Gospel-Homily for Third Sunday of Advent (2024)

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“I will turn your sorrow into joy.”

How exactly does that work? The Bible tells us. Sadness is different from anger. The purpose of anger is to alert you that something is wrong, and it amazingly gives you the energy to fix it. Let’s say you walk into the room and find your dog chewing on your new hat. You jump out of the La-Z-Boy recliner, rescue the hat, and put it in a draw. Then, you give your playful dog a ball to chew. You used the energy to fix the problem.

Sadness is very different. Let’s say my bike was stolen. There I am, sitting in the La-Z-Boy, eating ice cream, being sad. While I am there, I am thinking. “Now what am I going to do?” I could buy a new bike and add a few nice upgrades. I could quit the bike, buy running shoes, join a club, and run my first marathon. That would be fun. I could move to a location where they do not steal bikes. So sadness is a door to opportunity. I know that we humans do not like change. We prefer routine. I call it a rut. Our lives drag on day after day, and we never advance, progress, or realize our potential.

When I was stationed in New Jersey, I was reassigned to work in Boston. The first day I got here, I put my bags in my room and sat on the corner of the bed in the dark because the light bulb had blown out, and I was sad. I was going to miss my friends and my routine. While I was sitting there, I thought, “Now what am I going to do?” I will make new friends here in Boston. I have a beautiful gothic church that is a Eucharistic shrine. I can now do something I never was able to do living in New Jersey. I can have dinner tonight with Mom and Dad. I turned my sadness into opportunity.

The Israelites were in a rut. They drifted away from God, and they were not progressing. Then, something happened that changed it all. They fell into great sadness. The Babylonians destroyed their city and temple. Then, they are exiled into Babylon. While they were there, God came to them saying, “Let me be your God and you can be my people again.” The Israelites turned their sorrow into great joy.

That is Advent. Advent is a time to prepare for change. God wants to come into our lives and bring opportunity and progress. The next time you are sad, remember the purpose of sadness and prepare yourself for great changes.