Fr. Denis Hooper:
THE GLASS IS HALF FULL
THE GLASS IS HALF EMPTY
SOME OF US ARE SAID TO BE BORN OPTIMISTS
SOME OF US ARE SAID TO BE BORN PESSIMISTS
I DON’T THINK THAT IS ENTIRELY TRUE. THERE ARE TIMES IN OUR LIVES WHEN THE GLASS IS INDEED HALF FULL. THERE ARE OTHER TIMES IN OUR LJVES WHEN THE GLASS IS INDEED HALF EMPTY
RESEARCH HAS BEEN DONE ON PEOPLE WHO ARE GENERALLY OPTIMISTS. THEY LIVE LONGER AND HAPPIER LIVES AND HAVE GOOD AND LASTING RELATIONSHIPS
TODAY IS THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT – GAUDATE SUNDAY. GAUDETE AS THE LATIN SCHOLARS AMONG US WILL KNOW TRANSLATES TO ENGLISH AS “REJOICE”
THE COLOUR OF THIS WEEK’S ADVENT CANDLE IS PINK – IT SYMBOLISES THE LORD’S IMMINENT ARRIVAL – CHRISTMAS DAY IS ALMOST UPON US
“WHAT DO WE HAVE TO REJOICE ABOUT” SOME OF US MAY SAY? THE DAYS ARE DARK – THE WINTER SOLSTICE – THE DARKEST DAY OF THE YEAR IS A WEEK AWAY. OUTSIDE, IT’S BEEN MISERABLE FOR THE PAST MONTH OR SO. REJOICE? REALLY?
LET’S MOVE TO TODAY’S GOSPEL. JOHN THE BAPTIST IS IN PRISON. A RECENT REPORT INTO MODERN PRISONS IN IRELAND TELLS US THAT THREE PRISONERS TO A CELL IS NOT UNCOMMON
BRENDAN BEHAN IN THE BORSTAL BOY GIVES US A GLIMPSE INTO THE CONDITIONS HE ENDURED IN PRISON:
“A HUNGRY FEELING, CAME ORE’ ME STEALING
AND THE MICE WERE SQUEALING IN MY PRISON CELL
AND THE OULD TRIANGLE WENT JINGLE JANGLE
ALL ALONG THE BANKS OF THE ROYAL CANAL”
BUT IN THE PALESTINE OF JESUS PRISONS WERE HORRIFIC WITH NO LIGHT, NO RECREATION, INFESTED FOOD – AND THE LIST GOES ON. YOU STOOD A FAIR CHANCE OF NEVER COMING OUT OF THEM ALIVE
TODAY WE READ THAT JOHN THE BAPTIST IS IMPRISONED. THE IMAGE I HAVE OF HIM IS THE DARKNESS OF HIS CELL
IF YOU REMEMBER, JOHN BAPTISED JESUS IN THE RIVER JORDAN. JUST IMAGINE THAT DAY, THE SUN WAS SHINING, JOHN BAPTISED THE MESSIAH, EVERYONE WAS IN GREAT FORM, EUPHORIC. THE VOICE OF GOD WAS HEARD TO SAY: “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON”. JOHN DECLARED THAT JESUS WAS “THE LAMB OF GOD”. THERE WAS HOPE IN THE WORLD: THE GLASS WAS HALF FULL
BUT NOW JOHN IS IN PRISON, UNDERGROUND IN A DARK AND DANK CELL, JOHN IS STRUGGLING. HE IS HAVING DOUBTS ABOUT WHAT WAS ONCE SO CLEAR TO HIM. HIS GLASS IS NOW HALF EMPTY
THE MAN JESUS SAID WAS “THE GREATEST PROPHET BORN” IS NOW IN THE DEEPEST DARKNESS OF A PRISON
JOHN IN A DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO ASSURE HIMSELF AND TO QUELL THE DOUBTS OF DARKNESS HE TELLS HIS FRIENDS TO GO AND ASK JESUS IF HE IS THE MESSIAH AFTER ALL. WHAT A CHANGE FROM THE MAN WHO BAPTISED JESUS
JESUS COULD HAVE ANSWERED IN A YES OR NO TO JOHN’S QUESTION. BUT HE DOESN’T. HE KNOWS THAT JOHN NEEDS TO HEAR MORE. HE SAYS: “TELL JOHN WHAT YOU HEAR AND SEE: THE BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, THE LAME WALK, THE LEPERS ARE CLEANSED, THE DEAF HEAR, THE DEAD ARE RAISED AND THE POOR HAVE GOOD NEWS BROUGHT TO THEM”
THAT’S ALL JOHN NEEDS TO HEAR. THE GLASS IS ONCE AGAIN HALF FULL
THERE ARE TIMES IN OUR LIVES WHEN SOME OF US CREATE PRISONS OF OUR OWN – EVERY BIT AS MISERABLE AS THE PRISON JOHN THE BAPTIST FOUND HIMSELF IN
WE FIND OURSELVES IN TOTAL DESPAIR – JUST LIKE JOHN. THERE IS NO POSSIBILITY OF US ON OUR OWN ESCAPING THE WALLS WE HAVE CREATED FOR OURSELVES
IT IS AT TIMES LIKE THESE IN OUR LIVES WHAT WE NEED TO LOOK AT JOHN THE BAPTIST AND TO SEEK REASSURANCE THAT LIFE IS INDEED GOOD. THAT THE GLASS IS INDEED HALF FULL
AND WHEN WE DO REACH OUT TO JESUS AS JOHN THE BAPTIST DID, WE WILL FIND HIM WAITING FOR US READY TO FREE US FROM THE CHAINS THAT BIND US. WE ONLY HAVE TO ASK. THE ANSWER WE GET FROM JESUS IS NEVER AN LAZY YES OR NO. IT IS ALWAYS DIRECTED PERSONALLY AT US. IT IS ALL WE NEED TO FREE OURSELVES
AND WE WILL KNOW LIKE HOW JOHN THE BAPTIST DID AFTER JESUS REPLIED TO HIM- THAT THE GLASS IS INDEED NOT JUST HALF FULL BUT FULL TO THE BRIM
AND WE WILL INDEED HAVE A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT GAUDETE SUNDAY MEANS NOT JUST FOR OURSELVES BUT FOR THE WHOLE WORLD
I LEAVE THE LAST WORDS TO ANOTHER IRISH WRITER AND POET, OSCAR WILDE IN HIS POEM “THE BALLAD OF READING GAOL”:
THE WARDERS WITH THEIR SHOES OF FELT
CREPT BY EACH PADLOCKED DOOR
AND PEEPED AND SAW WITH EYES OF AWE
GREY FIGURES ON THE FLOOR
AND WONDERED WHY MEN KNELT TO PRAY
WHO NEVER PRAYED BEFORE
ENJOY YOUR GAUDETE SUNDAY. AMEN