Is
35:1-6a, 10
The desert and the parched land will exult;
the steppe will rejoice and bloom.
They will bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of
the splendor of
they will see the glory of the LORD,
the splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands that are feeble,
make firm the knees that are weak,
say to those whose hearts are frightened:
Be strong, fear not!
Here is your God,
he comes with vindication;
with divine recompense
he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened,
the ears of the deaf be cleared;
then will the lame leap like a stag,
then the tongue of the mute will sing.
Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return
and enter
crowned with everlasting joy;
they will meet with joy and gladness,
sorrow and mourning will flee.
Responsorial
Psalm
Ps 146:6-7,
8-9, 9-10
R. (cf. Is 35:4) Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD God keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations.
R. Lord, come and save us.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Jas 5:7-10
Be patient, brothers and sisters,
until the coming of the Lord.
See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,
being patient with it
until it receives the early and the late rains.
You too must be patient.
Make your hearts firm,
because the coming of the Lord is at hand.
Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another,
that you may not be judged.
Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates.
Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters,
the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.
Gospel
Mt 11:2-11
When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
"Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?"
Jesus said to them in reply,
"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."
As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
"What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out? To see a prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he."
Commentary
The First Reading from the prophet
Isaiah speaks of
The question posed to Jesus by John’s disciples in this Sunday’s Gospel opens the way for Jesus to prove his messianic identity. Returning the sight to the blind, restoring the lame, and cleansing the leper’s are all deeds performed by the messiah as described by the prophet Isaiah. These deeds, combined with the preaching of the Gospel to the poor are also a fulfillment of the Beatitudes mentioned in the Sermon on the Mount. After John’s disciples depart, Jesus identifies John as a prophet who fulfills the vision of Malachi (3:1).
The Third Sunday in Advent, also known as Gaudete Sunday, is an invitation to worship the Lord who is close at hand. It allows us to makes a pause in the Advent season, which is otherwise of a penitential character, and with joy, signifies the nearness of the Lord's coming. So, why this joy which seems to “break” the somber-like spirit of the Advent season? The Gospel recounts how Jesus tells John’s disciples to “go and tell” what you “hear and see”: the deaf hear; the dead rise; the lame walk; the leper cleansed; and the good news is preached to the poor. The joy is that salvation is not just near – it is at hand – and made reality through the incarnation of Christ who is “God in the flesh”. The signs that Jesus gives are a testament to the salvific action of God who comes to rescue everyone but especially those in need.
This Sunday is a time of joy indeed for we are brought closer to the mystery of the incarnation. The joy is not about consuming: “what I want” or “what I need”. Indeed, even before the Thanksgiving turkey got cold, department stores were bombarding us with images of what we should buy for Christmas – oh excuse me “the holidays. It seems to me that the Church’s persistence in celebrating the Season of Advent is needed today more than ever. We are living in a culture of consumerism – the need to continually acquire things. Let me clarify this – it’s not the having that drives this culture – it’s the wanting. It’s the constant desire to fill the void. Once we have what we wanted, it never really lives up to its expectation so we end up wanting again. This consumerism has unfortunately invaded religion. People pick and choose what they believe will satisfy them and disregard or dispose the rest. Case in point: Homes decorated for Christmas with candy canes, Santa Claus and reindeer, a snowman and hundreds if not thousands of lights. But where does Christ fit in? A crèche (nativity) with the infant Jesus is “left out” of preparation. How ironic. As the consumer world continues to prepare squeeze the last penny from our pockets, the Church continues to prepare for the coming of Christ at Christmas, and the time is drawing very near. That’s the real joy of this Advent!
New American Bible; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Jensen, J. “The Use of tôrâ by Isaiah”; Davids, P., “Commentary on James”; Beare, F. W., “The Gospel According to Matthew”; Gundry, R. H., “Matthew”; Schwizer, E., “The Good News According to Matthew”; Stanton, G., “The Interpretation of Matthew”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary".
Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa