3rd Sunday of Advent
Psalter week III
O Sapientia!
Entrance Antiphon: Phil 4: 4-5
Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.
Collect
O God, who see how your people faithfully await the feast of the Lord’s Nativity, enable us, we pray, to attain the joys of so great a salvation and to celebrate them always with solemn worship and glad rejoicing. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Isaiah 61: 1-2, 10-11
The spirit of the Lord has been given to me, for the Lord has anointed me. He has sent me to bring good news to the poor, to bind up hearts that are broken; to proclaim liberty to captives, freedom to those in prison; to proclaim a year of favour from the Lord. “I exult for joy in the Lord, my soul rejoices in my God, for he has clothed me in the garments of salvation, he has wrapped me in the cloak of integrity, like a bridegroom wearing his wreath, like a bride adorned in her jewels. “For as the earth makes fresh things grow, as a garden makes seeds spring up, so will the Lord make both integrity and praise spring up in the sight of the nations.”
Psalm Luke 1: 46-50, 53-54
R/ My soul rejoices in my God.
My soul glorifies the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God, my Saviour. He looks on his servant in her nothingness; henceforth all ages will call me blessed.
The Almighty works marvels for me. Holy his name! His mercy is from age to age, on those who fear him.
He fills the starving with good things, sends the rich away empty. He protects Israel, his servant, remembering his mercy.
Second reading: 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-24
Be happy at all times; pray constantly; and for all things give thanks to God, because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus. Never try to suppress the Spirit or treat the gift of prophecy with contempt; think before you do anything – hold on to what is good and avoid every form of evil. May the God of peace make you perfect and holy; and may you all be kept safe and blameless, spirit, soul and body, for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. God has called you and he will not fail you.
Gospel Acclamation: Is61:1(Lk4:18)
Alleluia, alleluia! The spirit of the Lord has been given to me. He has sent me to bring the good news to the poor. Alleluia!
Gospel: John 1: 6-8, 19-28
A man came, sent by God. His name was John. He came as a witness, as a witness to speak for the light, so that everyone might believe through him. He was not the light, only a witness to speak for the light. This is how John appeared as a witness. When the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” He not only declared, but he declared quite openly, “I am not the Christ.” “Well then,” they asked, “are you Elijah?” “I am not”, he said. “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We must take back an answer to those who sent us. What have you to say about yourself?” So John said, “I am, as Isaiah prophesied: a voice that cries in the wilderness: Make a straight way for the Lord.” Now these men had been sent by the Pharisees, and they put this further question to him, “Why are you baptising if you are not the Christ, and not Elijah, and not the prophet?” John replied, “I baptise with water; but there stands among you – unknown to you – the one who is coming after me; and I am not fit to undo his sandal-strap.” This happened at Bethany, on the far side of the Jordan, where John was baptising.
Prayer over the Offerings
May the sacrifice of our worship, Lord, we pray, be offered to you unceasingly, to complete what was begun in sacred mystery and powerfully accomplish for us your saving work. Through Christ our Lord.
Communion Antiphon: Is 35: 4
Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us.
Prayer after Communion
We implore your mercy, Lord, that this divine sustenance may cleanse us of our faults and prepare us for the coming feasts. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The joy of Hope: God never forgets us! In today’s readings, we find something common between Isaiah, Mary and Paul that we sometimes seem to ignore: they hope in God. They understand that even if they are in the midst of suffering and death, God will never abandon them. God will come to their rescue. This hope is founded on the faithfulness of God, the message of the prophets, and on the hope of the coming messiah – the messenger of God to liberate his people. Even the priests of Jerusalem, the Levites and the Pharisees have the same hope when in today’s Gospel they asked John the Baptist if he was Elijah, the messiah or a prophet. Hope is at the centre of Israel’s faith, a faith that was never free of challenges and temptations, and is still today faced with the hostilities of the world. Israel believes God will never abandon them despite the different deportations, deaths, destructions, wars, slavery, etc. The hope of Israel on God is stronger than anything one can imagine. Dear brothers and sisters we called today to imitate this faith and the example of Israel as we await the Lord in our different life situations. The Lord is faithful and will never abandon us.