Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
It may seem incongruous in the midst of a pandemic where there is so much fear and anxiety, illness and death, for us to hear a scripture passage urging us to ‘rejoice always!’ Yet, for the faithful Christian, it is precisely in the midst of challenges, suffering and trials that our faith urges us, once again, not to lose heart and even to rejoice!
Perhaps, part of that incongruity lies in our misunderstanding of what truly constitutes true joy in our lives. Joy is not the fleeting emotion that puts a silly smile on our face. Nor is joy, necessarily, the feeling of happiness when everything is going our way.
Rather, the kind of joy that St. Paul speaks of today is anchored in an unwavering relationship of hope and promise in the one who speaks to us those freeing words, ‘fear not, I am with you always!’
For Christians who truly live Advent in their lives, no tribulation, anxiety or fear will ever have the last word in our lives. Why? Because our lives have be redeemed by the unfailing love and mercy of a God, who in his Son, Jesus, our Emmanuel, has made a home with us. In that home, no one is ever a stranger, all have a place at his table of love and mercy.
And so, my friends, it is that reality of being forever ‘found’ by our loving God and having a home in his heart that is the foundation of our joy, a joy that will have no end.
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.