{"id":3065,"date":"2025-12-15T18:01:05","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T18:01:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/?p=3065"},"modified":"2026-01-26T15:32:09","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T15:32:09","slug":"third-sunday-of-advent-year-a","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/third-sunday-of-advent-year-a\/","title":{"rendered":"Third Sunday of Advent (2025)"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete<\/em>, which means \u201crejoice,\u201d because the Lord is coming. Joy is something everyone can experience\u2014a feeling of great happiness, a positive emotion, and satisfaction. Biblical joy, however, is deeper: it is a profound sense of happiness and contentment that comes from a relationship with God. It is rooted in confidence and trust in God\u2019s goodness, love, and divine plan. This joy flows from Christ\u2019s presence in our lives (cf. John 15:11; Philippians 4:4).<\/p>\n

The prophet Isaiah speaks of this joy as the promise of a bright future for the people of God, who are enduring difficult times and trials: \u201cHere is your God \u2026 He comes to save you.\u201d<\/em> This joy comes through faith in the Lord, who grants eternal joy to those who patiently await His coming. May we all share in this joy at His arrival.<\/p>\n

John the Baptist, who occupies a central place in the season of Advent because he points to the Messiah, appears again in today\u2019s Gospel. Jesus Himself says of John: \u201cAmong those born of women there is none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he\u201d<\/em> (Matthew 11:11).<\/p>\n

John had prepared the people for the coming of the Messiah, firmly believing that Jesus was the One. Yet, faced with imprisonment and the threat of death, he seems to have begun to doubt. John had envisioned the Messiah as a judge, whereas Jesus revealed Himself as a Savior. This contrast is evident in their lives: John lived in the desert, separated from the people, while Jesus lived among them, eating and drinking with sinners. John proclaimed God\u2019s judgment; Jesus proclaimed God\u2019s salvation.<\/p>\n

As John sensed that his life was nearing its end, he sent two of his disciples to ask Jesus, \u201cAre you the one who is to come?\u201d<\/em> Rather than answering directly, Jesus pointed to the works He was doing\u2014works that fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah from our first reading.<\/p>\n

We, too, experience struggles, and life can grow very dark when things go wrong. In such moments, doubts can arise. Like John the Baptist, we need to hear Jesus\u2019 comforting words: \u201cBlessed is the one who takes no offense at me.\u201d<\/em> Let us draw inspiration from John, but place our hope firmly in Jesus. He gives meaning to our work and suffering; He alone can satisfy our deepest longings.<\/p>\n

Scripture Readings:
\n<\/strong>Is 35:1\u20136, 10 \u2022 Jas 5:7\u201310 \u2022 Mt 11:2\u201311<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete, which means \u201crejoice,\u201d because the Lord is coming. Joy is something everyone can experience\u2014a feeling of great happiness, a positive emotion, and satisfaction. Biblical joy, however, is deeper: it is a profound sense of happiness and contentment that comes from a relationship with God. It is rooted in confidence and trust […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3065","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weekly-homilies"],"yoast_head":"\nThird Sunday of Advent (2025) - St. Paul Church Macomb, IL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stpaulmacomb.com\/church\/third-sunday-of-advent-year-a\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Third Sunday of Advent (2025) - St. Paul Church Macomb, IL\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete, which means \u201crejoice,\u201d because the Lord is coming. 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