Third Sunday of Advent, December 14, 2025
Isaiah 35:1-6 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11
The Old Testament is something like Nathaniel Hawthorne’s play. It too ended without the main character putting in an appearance. Everyone talked about the Messiah, everyone awaited his arrival. But he never came.
In today’s reading, we hear Isaiah describe what the Messiah would do. We are called to believe that He will come and fulfil his promise of bringing salvation to us all. On this Gaudete Sunday we rejoice because the main character of our salvation is near, among us, doing wonders in ways known to him alone.
The First Reading from the Book of Isaiah echoes the anticipation of God's chosen people. It is almost like Hawthorne’s play. The people believed that God would come and save them from their worldly suffering. To them, God's coming was perceived as a second Exodus. In their perception of the coming of the promised Messiah, the people visualized a transformation of the physical world where the entire creation would rejoice. They envisioned blooming deserts that would manifest the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God. The scene he describes evokes the Garden of Eden. They visualized a revived people under the leadership of an eternal King who would arrive to save them and avenge them. A striking transformation is taking place among them. They were once weak and feeble without the wisdom to rely on God’s strength. Once more, the weak hands and feeble knees would be made strong. Those who are physically blind would see again. Those who are deaf, they would hear again.
In the Gospel of today taken from Matthew we find ourselves at the mid-point in Jesus' ministry. The passage given to us is about discovering the identities of Jesus and John the Baptist. Already, John the Baptist had been arrested. He had accused King Herod of doing something immoral, namely, marrying his brother's wife while his brother was still living. While in prison, John hears about things Jesus had done but he had not personally witnessed them. John knows that he is the precursor to the messiah and he does not fully know that Jesus is the real messiah. So he sends some of his disciples to Jesus with a question whether he is truly the Messiah who is to come, or did they have to wait for another. Whether John really wanted to know for his own sake or whether it was really for the benefit of his disciples is not clear. It is also possible that John too was expecting a messiah who was more aggressive than Jesus was.
The message for us today is clear. The main character about whom the Old Testament always spoke is here. He is truly near. God is at work in ways that may not always be dramatic but are always real. Advent joy does not depend on everything being perfect. It depends on recognizing that God enters imperfect lives and imperfect situations with tenderness and power.
Jesus goes on to affirm John the Baptist, saying that no one born of a woman is greater than he. Yet he adds a surprising line: the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. Jesus is pointing to the new reality he is bringing. John prepared the way, but those who witness the fullness of God’s grace in Christ are given a share in a joy and a life that surpass anything that came before. We are called into that kingdom. We are invited into that joy.
So what does Gaudete Sunday ask of us? It asks us first to notice the signs of God’s presence in our lives. Advent encourages a spirit of attentive waiting. We look for the small blossoms in the desert. Perhaps it is a reconciliation that has begun after years of silence. Perhaps it is the slow healing of a wound. Perhaps it is the courage to hope again after disappointment. These are signs of God drawing near.
Second, Gaudete Sunday asks us to choose joy. Joy is not a feeling we wait for. It is a stance we adopt. It is a decision to trust that God’s promise is true even when circumstances are difficult. Joy grows in the soil of trust. When we trust that God is near and that God is faithfully guiding our lives, we find a serenity that no outward trouble can completely shake.
Third, this Sunday calls us to strengthen one another. Isaiah told the people to strengthen weak hands and steady trembling knees. This is a call to community. Advent is not a solitary journey. Many around us are carrying burdens, facing discouragement, or sitting in their own prisons of fear or uncertainty. We are invited to be signs of God’s nearness for them. A kind word, a listening ear, a thoughtful gesture, or a simple presence can bring joy back to a weary heart. To bring joy to another is to participate in God’s Advent work.
Finally, Gaudete Sunday reminds us that Christian joy always points beyond itself. The joy we celebrate is rooted in the coming of Christ at Christmas, but it also points toward the final coming of Christ when all creation will be renewed. Advent holds these two horizons together. We remember his birth in Bethlehem. We await his return in glory. And in the space between, we live with joyful expectation, trusting that the one who came once will come again and that his kingdom is already growing in our midst.
As we light the rose candle, let it remind us that even in seasons of penance and preparation, God sprinkles joy to encourage our steps. Let it remind us that God delights in his people. Let it remind us that there is no darkness so deep that God’s light cannot pierce it.
So let us take to heart the invitation of this Sunday. Let us rejoice not because all our problems are solved, but because the Lord is near. Let us rejoice not because everything is clear, but because God walks with us even when the path winds through shadows. Let us rejoice because Christ brings healing, freedom, and hope, and because his love is quietly transforming our world.
May this Gaudete Sunday fill our hearts with renewed joy. May it strengthen our resolve to walk in hope. And may it open our eyes to see the signs of God’s tender work in our lives. The Lord is indeed near. Rejoice.
Happy Sunday
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