Zeph. 3:14-18a; Is. 12:2-6; Phil. 4:4-7; Lk. 3:10-18

“The Lord is near”, rejoice in the good news of the gospel on this Gaudete Sunday.  The Lord is nearer to us than we are to him for he dwells among us.  While we often look to the world in search of happiness, we remain restless until we come to him “in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving…Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”  Can it be that simple with God?  With God it is all about faith, the faith of a mustard seed, the faith that lets go and lets God, the faith that remains when everything else seems to be taken away “the Lord is near”. 

The Lord is near our Blessed Mother Mary so when we come to her, we come near to him.  Today is not only the day to rejoice in the Lord but also the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Appearing to Juan Diego, she made herself visible and left us her image in a “tilma” to venerate and bring about the conversion of Mexico by faith in the Lord.  We rejoice in her love for her people bringing us the good news that “the Lord is near” those who convert from the sins of their past and believe in the gospel.  We rejoice that we have a heavenly mother to unite us to the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. 

The Lord is near St. Joseph as we complete the year of St. Joseph in the church and rejoice for the blessings of our family in building up a holy family.  St. Joseph is our sign of hope and perseverance in difficult times.  He listened and obeyed the Lord’s command serving as foster father to the child Jesus and guardian of the Holy family.  He stands to be with us in our family as a protector against the enemy of the institution of the family.  In times when the family is under attack as irrelevant to the education, health care, and morals of a child, St. Joseph reminds us that Jesus was obedient to his parents as a child and our rights to our children cannot be taken away. 

We shout for joy for the Lord is near those who suffer.  The Lord joins our suffering to his and extends the olive branch of hope for something greater to come from our suffering.  In the mystery of faith all things work for the glory of God and even in the dark night the soul takes comfort in a God who is near and shares our suffering.  We rejoice that even in suffering it has redemptive power to heal and to save. 

The Lord is near to those who fear not but believe in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  While the world grips on to fear, fear of a pandemic, fear of natural disasters, fear of the unknown we hold onto the truth and Jesus is the truth appearing to us in the miracle of life.   We come to him to adore God in the child born in a stable this Christmas.  We fear not but rejoice in the living God who is near us.  Though we walk in the dark cultural valley of death, death by abortion, death by choice, death by attachment to sin we fear no evil when we remain in the path of righteousness of God. 

The people asked, “What should we do?”  We are to do the right thing for peace and justice.  In our times the wrong thing being done continues to grow against life for the unborn, against safety on the streets of society, against consequences for crime, against the truth of religion.  The voice of righteousness is being silenced or “canceled” but we the people of God must not remain silent but respond as John the Baptist for the call to repentance. 

We are to be filled with expectation.  Just as faith is to believe, expectation is trusting in the Lord that he will complete the good work begun in us until the day we are called to rise up in his glory.  Expectation takes the mustard seed of faith and learns to live as if it is done according to God’s will for the God who is above all expectation will pour out his blessings upon those who call to him.  We call to him rejoicing, we call to him in thanksgiving, and we call to him with all our petitions to answer us and remain with us this Advent and all the years to come until the day of his final coming.  Believe as if he is standing before you and the world will be a better place because he is near and his coming already begun.