Scripture Reflections for the Third Sunday of Advent

“The Lord in whom we believe is a poor fighter in a crowd. His voice can so easily go unheard. So often he stands among us as one we do not know. And it is our task both as a Church and as individuals to point to the Light here and now. And we can only do in so far as we are like the light”

“The first sin of humanity was to stop asking, ‘how do I relate to God?’ and to wonder instead, ‘how can I do without God?’ In doing so, we not only lost God, but we also lost ourselves, for divorced from God our lives make no sense. Only in relation to him can we know our true identity.”

“just as John the Baptist’s ministry was vindicated by the coming of Christ, a coming that has truly brought joy to the world, so our prophetic ministry will be vindicated when he comes again in glory”

"Anne McLean grew up and was educated by the Sisters of Mercy and the Sisters of St Joseph in Bathurst. After a time of teaching in the Western suburbs of..."

“This is the witness of our lives: to prepare the way of the Lord, to avoid becoming an obstacle in His path.”

"The Liturgy of the Third Sunday of Advent is denoted as Gaudete Sunday in which the Church invites the faithful to adore “The Lord who is to come” with fulness..."

“So what do we do this Sunday? We rejoice! God has seen our poverty, and he is sending (has sent!) us his Servant to feed our hungry souls with Himself, and to teach us that in God is joy!”

“Some of the most uptight people in the world are highly idealistic people who think that they have to do it all. But our task is to work in such a way that we are pointing to Jesus. That takes a lot of pressure off us.”

“In everything I do, I have a choice – it’s either God’s will or it’s my will. Seeking to choose God’s will in everything, the old WWJD (what would Jesus do) mantra – that is a prayer.”

“I think it might be salient this Advent to reconsider our stories, to reframe our narratives in terms of naming ourselves as the ones who have been the strangers whose fears have been assuaged, whose terrors in the night have been listened to, and whose exhausted bodies have been led to rest”

“Advent is surely the time for Isaiah and the Baptist to be heard inviting us to love the truth of things, to stand in the truth, and know that certainty which Christ alone can give”

“A thought for the week might be to empty ourselves a little more and think of others. This is what Isaiah, Mary and John the Baptist did in today’s readings for Mass. They put themselves aside, and emptied their own concerns out of their mind and heart, and allowed the Holy Spirit to enter in, for the benefit of all.”

“living a life of sharing tells me I am never alone. I depend on my neighbor and my neighbor depends on me.”

“In order to rejoice in the Lord we must first encounter ourselves”

“It’s one of the ironies of this season that the very things that we do to increase joy at times prevent joy. We are so busy celebrating Christmas that we effectively block Christ’s coming.”

"Friends, for this Third Sunday of Advent, the Church asks us to focus on John the Baptist, who of course is one of the great Advent figures. It’s as though..."

"The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called “Gaudete Sunday.” “Gaudete” is a Latin imperative—it’s a command—which means “rejoice.” The Church is telling us to be happy. And in the..."

"Our second reading today is taken from Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians—and it always takes my breath away. He says, “Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing. In all circumstances give..."

"Christ proclaims himself as the King of everything. This is a bold claim for it puts everything under him. However, he is a very different King than what we typically..."

"Our first reading for this Sunday is an especially sacred one in the Christian tradition, for it was precisely this passage from Isaiah that Jesus chose to comment upon when..."