Today the Church celebrates Gaudete Sunday, the joyful Sunday. Even the color of the vestments turns to rose, a sign that, in the middle of Advent’s waiting and longing, light is breaking through. We are reminded that God is close, that the Messiah is near, and that hope is not a distant dream but a living promise.
In today’s Gospel, we encounter a surprising moment: John the Baptist a strong and courageous man, begins to doubt. From prison he sends his disciples to Jesus with the question: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”
It is the honest cry of someone who is tired, hurting, and waiting in darkness. And maybe we have been there too. When prayers seem unanswered, when life doesn’t go the way we hoped, when we wonder if God is really listening, when joy feels far away, John’s question becomes our question: “Lord, are You really there? Are You truly coming into my life?”
Jesus does not respond with theories or arguments. He says: “Go and tell John what you hear and see.” The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the Good News proclaimed to them. In other words: The presence of God is recognized by the transformation He brings. Where there is healing, mercy, reconciliation, forgiveness, compassion— there is Christ.
Sometimes we look for dramatic signs. But Jesus is already at work in the small miracles happening quietly around us: a family reconciled, a person who finds hope again, someone returning to the sacraments, a heart able to forgive, a moment of unexpected peace in a chaotic week. These are not coincidences. They are Advent miracles—proof that Christ is near.
The joy of Advent is not just an emotion, it is a certainty. The joy of Gaudete Sunday does not deny the suffering in our lives. It is not shallow optimism or forced positivity. Christian joy is the deep confidence that God is acting, even when we cannot yet see the full picture. Joy comes from knowing: God is faithful. God keeps His promises. God is on His way into our lives. As St. James tells us in the second reading: “Be patient… strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.”
So let us walk these final days of Advent with joyful hearts. For the Lord is near, and where He comes, everything is renewed.
God is Good, All the Time!
Father Tony Udoh, MSP
Pastor of Holy Family
