HOMILY FOR THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT (A) – GAUDETE SUNDAY

Fr Billy Swan

Dear friends. On this ‘Gaudete Sunday’, the theme of the readings and the liturgy is joy. Today, I would like to share a few thoughts on the joy of worship. At Advent and Christmas, we hear about the joy of giving and receiving but we seldom hear about the joy that comes from falling on our knees in adoration and worship of our God.

But what is worship? To worship is to honour and reverence someone in awe and wonder, submitting our whole selves to a mystery revealed and experienced in a way that leaves us humbled and speechless. Very often, the bodily gesture that accompanies worship is kneeling.

Take the example of St Peter in Luke chapter 5. When he obeyed Jesus and cast out the net on the lake, there followed a huge catch of fish. Confronted with this miracle and overcome with awe at God’s goodness revealed in Jesus, Peter fell to his knees and said: ‘Lord, leave me for I am a sinful man’.

Or the faith of the Magi who, on approaching the crib at Bethlehem, fell to their knees as they offered the Christ-child gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. The hymn ‘O Holy Night’ urges us to ‘fall on your knees’ because of this ‘Night divine, O night when Christ was born’. Falling on our knees before the mystery of God born for us in poverty, simplicity and beauty at Christmas is not something that we have to do. Rather it is something we want to do and long to do. Because before this great mystery we see revealed at Bethlehem, we catch a glimpse of the love of our God who empties himself and humbles himself to take on the innocence and vulnerability of a child in a way that touches our hearts and burns away sin and pride. The same thing happens at the Eucharist. When we kneel for the consecration, the same self-emptying and humble love of God is poured out for us through Christ, in a way that inspires reverence and faith.

So let not the bending of our knees be a hurried gesture, an empty ritual or form. Let’s put meaning into it. To kneel is a sign of the soul’s intention. It is to bow down before God in deepest reverence. It is a sign of our inner attitude that says: ‘You are my Lord and God. You are the source of my life. Falling on my knees is the only appropriate thing for me to do, blinded as I am with your light, glory, goodness, beauty, mercy and love’.

Worship reminds us that we are not alone and that we don’t have to go it alone. We have been sent a Saviour whose birth we celebrate. Worship of God breaks open the prison of the self, takes us beyond ourselves and yet keeps us true to ourselves. To worship God does not lead us to live lives of slavery but freedom.

We are made for worship. This Advent and Christmas, let us rediscover the art and habit of true worship. Everyone worships something or someone. If we don’t worship the true and living God, we will create idols for ourselves to worship. Dabbling with idols, New Age and other gods is a route that leads to sadness and depression and away from the joy for which we are made.

But when we come to know God, fall in love with God and adore God, then worship is the source of our deepest joy. In the words of the Psalm: ‘I rejoiced when I heard them say, let us go to God’s house’ (Ps. 122).

It’s time to come back to heart of worship. It’s time to get back on our knees and to recognise the God who is worthy or worship and adoration. Let us begin by kneeling at the crib and allowing our hearts to be humbled and touched by the mystery of God’s love we see there.

"The soul of the one who serves God always swims in joy, always keeps holiday, and is always celebrating a feast” (St. John Chrysostom).