Dear Friend, 

Reflection by Rev. Msgr. Joseph Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D.

Not too long ago, a colleague returned from a trip to Amsterdam with her family.  As she was sharing some of the highlights, one photo (above) caught my attention.  It is a picture of the Church of Our Lord in the Attic, built by a 17th century Catholic merchant named Jan Hartman.  During the reformation, Catholics were not permitted to worship in public, so they devised secret places in which to celebrate Mass, making present the joy of hospitality in Christ. So, into the attic of this unassuming canal house on one of the side streets in Amsterdam, a chapel was dedicated in 1663.  To this day, hidden in the heart of the center of Amsterdam, one can visit the now restored Church of Our Lord in the Attic.   

As we celebrate today the Third Sunday of Advent, traditionally referred to as Gaudete Sunday, “joy” permeates the prayers and readings of the liturgy.  From the entrance antiphon (Rejoice in the Lord always) to the collect (Celebrate them always with solemn worship and glad rejoicing) throughout the readings (I rejoice heartily in the Lord, in my God is the joy of my soul/ Rejoice always/ My soul rejoices in the Lord).  There is nothing hidden at all.  The joy is real, palpable and at the center of our experience of faith, even as we anticipate the Nativity of the Lord, when joy takes flesh in Mary’s Son, Jesus. 

It strikes me that perhaps the challenge before us today, now a little over a week from Christmas, is to find the joy hidden in our midst.  While in our country, we are free to practice our religion, so many of us feel constrained these days – more so from our own inner “chains” that keep us from finding and experiencing joy.  For so many of us, joy can be hidden and elusive, just beyond our grasp.  It may be anxiety, grief, sickness, or suffering, or simply feeling exhausted and spent, unappreciated, unloved, or unwanted.   

During these days and in this most sacred time, God is inviting us to the “attic of our hearts,” the hidden place of encounter with Him who heals and forgives.  He promises us joy. God is always true to his promises.  As Saint Paul reminds us in the second reading: “The one who calls you is faithful, and he will also accomplish it.”   

Reflection:

Why do I find joy so hidden and elusive?  Can I make a commitment in this coming week as I prepare for Christmas to actively seek out joy, to allow God the opportunity to make it real for me?  What is one thing I can remove from my life this week, with God’s help, that will make room for joy to reside in my heart?  Is joy more a consequence of my doing or of God’s giving? 

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Rev. Msgr. Joseph Reilly, S.T.L., Ph.D., Vice Provost for Academics and Catholic Identity, Seton Hall University, and former Rector/Dean, Immaculate Conception Seminary School of Theology. He holds a Bachelor of Sacred Theology from Pontifical Gregorian University, Rome, a licentiate in Sacred Theology (STL) from Pontificio Istituto Teresianum, Rome, and a Ph.D. in Educational Administration from Fordham University. He has served as a member of the Archdiocesan Priest Personnel Board, the Advisory Committee on Continuing Education and Ongoing Formation of Priests, the Archdiocesan Vocations Board, and the Board of Trustees of Seton Hall University. Pope John Paul II named him a Chaplain to His Holiness in 2005, with the title of Reverend Monsignor. In 2016 during the Holy Year of Mercy, the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization sought priests who were living signs "of the Father's welcome to all those in search of His forgiveness." He was the only priest from the Archdiocese of Newark formally commissioned as a Missionary of Mercy by Pope Francis.