Texts taken from the Missalette “On Your Word” November-December 2022

3rd Sunday of Advent (A) «Gaudete»
3rd week, psalter cycle

FIRST READING

From the book of the prophet Isaiah (Is 35:1-6a, 8a, 10)
Let the desert and the dry land rejoice; let the steppe exult and bloom. Let it bloom with flowers; yes, let it sing with joy and jubilation. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon. They will see the glory of the Lord, the magnificence 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, do not fear! Here is your God, vengeance is coming, divine recompense. He is coming to save you.” Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute shall sing for joy. There will be a path and a road, and it will be called the holy way. On it the redeemed of the Lord shall return and enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; joy and gladness shall follow them, and sorrow and mourning shall flee away. - The word of God.

Commentary on the first reading

The third Sunday of Advent allows us to glimpse, on the horizon, the joy of the Messiah’s birth. It is a Sunday in which joy is the absolute protagonist. The prophet Isaiah, too, invites us to rejoice in the first reading; the surprising thing is that he does not invite a generic humanity to rejoice, but the desert and the dry land, those places where life seems impossible. This message from the prophet is also important for each of us. When we think that there is no longer any possibility of joy, hope, or a future in our lives, that is precisely the moment when we must once again listen to the voice of the Lord, who invites us to holy gladness. This is not the result of a momentary high, but the fruit of trust in the One who cares about the fate of the world and loves every single creature. Only this will allow us to see the glory of the Lord; this will allow us to restore vigor to our hands and strength to our knees, which felt the full weight of life and disappointments. “Be strong” is one of the most beautiful things God says to humanity, and today he says it to me and to you.

SECOND READING

From the letter of the apostle Saint James (Jas 5:7-10)
Be patient, my brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient until it receives the early and late rains. You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is near. Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, so 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. - The word of God.

Commentary on the second reading

Every year we celebrate Christmas. If we are honest with ourselves, we realize that each year we probably add disappointment to disappointment. We see that the world either does not await the coming of the Lord or awaits it in the wrong way. The Lord is taking a long time to come; probably even in James’s time there was this disillusionment among the people about the Lord’s return. They expected an imminent return, immediately after his resurrection and ascension; instead, time passed, and the apostle James, in this writing, invites believers to look at what surrounds them, to look at nature, to look at the farmer, who sows and then patiently waits, knowing that the seed cannot remain underground, unable to bear fruit. From the farmer we too must learn patience, perseverance, and above all trust. That seed of hope, which God has placed in each person’s heart, will surely bear fruit; let us leave to God the timing and ways of this new spring. The Judge is standing at the gates, first and foremost at the gates of our lives, and waits only for us to open them.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew (Mt 11:2-11)
At that time, when John was in prison, he heard about the works of the Christ and sent word through his disciples, asking him: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect 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 Gospel proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me!” As they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed shaken 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 what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. He is the one of 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 no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” - The Gospel of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

John the Baptist had preached a warrior Messiah, a vengeful judge, an avenger, with the winnowing fan and the ax in his hand. He finds himself confronted with Jesus’ style and feels unsettled; he does not understand him. He expected someone who would punish all the evil in the world and all the evil in humanity by force, but Jesus presented himself as gentle and loving. This Gospel passage puts into the Baptist’s mouth and heart what is often also in our own hearts: “Jesus, are you truly the one who is to come, or are you merely another prophet announcing a possible hope? Are you the one whom the heart awaits, or should we expect another?” Jesus answers neither yes nor no. He leaves the Baptist free to discern based on what his followers report, based on concrete facts: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised. This is the message and style of Jesus of Nazareth, not through the sword or war, but through the personal change of those he meets along the way, because the transformation of the world begins only if I am willing to let myself be changed by the Lord’s love, if I allow myself to be transformed by his power.