Perhaps there is something to be said for that. A number of parishioners have lost their jobs in restaurants and hotels. It is heartbreaking, especially when it involves a whole family. All of us pray they will soon return to work. However, this Sunday I want to suggest another way to strengthen our society: by giving directly to aid the less fortunate. A good example is Catholic Charities, which helps street people, victims of family violence and others in difficult situations.

Also, as pastor of Holy Family, I would like to stimulate the economy by hiring a few people to fix our church roof and to finish the seismic repairs of the school. If you want to help create jobs, you do not need to go to Southcenter Mall. You can give right here at your parish.

I know some are discouraged because we have so many problems in the parish. I get discouraged myself. In today’s Gospel we hear about a man deeply disappointed. He began his ministry with such enthusiasm – and people were flocking to hear him. It seemed like he would turn the world upside down. But now he is in prison, wondering how things turned out so bad. He sends his disciples to a man he baptized and they come back with this report:

"Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me." (Mt 11:4-6)

With Jesus we always have a reason to lift our heads.

A young priest here gave a beautiful testimony to that hope. During his college days he went through a rough period. He was traveling and one night he found himself alone in a hotel room. He did what men often do when they are lonely. He picked up the remote and started channel surfing. When he saw the image of a nun in full habit, he stopped. It was Mother Angelica and she was taking a phone call from a man telling her about the terrible things happening to him. She looked right into the camera and said, “Mister, you get yourself to confession.” This young college student realized God was speaking directly to him through that nun. He did go to confession and when he finished college he entered the seminary. His is now one of the finest young priests in the Seattle Archdiocese.

Jesus gives a reason to hope. He can help us set things right. It’s time we stop blaming others: Oh, if only my wife were not so mean to me. If only my boss recognized my abilities. Some say, if only we had a different pastor. And I might respond, if only I had different parishioners... Jesus has a word for such talk. Baloney. Stop whining. If you want, you can have a new life.

This Sunday we light the third candle of the Advent Wreath. Its rose color signifies rejoicing. For that reason today is called Gaudete Sunday. It means, “Rejoice!” I know some of you are saying, “Well, Father, I don’t feel all that joyful.” Neither did John the Baptist in his prison cell. Biblical joy is not so much a feeling as a conviction.

A great teacher of joy is St. Francis of Assisi. As a young man, he visited Rome. He prayed at the tomb of St. Peter and in gratitude to the saint, tossed some coins through the grill. But when he came out to the street, he met a beggar. On a whim Francis asked the beggar to exchange clothes with him. Since Francis was working for his dad, a cloth merchant, he had an elegant robe. The beggar was delighted - especially since Francis' remaining coins were in the pocket. Francis sat on the corner doing what was most humiliating for a middle class man: he begged from passers-by. That day he experienced an inexplicable joy. That joy formed the basis for one of the most incredible adventures in Christian history.

St. James tells us to be patient – even with ourselves. When a farmer plants a seed, he doesn’t go out the next day expecting to harvest his crop. Same with us. This week I complete thirty years as a priest. I have made many mistakes (some I am embarrassed to remember), but God has also given me little glimpses of seeds I helped plant, now bearing fruit. As James reminds us, better to stop complaining, judging each other, but rather (in the words of the prayer after the Our Father) “wait in joyful hope for the coming our Savior.”

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