Search
-
Dear Friends in Christ,This third Sunday in Advent is traditionally known as “Gaudete Sunday,” an invitation to rejoice in the coming of the Lord at Christmas time, at the end of time, and in the meantime where we live much of our lives. It’s one of two occasions in our liturgical calendar when the color rose is permitted for vestments and sanctuary decorations. This Sunday reminds me every year of one of my favorite movies, which tells the story of one family’s experience of joy.“Father of the Bride Two,” starring Steve Martin and the late Diane Keaton, picks up the story of the Banks Family. They have survived the stress and excitement of their oldest daughter Annie’s wedding, and things a year later are settling down to normal, which dad George says, “Is just the way I like it.” Annie and her husband come to dinner one night to share that they are expecting a baby. This thrills the mother, Nina, to no end, but George is quietly disappointed because he fears having a baby will stifle Annie’s career prospects. He also starts to feel old, which prompts him to try to act more like the younger George, leading to another unexpected turn of events: his wife, Nina, becomes pregnant in her 40s just shortly after their daughter. Nina is overjoyed at this unexpected turn, while George, shall we say, can’t imagine how he will handle raising a child at his age. As movie stories go, the daughter and wife go into labor at the same time, and George must handle becoming a father and a grandfather all at once. The story concludes with George saying goodbye to his daughter and grandchild, who are moving across the country, while he wheels his new daughter in a carriage up the driveway of the family home. Nothing has worked out as he planned, and yet he feels a quiet joy for the unexpected gifts he has received. Sound familiar to any of you? I hope so!The promise of joy in the Lord is the reminder that God’s love and grace ultimately transform all disappointment, sadness, and even sorrow into new life and light for our world. Let’s rejoice in this promise and the opportunity we have to encourage one another to seek it in all the moments of our lives!Blessings of peace and joy!Fr. William Heric, Pastor