejoice in the Lord if I’m in the state of sin. Notice that St. Paul, after giving the command to rejoice, says, "Everyone should see how unselfish you are;" or, as another translation puts it, "Your kindness should be known to all." He tells people to rejoice, and then he immediately reminds them of the importance of right conduct. John the Baptist has the same message for those who question him in this gospel scene from Luke 3.

Those who are in the state of grace, find it relatively easy to rejoice in the Lord. I see this often at this time of year in the confessional. People will come in, confess serious sins they’ve been carrying around for years, and then leave with huge smiles on their faces. And some will actually say, "Father, this will be the best Christmas I’ve had in years." That’s true. It’s because they know they can now rejoice in the Lord--really rejoice in the Lord--after having received his forgiveness--the forgiveness he came to this earth to give them.

St. Paul goes on to give us two other instructions in this text. He says, "Dismiss all anxiety from your minds," and "Present your needs to God in every form of prayer and in petitions full of gratitude." Here he is urging us take the concrete steps we need to take to deepen our relationship with the Lord. Paul realized that the stronger our bond with God is, the easier it will be for us to rejoice in him.

I’ll close my homily today with something I found on a Christmas card last year. I think this sums it up beautifully:

When we honor Christ as the heart of our Christmas;
When we put him first in all we pursue;
When we hold him up as the season’s true reason,
For who he really was and what he came to do . . .
When we set aside time for quiet contemplation,
Despite all the hurry, the noise and the fun,
When we remind others by gentle example,
That there’s more to Christmas than "getting things done" . . .
When we let our spirits be called to renewal
In worship and peace at the good news he brings,
Then we will know the true joy of the season,
And we’ll truly have life’s most valuable things.