Third Sunday of Advent

Third Sunday of Advent 
Lectionary: 8

Reading 1Is 61:1-2a, 10-11

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.

I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
As the earth brings forth its plants,
and a garden makes its growth spring up,
so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise
spring up before all the nations.

Responsorial PsalmLk 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54

R. (Is 61:10b) My soul rejoices in my God.
My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
R. My soul rejoices in my God.
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
R. My soul rejoices in my God.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
R. My soul rejoices in my God.

Reading 21 Thes 5:16-24

Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.
In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophetic utterances.
Test everything; retain what is good.
Refrain from every kind of evil.

May the God of peace make you perfectly holy
and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,
be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who calls you is faithful,
and he will also accomplish it.

GospelJn 1:6-8, 19-28

A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.

And this is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests
and Levites to him
to ask him, "Who are you?"
He admitted and did not deny it,
but admitted, "I am not the Christ."
So they asked him,
"What are you then? Are you Elijah?"
And he said, "I am not."
"Are you the Prophet?"
He answered, "No."
So they said to him,
"Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?"
He said:
"I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
'make straight the way of the Lord,'"
as Isaiah the prophet said."
Some Pharisees were also sent. 
They asked him,
"Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?"
John answered them,
"I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie."
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.

This weekend we celebrate the Third Sunday of Advent. In the old Latin liturgy this was called "Gaudete Sunday." The name was taken from the Latin word for rejoice that starts off the second reading. On this Sunday, rose colored vestments may be used instead of the normal violet of Advent. This color is also usually used for the third candle in Advent wreaths.

NOTES on First Reading:

* 61:1-2 Although this statement was originally spoken by the prophet in regard to the restoration of Zion after the exile, it was quoted by Christ as referring to his mission in Luke 4:18, 19. The words originally referred to one of the leaders of the early postexilic Isaian school of prophecy. By the time of Christ these words had become symbolic of the messianic times that were to come. So much so that the promises contained in them became messianic expectations.
Each phrase in this verse is rich in biblical tradition. "Spirit" implies that a new act of God is beginning (Judges 3:10, 11:19; and 1 Sam 10:5-13). The spirit had been promised to the messianic king (Isa 11:1-2) and later was also assured to the entire messianic people (Joel 3; Zech 12:10). Ezekiel had revived the importance of the role of the spirit and is also responsible for a priestly turn to prophecy. Trito-Isaiah (Third-Isaiah, responsible for Isa 56:1-66:24) sees the role of the spirit outside of royalty and the priesthood to include the anointing of prophets. The word, anointed is linked to teaching and hearing. It designates an interior enlightening to know God's word and a strengthening to follow it.
The word translated as release (to prisoners) actually means light. It refers to leading prisoners out of the darkness of the dungeon into the light of freedom.
The phrases, "year of favor" and "day of vindication" refer to the time of God's salvation.

* 61:10-11 These verses are usually interpreted as Jerusalem's response to the favors God has promised and is delivering. She celebrates the fulfillment of love between herself and Yahweh (54:5-8; Jer 33:10-11; Rev 19:7, 9; John 2:1-11).

NOTES on Second Reading:

* 5:16-18 This section contains some general exhortations on the Christian way of life, that is on God's will. There is really a triple command here: rejoice, pray, and give thanks. All three of these are to be done continually. Together these are among the hallmarks of a Christian life and a good way of constantly being prepared for the return of Jesus, the Messiah.
Paul saw his belief in God and what He has done through Jesus as the source of indescribable joy and tried to instill that same joy in all the communities that he visited. Joy is also one of the classical fruits of the Spirit (Gal 5:22; Rom 14:17).

* 5:19-21 Both Jewish and Hellenistic parallels indicate that these passages refer to charismatic activities of both oneself and others. The community of Thessalonica may well have been "charismatically" ordered but Paul refrains from using the technical term, "charism" to describe the gifts of the Spirit as he does in 1 Cor 12:4-11.
Paul's buoyant encouragement of charismatic freedom sometimes occasioned excesses that he or others had to remedy. 1 Cor 14; 2 Thes 2:1-15; and 2 Peter 3:1-16 are examples of such efforts to correct a misunderstood and misapplied freedom of the spirit.

* 5:21-22 Paul urges the readers to make use of the discernment of charisms which is itself a charismatic activity (1 Cor 12:10) to judge the gifts and their use. These verses probably refer to recognizing the difference between true and false prophecy. There are, however, some scholars who take them to refer to moral discernment and judgments (Isa 1:16, 17).

* 5:23 Many readers attempt to read this passage as a tripartite form of anthropology.

The more common opinion is that the three terms designate the whole human person under different aspects. This would be consistent with typical Jewish anthropology where: "spirit" identifies a person as a creature; "soul" identifies the person as a vital being; and "body" identifies the person as a corporal and social being. There is another possible translation that is favored by some scholars which reads, "May the God of peace Himself make you perfectly holy and sanctify your spirit fully, and may both soul and body be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." This translation, in effect, identifies the human person as "soul and body" and gives "spirit" an independent nuance.
Regardless of how one translates the words, however, it is likely that Paul does not intend to offer an anthropological or philosophical analysis of human nature. He is looking toward the wholeness of what may be called the supernatural and natural aspects of a person's service of God. All aspects of our humanity are like all else that God has created, at His disposal and in His service to accomplish His ends which are for our good.

NOTES on Gospel:

* 1:6 Other references to John the Baptist in this gospel emphasize the differences between Jesus and John and carefully subordinate John's role to that of Jesus. Here the similarity between Jesus and John is stressed in that John was sent just as Jesus was "sent" (John 4:34) in divine mission.

* 1:7-8 John is portrayed as a witness, not as a messianic figure. Introduction of the testimony theme has the effect of portraying Jesus as if He were on trial throughout his ministry. Characters are constantly introduced to testify to Jesus (John the Baptist, the Samaritan woman, scripture, his works, the crowds, the Spirit, and his disciples).

* 1:9 "True" is used to designate "real" in the sense that it is a divinely given reality. It also occurs in 4:23; 6:32; 15:1; 17:3; 7:28.

* 1:19-28 This section constitutes the introduction to the gospel proper and is connected with the prose inserts in the prologue. It develops four scenes (not included in the reading this week) with the major theme of testimony: John's negative testimony about himself; his positive testimony about Jesus; the revelation of Jesus to Andrew and Peter; the revelation of Jesus to Philip and Nathaniel.
Here, as throughout most of the gospel, the "Jews" does not refer to the Jewish people but, rather, to the hostile authorities, both Pharisees and Sadducees, particularly in Jerusalem, who refuse to believe in Jesus. This usage reflects the atmosphere, at the end of the first century, which was a time of hostility between church and synagogue. It might also refer to Jews as representatives of a hostile world (John 1:10-11).

* 1:20 Messiah first appears as a term for a future anointed agent of Yahweh in Dan 9:25. Through other texts (especially 1 Sam 7:8-17) the Messiah was usually considered to be of Davidic descent.

* 1:21 The questions refer to the expectation that Elijah would be returned to earth (see Malachi 4:1; Matthew 11:14) and that a prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15; see Acts 3:22) would be raised up in the time of the Messiah. John denies that he is either of these. The synoptic gospels in fact, identify him as the one who came in the spirit of Elijah (Mark 9:13; Matt 17:12; Luke 1:17; 7:27).
It is only in the Christian sources however that Elijah is portrayed as a forerunner of the Messiah rather than of Yahweh's day of judgment.

* 1:23 This is a variation from the versions presented in both the synoptic gospels and the Septuagint (ancient Greek text) of the Hebrew text of Isaiah 40:3 which reads, "A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord."

* 1:24 The translation presented here (NAB) of this verse is probably better than most other translations, such as "Now they had been sent from the Pharisees." This misunderstands the grammatical construction and fails to recognize that this is a different group from that in John 1:19. The priests and Levites would have been Sadducees, not Pharisees.

* 1:25-27 The question provides another opportunity for John to testify. The answer that John gives here may indicate that baptism was a point of contention between the Johannine Christian community and the followers of John. The issue is continued in yet another testimony of John in 1:29-34 where he alludes to Jesus baptizing with the Holy Spirit (1:33).

 Who are you? And in whose name do you speak?

Meditation: Do you know the favor of the Lord? Every 50 years the people of Israel were commanded to celebrate a Year of Jubilee – a year of favor by the Lord (Leviticus 25:10-12). God did not want his people to forget all the blessings and favors he had shown them over the years. Isaiah prophesied in a year of Jubilee that God would send his anointed one to bring his people back from their time of exile (Isaiah 61). The anointed one would bring good news (the same word as "gospel") – news of freedom for those who were oppressed by sin, darkness, despair, and brokenness (Isaiah 61:1-2).

When John the Baptist announced the imminent coming of God's anointed one, the Messiah, the religious leaders questioned his authority to speak so boldly in God's name. They asked him bluntly, "Who are you?" and "What do you say about yourself?" They wanted to know if he was really sent by God. Did he claim to be the Messiah or one of the great prophets who was expected to return and announce the Messiah's arrival (see Malachi 4:5, Deuteronomy 18:15)? John had no doubt and no mistaken identity about his call and mission. In all humility and sincerity he said he was only a voice bidding people to get ready for the arrival of the greatest Ruler of all, God's anointed King and Messiah.

John the Baptist bridges the Old and New Testaments. He is the last of the Old Testament prophets who points the way to the Messiah. He is the first of the New Testament witnesses and martyrs. He is the herald who prepares the way for Jesus and who announces his mission to the people: Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world! (John 1:29). John saw from a distance what the Messiah would come to accomplish – our redemption from slavery to sin and our adoption as sons and daughters of God, our heavenly Father. Do you recognize who you are in Christ? The Lord Jesus has come to restore us to friendship with God and he has made us citizens of heaven – his everlasting kingdom of peace and justice.

John was the greatest of the prophets, yet he lived as a humble and faithful servant of God. He pointed others to Jesus, the true Messiah and Savior of the world. The Christian church from the earliest of times has given John many titles which signify his mission: Witness of the Lord, Trumpet of Heaven, Herald of Christ, Voice of the Word, Precursor of Truth, Friend of the Bridegroom, Crown of the Prophets, Forerunner of the Redeemer, Preparer of Salvation, Light of the Martyrs, and Servant of the Word. Do you point others to Jesus Christ by the example and witness of your life?

"Lord Jesus, make me a herald of your word of truth and grace. Help me to be a faithful witness of the joy of the gospel and to point others to you as John did through his testimony."