THE SHEPHERD’S CANDLE: A SYMBOL OF JOY

The Liturgy of today anticipates the joy we will experience on Christmas day. It is an expression of joy of having a redeemer who will liberate and restore His people that have been in darkness. The rose/pink Advent Candle is known as the Shepherd’s Candle, which symbolizes the joy of the shepherds receiving the news of Christ’ birth from the angel and sharing this joy with others. Luke tells us, “But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people’” (Lk 2:11). God chose to announce firstly, the coming of His Son to the shepherds who are considered as ordinary people, what Burna Boy expressed in one of his songs called “Common Person.” His identity with the common person gives us a clue of the kind of King we expect, a humble King who will identify with all class of people, big and small alike. We can imagine the joy of the ‘common person’ with the Messiah.

In the first reading from Trito-Isaiah, the Prophet sees himself as appointed to declare how good things are about to happen to a people returning from exile of about sixty years. He said, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; he has anointed me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good tidings to the afflicted; to bind up the broken-hearted; to proclaim liberty to the captives; to set prisoners free and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour” (Is. 61:1-3). Isaiah was not the Messiah but he prophetically speaks of the Messiah, as Christ recounted in the synagogue when the scroll was given to Him, and after reading His project from Isaiah, He said, “Today this Scripture is being fulfilled” (Lk. 4:21). He is the one the Spirit of the Lord is upon, the Spirit of the Lord that rested upon Him on His baptism (Mt 3:16). He is the Messiah, which means ‘anointed one.’ So, Isaiah made this prophecy of the beautiful project of the Messiah to save His people.

Today, we are called to rejoice because we too have been anointed and are filled with the Holy Spirit. Sacramentally, we have been anointed to carry out special service to the Lord. The anointing oil (Chrism) on the head we received at baptism was only the outward representation of the real spiritual or ontological work going on within us. With the Matter and Form of the sacrament, we are filled with the Holy Spirit, which sets us free from the prison of sin, free from slavery and bring us to life in Christ. This is why the liturgy of today calls us to rejoice.

When Isaiah said “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,” St. Paul in the second reading makes it clear in his exultation to the Thessalonians how the Spirit works. He said, “Rejoice: rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice” (1Th 5:16). In a very short sentence, we can see the emphasis of rejoicing. Christians do not only rejoice in happy things, but in sorrows also. We should rejoice always because our joy isn’t based on circumstances, but in God. Circumstances change, but God doesn’t. We ought to be cheerful and happy persons because Christ has redeemed us from darkness and has shown us the meaning of life. Therefore, we can say there is no sad Christian and happiness is not purchased but a gift from God. Whether in sickness or in health, in poverty or in riches, we are meant to be happy people because we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, which enables us to hold fast to what is good and abstain from every form of evil until Christ coming in majesty.

In this exultation, Paul tells us, “Do not quench the Spirit…” (1Th 5:19). We can quench the fire of the Holy Spirit in us by our doubts and rejection of the Spirit in us or by distraction of others. To quench it is to put off the fire of God in us, which reminds us that we are still waiting for the plenitude of joy that comes with the birth of Christ. We can provide a good environment in which the fire of the Holy Spirit can burn brightly in us and to help others keep their flame burning until Christ comes. 

While St. Paul emphasized on rejoice, the Gospel reminds us that we have not yet arrived at the peak of our joy, there is still need for preparation, an emphasis on last Sunday’s Gospel. The difference between today’s Gospel and that of last Sunday is basically from two different account writers, Mark and John communicating same message from different perspectives, with the emphasis, “… The voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord” (Jn. 1:23). Invariable, it is not yet Christmas and so, our preparation to receive Christ continues.

John’s mission was to prepare the way for Christ through his baptism and his baptism represents the humble willingness to repent and prepare for the coming Messiah. Interestingly, even when the religious leaders wanted to know his identity, he was much more concerned about his mission to prepare the way for the Messiah. He made it clear that he was not the focus, and his mission was to identify the focus who was already in their midst. He said, “I baptize you with water; but among you stands one whom you do not know” (Jn. 1:26). Invariably, I might bear the title of a Christian and yet do not know Christ. I may be going to Church every day and yet I have not known Christ. Being a religious or priest is not sufficient for me to say I know Christ. Our true knowledge of Christ manifest when we allow the Holy Spirit work with and through us.

Dear friends in Christ, we are called today to rejoice because there is a flash of light for people that have been in darkness. We can imagine the joy and hope we have when NEPA flashes light after a long period of darkness. This Sunday foretells the great light that is to come, which John said, he came to bear witness to this Light and when this Light was announced to Mary by the Angel, She sang with joy the magnificat, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my Spirit rejoices in God my Saviour” (Lk. 1:46). May the light of this Advent candle dispel every form of darkness in our heart and bring joy to our lives and families through Christ our Lord. Amen! Maranatha!

Happy Sunday!

Fr. Ken Dogbo, OSJ