“ As we celebrate Gaudate Sunday this Third Week of Advent, let’s heed to the call of St. Paul in his Letter to the Philippians to “rejoice in the Lord”, to “have no anxiety at all, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving make your requests known to God!”
A HOLLY Jolly Christmas! This is the theme of our Benefit Christmas Concert at the Alex Theater in Glendale on December 22, which features artists from various genres of music such as pop, jazz, and choral. If you remember, the theme speaks of our church’s centennial theme, Celebrate! Celebremos! Ipagdiwang!
I have proclaimed this message in the pulpit throughout the year by asking people to see God’s fidelity to our parish in the last one hundred years. I have proclaimed it despite the ongoing economic difficulties in the nation and among our parishioners.
As the year 2012 ends and our centennial year closes, we find God’s fidelity and promise to our parish even more evident. Who would ever think that we could do a major renovation of our church during a period of deep recession? Who would ever think that our struggling parochial school could send its children’s choir to the World Choir Games for the first time, compete with the champions of world choirs, and bring home two silver medals? Who would ever think that our church could resurrect, sparkle like a star, sing all day like a bird Sunday after Sunday until late at night with people praying and studying our faith? Our church has continued to flourish!
At times, however, it is difficult for some of us to see these marvelous blessings of God in our church. It is because we tend to focus on the negatives, the few conflicts, tensions, and petty quarrels among people. We forget that, just like any other “human” and “divine” Church, we are prone to the temptations of the Evil One who does not want us to succeed, to rejoice, and most all, to become united.
We also forget to see another big reason to rejoice: each one of us! Each one of us is a blessing! And there is someone else who rejoices because of us: God. Zephaniah states this in the First Reading this Sunday. The Lord “will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.”
“Because of you! Have you ever in your life thought that God’s might be singing because of you? Have you ever let your image of God expand that far? Have you ever let him, in the most profound sense of the word, be one who sings you in existence?” These are questions of Father John Foley, the famous Jesuit composer and writer, for each of us in Center for Liturgy website. “Let your life be what it is: God’s joyous, interleaved and always consonant melody, sounding outwards in deepest joy,” he adds.
As we celebrate Gaudate Sunday this Third Week of Advent, let’s heed to the call of St. Paul in his Letter to the Philippians to “rejoice in the Lord”, to “have no anxiety at all, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving make your requests known to God!” Who knows? God will bring more wonders in our church and in each of us. Then, yes, he would whistle happily in heaven and on earth because of us!
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Reverend Rodel G. Balagtas attended St. John Seminary in Camarillo, California and earned his Doctor of Ministry in Preaching from Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. For twenty years, he has been in the parish ministry of large multi-cultural communities. Since 2002, he has been the pastor of Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in Los Angeles. Please email Fr. Rodel at [email protected].
