Rejoice in His Nearness
Michiel Peeters - Dear friends, today, on Sunday “Gaudete”—Sunday “Rejoice”—we meet again John the Baptist. Finally, another prophet had risen among the Jewish people.
Crowds gather around him, because he is authentic, he believes in what he says, which is rare. He is on the outlook for someone and tells people to give space to their own expectation, too. “Prepare the way of the Lord, / make straight his paths. / Every valley shall be filled / and every mountain and hill shall be made low.”
They ask him: “What should we do?” Man has a desire to be useful, to do something. When we meet someone with authority, someone who seems to know what life is, who provokes our humanity, then our desire to be fruitful is awakened, and we ask this person: “What should we do?”
Don’t worry, answers John, preparing the way of the Lord does not mean doing particular things. Continue to do what you were doing, but now do it with your heart, with yourself: “If you are a soldier, do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages. If you are a tax collector, stop collecting more than what is prescribed.
And if you have more food or clothing than you need for yourself, you can give some to who doesn’t have enough.” Many people would tell you what to do, few would say as John: don’t worry about what exactly it is you are doing, but do it in a different, more complete way, with more attention for yourself, your action, and the others.
“Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ,” the Messiah sent by God, who would set things rights. John says he isn’t: “One mightier than I is coming,” His presence will be greater than mine.
“Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people”. Today, our company does the same with us. It doesn’t say: do this or do that. What does it say? Rejoice! “Rejoice always!” “I shall say it again: rejoice!” Why? Because the Lord is near: among us is a great presence!
He who could just have helped us, has wanted to come! “The Lord, your God, is in your midst”, said the prophet Zephaniah. This has happened! This has been announced to you, this announcement has been made to you so that you could verify it! That fact—or in any case, that hypothesis—should have our total attention, should “absorb” us! All the rest is consequence.
“The Lord is near.” He is among us. Life’s meaning has bothered to come to you to tell you that he prefers you. Magister adest et vocat te—the Teacher is here and he calls you. “The Lord, your God, is in your midst, / a mighty savior; / he will rejoice over you with gladness, / and renew you in his love, / he will sing joyfully because of you, / as one sings at festivals.” Heed this! Realize this! Let this sink in!
All the rest follows from that. “What should we do?” Don’t worry. Ama et fac quod vis, said St Augustine: let yourself be grasped by the presence your heart is made for, and then do whatever you want. You’ll do it differently, attentively, joyfully. Ilarem datorem diligit Deus—God loves a cheerful giver. Cheerful because of what? Because of what you are doing, because of the fruits of your efforts?
No, because of the great Presence.
The author has not revised the translation.
