Keeping Kristen Happy

Taking advantage of the joy of Gaudete Sunday

12/15/2024

Zep 3:14-18a Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed the judgment against you he has turned away your enemies; the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! 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.

I was having dinner recently with Kristen and Ryan Gehrig, parishioners of Immaculate Conception. We began to discuss homilies we hear on Sundays and what they liked and disliked about them. And I will never forget a spontaneous comment Kristen suddenly blurted out. She said, “Listen, I just come to hear a good joke to help me make it through another week.” So, in honor of Kristen’s request, and for the rest of you who are only here to hear a good joke, here you go.

A Catholic priest, a Rabbi, and an Imam were meeting together at an interfaith council when they were interrupted by a secretary. She rushed in and exclaimed: “God is on the phone for you, Fr. Murphy.” Fr. Murphy takes the phone, listens a moment, nods his head gravely, and then hangs up. He turns to the Rabbi and the Imam and says, “I’ve got good news and I have bad news. The good news is that God loves us. The bad news is he is calling from Salt Lake City.”

Okay, if you didn’t get that one, maybe you will get this joke. An Augustinian monk, a Benedictine, a Dominican, and a Franciscan were arguing amongst each other about which of their religious orders had done the work most pleasing to God. It was becoming a rather heated debate, and finally before it deteriorated into a major unholy brawl, they decided to pray about it.

They asked God what his choice was regarding which order had done the most good in his eyes. Shortly afterward, a parchment drifted down from the sky. On it was inscribed: “My sons, do not fight amongst yourselves! All of you are equally pleasing to me!” Signed, “God, SJ.” (S.J. are initials that stand for the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits.)

Okay, if you didn’t get those two jokes, maybe you’ll have better luck with this last one. A little boy during a church Christmas play was reciting his lines. Suddenly, his mind went blank and he couldn’t remember what he was supposed to say next. He looks out into the audience for clues, and sees his mother.

He reads her lips as she mouths the words, “I am the light of the world.” His eyes light up and he announces loudly: “My mother is the light of the world!” All the moms here this morning are not laughing because they are thinking: “That’s no joke, I AM the light of the world.”

I share these jokes not only to keep all the Kirstens out there happy, but also because humor touches the heart of the Third Sunday of Advent. How so? Well, this weekend we light the happy, pink candle on the Advent Wreath. And priests and deacons around the world wear pink vestments, so not one can take us too seriously.

And this weekend is even called in Latin “Gaudate Sunday,” which means “Rejoice, ya’ll!” Have a good laugh. That paraphrases our first reading from Zep 3:14, “Be glad and exult with all your heart.” In other words, the Third Sunday of Advent does not just want to keep all the Kristens happy with a good joke.

This Sunday desires that all God’s people be happy and rejoice with the Good News that Jesus, the true Light of the world (sorry mom), is about to be born. You see, the joy and laughter we feel in hearing a good joke is merely a down payment on the greater and eternal joy that Jesus’ birth brings.

Another way to tap into the joy of this Gaudate Sunday is to take fully advantage of the new Jubilee Year Pope Francis has announced. Have you heard about this? You may also have heard that Bishop Taylor has even designated Immaculate Conception Church as one of the Jubilee Churches. What does all that mean? Well, Pope Francis is the Successor of St. Peter, and the Vicar of Christ.

Therefore he carries the keys that Jesus entrusted to St. Peter in Mt 16:19, “I give you the keys of the Kingdom of heaven.” That means the pope has the power to unlock the treasure trove of divine graces called “indulgences” and forgive the penance or punishment due to our sins. To put it in terms of the board game “Monopoly,” an indulgence is a “get out of jail free card.” That is, an indulgence remits the punishment for our sins we would have paid for in Purgatory.

The conditions to gain a plenary indulgence are fourfold: (1) go to confession, (2) receive Holy Communion in the state of grace, (3) pray for the intentions of the pope, and (4) visit a Jubilee Church like Immaculate Conception, all within the Jubilee Year, which begins on December 29, 2024 and ends January 6, 2026.

I know the practice of indulgences got a bad rap during the Middle Ages because there were serious abuses of them, and in some ways, that abuse sparked the Protestant Reformation. But today, we have thrown out the bathwater and kept the Baby, namely Jesus, who came to give us the treasures of heaven, which is none other than his own divine life.

And like the seven sacraments, although to a lesser degree of efficacy, indulgences communicate God’s own mercy and love to you and me. He indulges us like a loving father dotes on their children. And that should put a bigger smile on your face than hearing a good joke.

Praised be Jesus Christ!