The third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday. I find the Gospel reading of the day particularly fitting, but especially the second half. Jesus asks His disciples who they went into the desert to see, namely, the messenger that He sent ahead of Himself, to prepare the way for His coming. I believe that the call of John the Baptist is also the call of all Christians, especially in this time when the world is so focused on creating division and sadness. There is a noticeable darkness spreading in the world. People are hurting and that hurt makes them sad, and the sadness makes them lonely and the cycle continues.
You may have heard the term “trauma dumping”, that is, sharing every negative thing that has happened in your life in hopes that someone will relate to you and help fix the hurt. But this has had an adverse effect where people try to ‘one up’ each other’s trauma experiences, which ultimately widens the void of loneliness when everyone realizes that no one will truly understand their personal hurt. I believe that this is a major contributor to the darkness that seems to loom over the world these days. John the Baptist undoubtedly had difficulties in life: he lived uncomfortably, he experienced loneliness in the desert, away from anything easy, yet people flocked to him. This leads me to believe that although his life remained difficult, he never sought to preach to people about his hardship, instead he had the joy of God and was excited to share His coming with everyone who listened.
I don’t want to discredit anyone who may have experienced particularly difficult things in life; those wounds are real and necessary in our fallen states, and sometimes the hurt never goes away. However, we can turn to the Lord for strength – the joy of the Lord is our strength. I’m the first to admit that sometimes wallowing in and holding on to our pain like a vice grip seems like the only safe thing to do when you’re in the midst of it. But when we turn to Him, place our pain into his pierced hands and let Him strengthen us, we cannot help but rejoice and share the joy of His word with everyone who listens.
This is how we can dispel the darkness that is taking over our world. Our wounds are what make us human, but through His strength, Christ heals, and the joy that follows helps us grow in holiness.
El tercer domingo de Adviento se llama el Domingo Gaudete (Alegría). Me parece muy apropiado el Evangelio de hoy, pero especialmente la segunda mitad. Jesús pregunta a sus discípulos a quién fueron a ver al desierto: al mensajero que envió delante de sí para preparar el camino de su venida. Creo que el llamado de Juan el Bautista es también el llamado de todos los cristianos, especialmente en estos tiempos en que el mundo está tan centrado en crear división y tristeza. Hay una oscuridad notable que se extiende por el mundo. La gente sufre y ese dolor los entristece, y la tristeza los hace solitarios, y el ciclo continúa.
Quizás hayas escuchado el término “descarga de traumas”, es decir, compartir todo lo negativo que te ha sucedido en la vida con la esperanza de que alguien se identifique contigo y te ayude a superar el dolor. Pero esto ha tenido un efecto negativo, ya que las personas intentan compartir experiencias traumáticas que son mayores a las de los demás, lo que en última instancia amplía el vacío de la soledad cuando todos se dan cuenta de que nadie comprenderá realmente su dolor personal. Creo que esto contribuye en gran medida a la oscuridad que parece cernirse sobre el mundo hoy en día. Juan el Bautista, sin duda, tuvo dificultades en la vida: vivió incómodamente, experimentó la soledad en el desierto, lejos de todo lo fácil, pero la gente acudía a él. Esto me lleva a creer que, aunque su vida siguió siendo difícil, nunca buscó predicar a la gente sobre sus dificultades; en cambio, tuvo el gozo de Dios y se entusiasmó al compartir su venida con todos los que lo escucharon.
No quiero desacreditar a nadie que haya experimentado momentos particularmente difíciles en la vida; esas heridas son reales y necesarias en nuestra estado de seres humanos caídos, y a veces el dolor nunca desaparece. Sin embargo, podemos acudir al Señor en busca de fortaleza; el gozo del Señor es nuestra fuerza. Soy el primero en admitir que a veces, hundirse en el dolor y aferrarse a él como una tenaza parece ser la única opción segura cuando uno está en medio de él. Pero cuando nos volvemos a Él, ponemos nuestro dolor en las heridas de sus manos santas y dejamos que nos fortalezca, no podemos evitar regocijarnos y compartir la alegría de su palabra con todos los que nos escuchan.
Así es como podemos disipar la oscuridad que se apodera de nuestro mundo. Nuestras heridas nos hacen humanos, pero mediante su fuerza, Cristo sana, y la alegría que viene después nos ayuda a crecer en la santidad.
Lily is a Michigan native and cradle Catholic who has spent most of her life exploring her own reasons to embrace her faith fully. She attended Franciscan University of Steubenville, where she discovered the beauty of her personal relationship with Christ and the Church. After college, she worked in Montessori Education for three years and recently transitioned to nannying. She was recently married and spends most of her time reading, and enjoying her dog and family!
Feature Image Credit: Anand Sharma, www.pexels.com/photo/lighted-candle-on-brown-leaves-4053866/
The views and opinions expressed in the Inspiration Daily blog are solely those of the original authors and contributors. These views and opinions do not necessarily represent those of Diocesan, the Diocesan staff, or other contributors to this blog.
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