The associated reading for this reflection can be found in your Every Sacred Sunday Mass journal or online here.
“Have no anxiety at all…”
I confess that initially I was dismissive at today’s second reading because of those five words. I felt threatened by Paul’s words to the Philippians, because it is so difficult to have ‘no anxiety at all’ and even more difficult to be in a posture of rejoicing always in the Lord, trusting that He is the source of all joy. There’s a lot of anxiety in my heart right now: ordination to Holy Orders is fast approaching, family will always be family, the pandemic is still here with a new variant, and there is so much suffering all around the world.
This wonderful epistle reads: “Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. . . Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:4-7). Are these not perfect portrayals of the promises and great questions of the Advent season? Don’t we all seek a life in which joy has a place at the table of our hearts once again? Oh, if only everything became more stable and reliable — that the overwhelming overload of worry and uncertainty were gone! “The Lord is near” (v. 5), and the peace of God is near us. Is this not enough for me? This Gaudete Sunday, Jesus gives us every reason to rejoice, to embrace joy.
What is joy- true joy? The ancient philosophers continuously called joy an emotional uplifting in response to some kind of good. But this view of joy is insufficient. It’s God-less. Joy in human life has to do with God. Only in God is man fully capable of life. Without such depth in a loving relationship, we become sick and robbed of our joy and capacity to contain it. Joy is dependent upon our personal relationships with the Lord!
How should we live so that we are capable of true joy? This question, I think, should occupy us more than it ever has in the past. We must believe in ourselves, our hearts, and in our God, despite the circumstances — that we are created for joy. This means that we are created for a life of fulfillment, a life that has been blessed and touched at its core by God Himself.
As we embrace this Gaudete Sunday and approach the last weeks of Advent, let us strive to deepen our personal relationships with God. It is only in Him that we will find the joy that will free us from our anxieties and have the ability to embrace His nearness.
Zinjin Iglesia is a seminarian for the Diocese of Arlington, VA, studying and undergoing seminary formation in Philadelphia. He enjoys all things coffee, good eats, kombucha brewing, traveling, and encountering God through beauty. Please pray for him as he prepares for ordination to the Transitional Diaconate next Easter!