christmas means a little bit more - 3rd sunday advent C 2018 simbang gabi

The nativity scene is unfinished, the church may already be lavishly decorated however much remains to be done.  All we have at the moment is an empty manger with one lighted candle.  We will wait, and as we wait, we pray and we prepare ourselves.  

Today everything seems to exhort us to be happy.  The prophet Zephaniah in our first reading says, shout for joy. The prophet Isaiah in our responsorial psalm says, cry out with joy and gladness.  And St Paul to the Philippians writes,Brothers and sisters:  Rejoice in the Lord always.  Everyone it seems is compelling us to rejoice, even our church today already glitters with exuberance sparing no empty space if only to encourage everyone to be joyful.

Everyone that is, except our gospel, John the Baptist. John the Baptist is the killjoy ever since.  He is the Grinch who is trying to steal our Christmas every chance he gets.  And for good reason, if only to remind us (Jim Carey does this best)  that Christmas "comes without ribbons, it comes without tags.  It comes without packages, boxes or bags.  Maybe Christmas doesn’t come from a store.  Maybe Christmas means a little bit more."  

And this is what John the Baptist is pointing to us.  As we focus our sight on the empty manger we reflect on the source of our unhappiness.  What makes us unhappy? 

One day a teacher and the principal were standing near the playground, where the children were frolicking, playing.  The teacher asked the principal, “Why is it that everyone wants to be happy, but so few ever are?

The principal answered, ‘Those children seem to be really happy.”

And the teacher replied, “Why shouldn’t they be happy. All they do is play. But my question is, what keeps the grownups like us from being happy like these children?”

“The same thing that can keep children from being happy,” replied the principal.  And when she had said that, she reached into her pocket, pulled out a handful of coins, and threw them among the playing children.

Suddenly all laughter stopped.  The children tumbled over one another, fought and argued, pulled each other’s hand and even threw a few punches here and there.

Then the principal asked the teacher, “Well what do you think ended their happiness?”  “The fighting,” answered the teacher.  “And what started the fighting?”  And the teacher answered, “Greed.”

John the Baptist said to the crowd, those who have extra cloaks and food should share with those who have none.  To tax collectors he said stop collecting more than what is prescribed, more than what is just.  And to the soldiers he said stop extorting, do not falsely accuse anyone and be satisfied with what you have.  Because what is the source of our unhappiness? – greed in all its forms.

Today is the first day of our Simbang Gabi.  In other parts of the Philippines it is not called simbang gabi but misa de aguinaldo.  Aguinaldo means gift, specifically a Christmas gift; more specifically, a bonus, something I don’t deserve but was given nevertheless.  We can never repay God for his gifts to us because God cannot be outdone in generosity.  There is no greed in God’s heart.  But let these nine masses and the inconvenience of coming here every day be our humble gift to God.