“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.” These are the words in the Entrance Antiphon today and the Latin version gives us the name Gaudette Sunday. We are getting closer to Christmas Day. Advent is a time when we look back at the first Christmas Day and make sure we are preparing for the day when Jesus will return to earth in glory.

In our first reading, the prophet Isaiah; writing in dark times for the Israelites; is full of promise and optimism. In this darkness, he is offering light, because he is announcing that God is coming to deliver the Chosen people from their despair. Notice he talks about the eyes of the blind being opened, the deaf having their ears unblocked, the lame leaping for joy and the mute singing praises.

The psalm pleads for the Lord to come and save us, feeding the hungry, giving justice to the oppressed, setting prisoners free. Again, we hear about the blind having their sight restored and the Lord reversing the status quo, lifting the downtrodden, looking out for the stranger and those in need.

In the second reading we hear from St James, who encourages us to be patient. His words are comforting in that he uses homely words to encourage our patience and also discomforting reminding us that the judge is waiting.

The Gospel tells us about the time when John the Baptist is imprisoned. He sends his followers to ask Jesus if he is The One. Jesus, very aware of the prophecies of Isaiah, tells them to report back what they have seen – the blind see, the lame walk, the deaf hear, the mute speak and the dead are raised up. Think how John must have felt when he heard this. Although he was in jail, he must have been thrilled to learn that the Messiah was here, that God had delivered on his promises and that he had indeed prepared the way of the Lord.

Now in 2025, how do we prepare for the Lord? There are so many people blind to the ways of Jesus, how can we help them to see?

There are others who are deaf to the sound of God’s voice; including members of our own families. How can we help to open their ears to hear?

There are lots of hungry people in the world, some desperate for food, others desperate to be fed by the Word of God, how are we helping to feed them?

At the end of the day we will all die.

What are we doing to make sure that we and our loved ones are among those who will rise again in Christ?

Happy Gaudette Sunday!

Further Reading

Catechism of the Catholic Church

Third Sunday of Advent

CCC 30, 163, 301, 736, 1829, 1832, 2015, 2362: joy
CCC 227, 2613, 2665, 2772: patience
CCC 439, 547-550, 1751: Jesus performs messianic signs[1]

Please remember in your prayers

  • All those who are sick, either at home or in hospital, especially those who have very few or no visitors.
  • Those who have died and those who grieve for them.
  • All people affected by war and that international treaties for the protection of non-combatants and civilians are respected and adhered to.
  • All those attending the RCIA programmes and especially our Advent session this weekend.
  • Those attending the Youth Alpha programme which is a prerequisite for the Confirmation programme in our Pastoral Area.
  • The success of the Pastoral Area Mission Plan.
  • The Pastoral Area Reconciliation Service on 19th December at St Joseph’s Basingstoke.

Deacon Tony

12th December 2025.

[1] Homiletic Directory, Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments