Rejoice! But How in Uncertain Times?

Today’s reflection is by Bondings 2.0 contributor Yunuen Trujillo.

Today’s liturgical readings for the Third Sunday of Advent can be found here.

“Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all.” (Philippians 4:4-5)

Today’s liturgical readings present a clear calling and a Christian command: Rejoice! But how can we rejoice in such uncertain times? Our Advent season began with a reminder from the prophet Jeremiah: “The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill my promise,” and that promise is Justice. We were also reminded that even if the world seems like it’s ending and we see troubling signs, we should have no anxiety at all, for God is with us.

For the first time in my life, the word that has caught my attention most this Advent season is anxiety. “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life,” we heard at the beginning of the season. And today, Paul reminds us: “The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all.”

As many of you know, I am an LGBTQ Catholic, I’m part of undocumented communities, and I am a woman. As I grapple with what it means to be part of those intersecting identities and the risk and danger that each of those communities might face in the coming years, I have felt something I had seldom felt before: anxiety. 

As an attorney, in the past month I have been calling my undocumented clients to let them know, “You can no longer apply for this immigration relief; it is too dangerous.” I have also been teaching LGBTQ Ministry workshops where, when asked by trans youth, “What should I say when people want to explain why I think God made me this way? What argument can I give?” I’ve had to say, “Tell them it is none of their business. You don’t owe anyone explanations, especially not while you’re still discerning. Your emotional well-being comes first.” Knowing that anxiety is growing in the communities I serve and that I am a part of has struck a chord that is not joyful.

“The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all.”

Every Advent season is a call to stop the engines of the ever-moving train of life, which sometimes moves at 100 miles per hour, to stop the social media doom-scrolling and just pause. How am I preparing my heart for the birth of Jesus, and what does that mean for me?

For thousands of years, our spiritual ancestors have gone through periods of suffering and injustice, followed by periods of redemption and joy. There is always a calm after the storm. But they were waiting for a Messiah—the one who would deliver them from oppression. Even among our spiritual ancestors, there was disagreement about what that liberation would look like. Were they waiting for a warrior who would literally start a war against the empire, or were they waiting for… something else?

Our liberation comes from freeing our hearts to love, to love unconditionally, and to spread that love to every corner of the earth. No one, no one, can kill love, because love lives on, and there is always resurrection. But we can’t get to resurrection without first letting Jesus be born into our hearts. And so, our main task this Advent season is to prepare our hearts—to take care of ourselves first—so we can have space in our hearts for the one who is to be born, for the love that is to be born.

This week we are also called to rejoice–to rejoice in the certainty that no matter what happens, we have each other and God by our sides. “What should we do?” the crowds asked John the Baptist in today’s gospel passage. “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.” We still have each other, and that must be a cause for joy and gratitude! The God who is to be born is not a God of the rich and powerful, but a God of the marginalized. The more marginalized you are, the more you belong to God, and God is yours. Rejoice!

As I close this reflection, I’d like to share with you my most recent cause for joy. This week, I received copies of the newly-released Spanish translation of my book LGBTQ Catholics: A Guide to Inclusive Ministry (Católicos LGBTQ: Una Guía para Pastoral Inclusiva). Sister Jeannine Gramick, who wrote the prologue, was the first one to bring joy to me this week: “Congratulations on the Spanish translation!” I am extremely grateful for the community that is New Ways Ministry. Each one of you is a cause for joy and hope. I’m also grateful to a dear friend of mine who helped me translate the book, and without whom we would not have been able to give it to the world. I hope it will bring hope and joy to different parts of the world where such material might be needed.

We are here to take care of each other, and to be each other’s cloak and protection. Prepare your heart for the birth of the Lord, and rejoice in knowing yourself loved!

—Yunuen Trujillo (she/her), New Ways Ministry, December 15, 2024