What is it that makes your soul sing?” This question (borrowed from Elizabeth Braddon’s “Living the Life Within You”) never fails to stump participants in the formation seminars we run. This question for reflection leads to the revisiting of one’s mission.
“The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet,” Frederick Buechner said.
Clearly, this flow of ideas on mission tells us that mission is life-giving and joyful. Let me add an image: Mission is like your first true love. It gives you joy, makes your heart skip a beat in the presence of the beloved.
Such was the response of John the Baptist not just in today’s Gospel, but also in the story of Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth. “For the moment your greeting reached my ears, the child in my womb leaped for joy.” (Luke 1: 44)
John, from conception, had a clear sense of mission—he was to be the immediate precursor of the Christ—and when he was done, he was filled with joy even as he said it was time to go. We used to describe this clarity of mission and fidelity to living it out to the end as “solid.” In more contemporary terms, petmalu lodi.
Joy
Joy in discovering, living and fulfilling mission is the core message of the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday.
In his first official long document, an apostolic exhortation, “Evangelii Gaudium,” Pope Francis presents a renewed vision of the Church. The Joy of the Gospel exhorts people to build joyful communities.
Pope Francis writes that “the Gospel, radiant with the glory of Christ’s cross, constantly invites us to rejoice.” Then he traces what he calls a “great stream of joy” in the Gospels, beginning with Archangel Gabriel’s first greeting to Mary in the Annunciation, all the way to the joy of the newly baptized in the writings of St. Paul on the early Church.
In these days leading to Christmas, the two figures that “dominate” the Liturgy of the Word in the Masses are John the Baptist and Mary. Both epitomize joy and mission, and have earned great praise: Mary, “you are the highest honor of our race,” (Judith 15: 9, as used in Masses for Our Blessed Mother); and John complimented by Christ, “Among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John.” (Luke 7: 28)
Clarity
They had clearly seen who they were, a clarity of identity that came from and led back to their deep gladness. Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord. My spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (Luke 1: 46-47) while John said, “For this reason, my joy has been complete.” (John 3:29)
For Mary and John, this deep gladness met the world’s deep hunger, the hunger for the Savior. This was the mission they said “yes” to and, from that moment on, they lived it with fidelity and joy to the very end.
How do we discover our mission? Look for what makes our soul sing. What is it that gives us joy, the joy that is accompanied by peace that nurtures our faith, hope and love?
Advent is a season of grace that invites us to ask these questions. Advent reminds us of Christ’s promise that he will come again and take us with him to the fullness of his kingdom. Advent is also a time for us to remember, to reconnect with what it is that makes our soul sing, what is our deep gladness.
As we contemplate these points, may our thoughts, prayers and reflections lead us to the Child in the Manger. May the song we hear in our heart be, “Joy to the world, the Lord has come.”
Emmanuel, God with us, is the deepest hunger of our world and our deepest gladness and joy.