Dear Christ the King Family,
Let us rejoice on this Gaudete Sunday, this Third Sunday of Advent! This is, indeed, the “Pink Candle Sunday” on our Advent Wreath and even the priests and deacons will be vested in pink (or “rose”…it seems to be a touchy subject for some!). We rejoice on this Sunday in anticipation because, essentially, we’re at the halfway point and we’re that much closer to the full joy we will celebrate in the Nativity of Our Lord on Christmas. Halfway points and middle points can be interesting things and it reminds me of a joke that can take various iterations:
An Optimist and a Pessimist are looking at a glass of water that’s measured at the halfway point. They decide once and for all to lay this question to rest by getting an opinion from a third party. “What can you say about this glass of water?” they ask a passing engineer. The engineer looks intently at the glass of water and then she replies, “Well, I’d say that glass is twice as big as it needs to be.” That didn’t solve their dispute, so next they come across a politician on the campaign trail and pose the same question. The politician quickly discerns where each person stood and so he says to the Optimist, “It’s half-full, of course, and if you vote for me it’ll get even fuller!” and then turns to the Pessimist and says, “Clearly it’s half empty, and if you vote for my opponent, it’s only gonna get emptier!” Again, not a satisfactory resolution for the two, and next they come across someone who was thirsty and when they hand the glass over for her to inspect, she graciously takes it and drinks it down in a quick gulp. “Thank you so much,” she says as she hands back the empty glass, “I really needed that!” The Optimist grimaces and looks at the Pessimist, expecting him to gloat over the turn of events, but he is shocked—the Pessimist is frowning! The Pessimist gives a big sigh and mutters, “Oh great, now we have to fill it half-full again so I can prove my point!”
A silly, rambling story for sure (you can insert any kind of profession if you can think of a clever response!) but there’s an interesting point—so often our vision of things is rooted in our mode of living at the moment and that’s what we become accustomed to. When it comes to this halfway point of Advent this year, we might not necessarily be feeling that joy and it feels more like a dreaded countdown…there can be so many stresses and demands during this time of preparation, or sometimes for those who grieve the loss of a loved one the holiday season seems to stir up more loneliness than cheer. It seems even our Gospel this weekend hints at this swirl of emotions for John the Baptist. Last week he seemed so zealous and diligent to ready the way of the Lord and call the people to repentance, yet now as he awaits an uncertain fate in prison, he second-guesses himself and sends his disciples to ascertain if Jesus is the Messiah. And yet Our Lord makes it plain and clear for John’s disciples even in this moment of doubt: see these signs for yourselves: “the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” It’s amazing how even in our lowest moments where our hearts feel like a parched desert land, God’s grace can wonderfully break through and bring our souls to bloom with joy anew! Even when we need to patiently wait for that Advent of the Lord as St. James reminds us, we can always do so with the joy that Christ offers—a joy that doesn’t depend on any particular passing moment, but looks forward in hope and abides.
In Christ our King,
Fr. David
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