Gaudate Sunday - Powerful Readings!

[BarbTherese]

Readings and Meditation are taken from "Daily Gospel" site : http://dailygospel.org/main.php?language=AM&module=readings&localdate=20121216

 

Book of Zephaniah 3:14-18.
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you, he has turned away your enemies; The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; He will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals. I will remove disaster from among you, so that none may recount your disgrace.

Book of Isaiah 12:2-3.4.5-6.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
And he has been my savior.

With joy you will draw water
At the fountain of salvation.
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
Among the nations make known his deeds,
Proclaim how exalted is his name.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
Let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
For great in your midst
Is the Holy One of Israel!



Letter to the Philippians 4:4-7.
Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God.
Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 3:10-18.
And the crowds asked him, "What then should we do?"
He said to them in reply, "Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise."
Even tax collectors came to be baptized and they said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?"
He answered them, "Stop collecting more than what is prescribed."
Soldiers also asked him, "And what is it that we should do?" He told them, "Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages."
Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah.
John answered them all, saying, "I am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the holy Spirit and fire.
His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."
Exhorting them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people.

Commentary of the day
Blessed John-Paul II, Pope from 1978 to 2005
Angelus for the 14/12/2003 (trans. © copyright Libreria Editrice Vaticana rev.)

 

« Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say: Rejoice! The Lord is near » (Phil 4,4-5)

"Rejoice in the Lord always.... The Lord is near" (Phil 4: 4-5). With these words of the Apostle Paul the liturgy invites us to be joyful. It is the Third Sunday of Advent and is known as "Gaudete" Sunday for this very reason...

Advent is a season of rejoicing because it revives the expectation of the most joyful event in history: the birth of the Son of God by the Virgin Mary. To know that God is not distant but close, not indifferent but compassionate, not aloof but a merciful Father who follows us lovingly with respect for our freedom: all this is a cause of deep joy which the alternating ups and downs of daily life cannot touch.

An unmistakable feature of Christian joy is that it can go hand in hand with suffering, since it is based entirely on love. Indeed, the Lord who "is near", to the point of becoming man, comes to fill us with his joy, the joy of loving. Only in this way can we understand the serene joy of the martyrs even amid trial, or the smile of saints, full of charity for those who are suffering: a smile that does not offend but consoles. "Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you!" (Lk 1:28). The Angel's announcement to Mary is an invitation to rejoice. Let us ask the Holy Virgin for the gift of Christian joy.

[LouisvilleFan]

I can't imagine many people were feeling joyful this past Sunday. Though, perhaps the Holy Spirit knew we would need a reminder that Christ is the only true source of joy in this lost and fallen world.

[BarbTherese]

I can't imagine many people were feeling joyful this past Sunday. Though, perhaps the Holy Spirit knew we would need a reminder that Christ is the only true source of joy in this lost and fallen world.

 

I agree that probably would have been actually feeling joy once the news of the USA school massacre in Connecticut was public - anything but joy on the feeling level.  It was a shocking and devestating tragedy and crime - and for the parents and friends especially - not to mention the terror those little children must have experienced with their teachers. 

 

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(Spiritual Joy and feeling joy are not necessarily the same and thank you for the reminder that Christ indeed "is the only true source of joy in this lost and fallen world" and Gaudate Sunday after the sombre Readings at the beginning of Advent does ask us to recall this)