By Holly Gustafson
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” (Philippians 4: 4-5)
The third Sunday of Advent has its very own name (Gaudete Sunday) and its very own colour (rose). Rose is the liturgical colour of joy (the only other time it appears is optionally on the fourth Sunday of Lent), so it should come as no surprise that the Latin word gaudete is a command that means “Rejoice!” or that the theme of the third Sunday of Advent is Joy.
In order to understand what Christian Joy truly is, it might be helpful to first rule out what it is not. Joy is not happiness, which is dependent on our surroundings and situation; when things tend to be going well, we are happy. Happiness is a lovely emotional state to be desired and pursued, but it’s not necessarily a virtue, just like sorrow or sadness as a reaction to something sorrowful or sad is not a vice.
Instead of being dependent on our present state or particular situation like happiness is, Joy transcends them. Joy has as its source Christ. So while happiness, at least as I see it, is a reaction to the things in the world around us, which change moment to moment and day by day, the virtue of Joy is a reaction to the love and goodness of God, which never changes, not moment to moment, nor age to age.
But how do we live the virtue of Joy in our daily lives? St. Katharine Drexel, a twentieth century American nun, gives us one idea:
“If we wish to serve God and love our neighbour well, we must manifest our joy in the service we render Him and them. Let us open wide our hearts. It is joy which invites us.”
The Joy that St. Katharine Drexel describes is a Joy that invites us to open wide our hearts, a Joy that welcomes.
Advent and Christmas are a season of hospitality, throwing parties, getting together with family and friends, and perhaps even hosting overnight guests. But if you’re like me, this type of welcome is the kind that comes easy. It’s easy to be the hostess with the mostest when I’m in control, when I’ve had time to clean my house, and pre-plan the snacks, and prepare for the day. It’s easy to welcome the invited guests. It’s much harder to welcome the uninvited interruptions. The child who is talking to me while I am trying to send an email. The husband who wants to simply spend time with me when I have “a million things to do”. The colleague who calls for a favour in the middle of an already busy day. The stranger at the grocery store who wants to chat when I just want to get my shopping done and go. Anyone who wants anything from me when I have my own agenda, my own plans, my own will.
Joy invites us to open wide the doors of our houses, which is easy, but also of our hearts, which is hard. Joy invites us to make space for others in our homes, which is easy, but also in our busy days, which is hard. Joy invites us to welcome the expected guest, which is easy, but also the unexpected interruptions, which is hard. To welcome, with Joy that has the self-donating Christ as its source, is to open wide our hearts, even – and especially – when it’s hard.
Are there times or situations when I am especially unwelcoming and do not respond to the needs of others with Joy (perhaps when I am tired, at a certain time of the day, when I am doing something in particular, or when I am asked to do a specific thing)? How can I try to respond with a more open, Joy-filled heart in these situations this week?
Holly Gusta
fson lives with her husband, James, and their five children, in Regina, where they attend Christ the King Parish. Holly received her Masters in Linguistics at the University of Manitoba, and now pursues her love of language through art, writing, public speaking, and unsolicited grammatical advice. The best advice she ever received was from her spiritual friend, St. Faustina, who told her that when in doubt, “Always ask Love. It advises best.”
