Third Sunday of Advent
Reading
I
Zeph
3:14-18a
Shout for joy, O daughter
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter
The LORD has removed the judgment against you
he has turned away your enemies;
the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
he will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
he will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.
Responsorial
Psalm
Is
12:2-3, 4, 5-6
R. (6) Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One
of
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of
Phil
4:4-7
Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again: rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all.
The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything,
by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
Gospel
Lk 3:10-18
The crowds asked John the Baptist,
"What should we do?"
He said to them in reply,
"Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person who has none.
And whoever has food should do likewise."
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him,
"Teacher, what should we do?"
He answered them,
"Stop collecting more than what is prescribed."
Soldiers also asked him,
"And what is it that we should do?"
He told them,
"Do not practice extortion,
do not falsely accuse anyone,
and be satisfied with your wages."
Now the people were filled with expectation,
and all were asking in their hearts
whether John might be the Christ.
John answered them all, saying,
"I am baptizing you with water,
but one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals.
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor
and to gather the wheat into his barn,
but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Exhorting them in many other ways,
he preached good news to the people.
Commentary
Today’s First
Reading, comes to us from the prophet Zephaniah who was probably a
descendant of King Hezekiah. Zephaniah
prophesied during the reign of Josiah from 640-609 BC.
It was a time of political turmoil and the prophet sees the fate of
nations in the hands of Yahweh. Throughout
these writings, one dominant theme arises: The Day of Yahweh”.
Today’s
In the Second Reading, Paul reminds the Philippians that “The Lord is near”. This was the early Christian acclamation maranatha which is probably a transcription of the Aramaic māránā’ ’ăthā’ and appears to have been a liturgical formula praying for the second coming. That God’s peace “surpasses all understanding” means that it is either beyond the ability of the human mind to grasp or that his peace accomplishes more than we could ever conceive.
In today’s Gospel Reading, John the Baptist is approached by two separate crowds of people: the religious and the ordinary people including those on the fringes of society (tax collectors, soldiers, prostitutes, etc.) Astonishingly, it is not the religious leaders who are willing to repent, but the other crowd; the ones considered ordinary and sinners. These ordinary people and those who live on the fringes of Jewish society will respond positively to both John and Jesus’ preaching. The crowd’s acceptance of John’s preaching is attested to by their question: “what shall we do?” John does not command them to offer ritual sacrifices or ascetic practices. His response is much more radical – they must be selfless and concern themselves with the needs of the disadvantaged: "Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.”
The people will mistake John for the Messiah but John will clarify their misconception. John is inferior to Jesus and therefore must baptize with water as an agent for repentance: “I am baptizing you with water”. Jesus the Messiah will baptize with the superior purifying and refining agents of the Holy Spirit and fire. John assures us that he’s not even fit to perform the work of a slave for Jesus by unfastening his sandal strap.
Reflection
This third Sunday of Advent has come
to be known as Gaudete Sunday. It
takes its name from the first word of the Introit (Introitus) of the
Mass, which is the fragment of a psalm with its antiphon (Gaudete, i.e.
Rejoice) that is sung while the celebrant and ministers enter the church and
approach the altar at
Recently, I sent more than 800 letters requesting help for our Christmas charity drive. Through this annual charity drive our parish helps to brighten Christmas for families that have undergone hardship during the past year. In my brief letter, I asked that everyone find in their hearts enough love to give just $3.00 which would be pooled together and used to purchase gift certificates from department stores so that these families could purchase what they needed. Although many people have responded, they account for less than 50% of the people I sent letters to. I’m sure that from those who have not given, some are unable to give for any number of reasons. Unfortunately, the vast majority of those who have not and will not give cannot see past themselves. They are so busy with the whole “Christmas shopping thing” that it becomes impossible for them to even think of anyone outside of their little circle. How sad. They’ve made lists of things they want for themselves and for their loved ones but have not thought enough to stop and think of what God wants. They’re unable to ask the question “what shall we do?” like the crowd asked of John. The question is not asked because an answer will be given and many do not want to hear it because it implies change.
Advent, like Lent, invites us to reflect on our lives and what we must do to attain eternal life. We are challenged by the Word of God to break free from the grip the world has on us. We’re called to see beyond what our eyes see. We’re called to see others through the eyes of God who is love. He loved the world so much that he gave his only Son – he held back nothing but gave everything. We are challenged to do the same. What must we do as we await the Lord who is near?
Biblical References
New American Bible; Brown, R. K., and Comfort, P. W. (trans.) and Douglas, J. D., (ed.) “The New Greek-English Interlinear New Testament”; United States Conference of Catholic Bishops; Boadt L., “Jeremiah 26-52, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Nahum”; Wahl, Thomas, P., O.S.B., “Commentary - Zephaniah”; Getty, M. A., “Philippians and Philemon”; Houlden, J. L., “Paul’s Letters from Prison”; Fitzmyer, J. A., “The Gospel According to Luke”; LaVerdiere, E., “Luke”; Maddox, R., “The Purpose of Luke-Acts”; “The Collegeville Bible Commentary”; Brown, Raymond E., S.S., “Introduction to the New Testament”; Brown, Fitzmyer, and Murphy (ed.) “The New Jerome Biblical Commentary”.
Reflection by
Deacon Lazaro J. Ulloa