Cycle B - Year II:  

17 December 2023: Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday)

(Liturgical color: Violet or Rose; White for Simbang Gabi)

Readings:

First Reading:        Isaiah 61:1-2,10-11

Second Reading:   1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Gospel:  Please read  John 1:6-8, 19-28 

"Make straight the way of the Lord!"

It's now the third Sunday of the Advent Season and the theme of the liturgy is "rejoicing" because we are mid-way in our Advent pilgrimage. Today is Gaudete Sunday, a joyous celebration. Although it is still  within the penitential period of Advent, Gaudete Sunday serves as a mid-point break from the austere practices to rejoice in the nearness of Jesus' coming.

For the Gospel proclamation, we depart from the Gospel of Mark and read a selection from the Gospel of St. John. The readings invite us to continue our reflection on the person and mission of John the Baptist.

The Gospel of St. John, like also the Gospel of Mark, contains no birth narrative of Jesus. Instead, St. John's Gospel begin with a theological reflection that has come to be called the "Prologue".

Today's Gospel passage contains a brief passage from the "Prologue" with a report about John the Baptist. St. John reports on the ministry of John the Baptist, and we learn about the attention that John the Baptist received from the Jewish authorities.

The Jews from Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask John the Baptist if he might be the Messiah. But John answers, "I am not the Christ.... but there is one among you whom you do not recognize, the one who is coming after me, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie." (Jn 1:20, 26-27)

John the Baptist was a witness to the Light. He was a prophet, but he was not the Messiah. John the Baptist's mission was to introduce Jesus and help people to be ready for and recognize Jesus as the Messiah.

In a way, the leaders of Israel showed their attentiveness and expectation of the Messiah. Yet the irony of it all, in spite of their expectation, they did not recognize or accept Christ when He finally came. Years later they even cried out against His claim to be the Messiah, "Crucify him! Crucify him!       

We find ourselves in a similar position of waiting and watching. Our Lord promises to come to us -- and not only at the end of the world but also through the course of our lives. We need to be attentive to His coming and believe that our Lord doesn't abandon us. " 

The Lord is with us in many ways: we hear His voice in the official teaching authority of the Church as He promised the first Apostles: "Whoever listens to you listens to me. Whoever rejects you rejects me." (Lk 10:16)  The Lord comes to us in the smallest among us: "Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me." (Mk 9:37)  And the Lord is with us in the least among us: "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." (Mt 25:40)   

Today we have reason to rejoice because Jesus dwells not only among us but also within us, by grace. He comes to us most especially in the Sacraments. At baptism, we receive the sanctifying grace that fulfills His promise to dwell within us. In our reception of the Holy Eucharist we encounter Him again in the most intimate manner. Sometimes we fail to recognize Him in this encounter in the Sacraments because of lack of faith.

The role of John the Baptist is to bring people to Christ. So is ours as well. We try to live our lives right so that people will be able to know through us that faith in Christ makes all the difference in our lives.

A joyful Gaudete Sunday to us all. And thank you for a moment with God.

Ad Jesum per Mariam!