Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!
There is cause for rejoicing here! Certainly, we rejoice with our brother, Fr. Ron Howard, at this, his first Mass of thanksgiving. The gift of a new priest to the Church is always a reason for great joy. Fr. Ron, your home parish gratefully celebrates this day with you; we thank God for your vocation and for your presence here with us today, as you offer the sacrifice of Jesus and share His Body and Blood with us for the first time. And any other day, that would be more than enough cause for our joy.
But not this day!
There is more! This holy Mass calls the faithful to rejoice in the Lord always – all the time! So, there may even be a better reason for us to celebrate beyond Fr. Ron’s first Mass!
The prophet Zephaniah also calls us to rejoice in the First Reading; and not only that, but he also says that the Lord our Savior will rejoice over us with gladness. For the prophet, God is not some far-off deity who is content to watch the world unfold in front of Him. Rather, this is a God who comes to His people – not a static idol or mere concept. He is the living God. The joy of Advent is that this living God also comes to us in a very real way.
All our readings – in fact this entire season – points out the nearness of the Lord. That is the reason for our joy: the nearness of Jesus. Sometimes we can forget that.
I remember some years ago I was greeting folks as they exited church after our Mass. A little girl walked past me and said, “Bye, Jesus!” I was a little surprised, and before I could say anything, her laughing mother said, “I told her we were going to see Jesus this morning.” Naturally, as the girl attended Mass and saw me in the front “doing lots of stuff,” she assumed that I was the one she was there to see!
Of course, I am not Jesus! Fr. Ron, you’re not Jesus either! But this innocent girl’s mistake should highlight an important fact for all of us: no matter who we are, we should expect to meet Jesus – at any time – since He is not a far-off God. Jesus is very near, and that is a reason to rejoice!
St. Oscar Romero said, “We are offered … a dynamic God, a God who walks with his people, a God who takes action, a God who inspires people in their struggle to be free, a God who is not indifferent to the cries of those who suffer. As he did in Egypt, he sees the beatings, the humiliation, and the marginalization of those enslaved, and he is ready to send a guide and a redeemer at the right moment. And that Redeemer is now among us—that is the great news that John the Baptist proclaims to us.”
Christ has never left His Church. He is here, active among us. The Sacraments are signs of the fact of the nearness of Jesus. In the priesthood, we are presented with Christ the Head of the Body who sanctifies us, guides us, and feeds us. Fr. Ron, always remember to conform yourself to that mystery, and it will bring you great joy, I promise! Never cease to speak about the nearness of Christ, of His active presence, and your personal relationship with Him.
John the Baptist preached so much about the presence of Christ that many people wondered whether he was not himself the Messiah who was to come. But John the Baptist made clear his identity because he knew who he was. He was not the Christ, but he served Him and pointed him out when at last He came. That is also the role of the priest – to point to Christ and remind our people that we share time and space with Jesus, who always accompanies us. Again, St. Romero said, “No Christian should feel all alone on the journey. No family should feel abandoned. No nation should feel pessimistic even in the midst of what seem to be insoluble crises, such as those of our country. God is in our midst! Let us have faith in this central truth of the sacred revelation. God is present; he is not asleep. He is actively observing and helping us, and in his own time he will act favorably. So let the presence of God awaken true joy in our hearts.”
Fr. Ron, you have experienced this journey yourself. Through your family and through your parish you have encountered Jesus and known His love for you – even in the most difficult of times. Share that experience with others, so that they know that your relationship with Jesus is not just some theoretical knowledge picked up in seminary, but the result of a living relationship. That is how a son of our parish has now become our father.
Brothers and sisters, the Lord is near! “What should we do?” the people asked John the Baptist. His reply highlights the humble disposition that would mark Christians throughout history: give to the poor, care for them, love others, and honor their dignity. If you do that, maybe people will mistake you for Jesus too!
And that’s yet another reason to rejoice.
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