Liturgical Study - 3rd Sunday of Advent - Novus Ordo - Year A

Known as Gaudete Sunday—Gaudete meaning “Rejoicing” in the Latin.

December 14, 2025

Readings <— Click Here

• First Reading: Isaiah 35:1–6a, 10
• Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146
• Second Reading: James 5:7–10
• Gospel: Matthew 11:2–11 — John the Baptist’s question and Christ’s testimony

“Rejoice — The Signs of the Kingdom Are Already Among You”

The Third Sunday of Advent bursts into the penitential season with a command that cuts through its austerity: Rejoice!
But this is not sentimental rejoicing. It is eschatological rejoicing, rooted in evidence that the Kingdom of God is already breaking into the world.

The Church does not tell us to rejoice because Christmas is near.
She tells us to rejoice because the King is already acting.
The desert blooms.
The weak are strengthened.
The blind see.
And the forerunner beholds the Messiah.

Advent now pivots from repentance to recognition — from preparation for the King to the discovery of His works.

1. FIRST READING — Isaiah 35:1–6a, 10 — Joy Because God Has Begun to Restore Creation

Isaiah shows the desert bursting into life. The wilderness becomes a garden. Strength comes to failing limbs. Sight comes to the blind. Singing overtakes sorrow.

These are not poetic metaphors — they are messianic signs.
Isaiah is not describing nature; he is describing redemption.
Creation is renewed because the Creator Himself is drawing near.

And the redeemed will return to Zion singing, crowned with joy.

On Gaudete Sunday, the Church commands joy because the signs of restoration have begun, even if the fullness has not yet arrived.

2. RESPONSORIAL PSALM — Psalm 146 — The Lord Who Keeps His Promises

Psalm 146 takes Isaiah’s prophecy and attributes it to YHWH Himself:

• The Lord sets prisoners free.
• The Lord gives sight to the blind.
• The Lord raises those who are bowed down.
• The Lord protects the stranger and sustains the orphan and widow.

The psalm interprets Isaiah’s imagery: these wonders are not generic miracles but the concrete deeds of Israel’s God — deeds fulfilled in Christ.

Gaudete is not emotional uplift. It is doctrinal joy, rooted in the fidelity of God to His covenant.

3. SECOND READING — James 5:7–10 — Patience While the Signs Unfold

St. James proclaims: “Be patient… strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand.”

Advent is not passive waiting; it is patient endurance.
The farmer waits not in idleness but in confidence — because he sees the early signs of fruit.

James commands two forms of Advent discipline:

• Do not grumble — impatience divides the community.
• Imitate the prophets — who waited with fidelity through suffering.

Joy is possible in waiting because God has already acted.
We wait not for a possibility, but for the completion of what has already begun.

4. GOSPEL READING — Matthew 11:2–11 — The Evidence of the Messiah

John the Baptist sends the central question of Advent:

“Are You the One who is to come?”

Christ answers not with philosophy but with fulfilled prophecy:

• The blind see.
• The lame walk.
• The lepers are cleansed.
• The deaf hear.
• The dead rise.
• The poor receive the Gospel.

These are the very signs Isaiah foretold. Christ is not explaining — He is revealing.

He then praises John as the greatest born of woman, the final prophet standing at the threshold of fulfillment.

The message is clear:
Rejoice — because the King John prepared for is here.

5. The Theological Unity Now Fully Revealed

The readings together produce a single Advent proclamation:

• Isaiah foretells the signs.
• Psalm 146 identifies God as the author of those signs.
• James teaches how to wait while the signs unfold.
• Matthew demonstrates that the signs are fulfilled in Christ.

Gaudete joy is therefore not optional — it is the only rational response to fulfilled prophecy.

The Church commands rejoicing because God has kept His promises. We are not waiting in the dark but living in the light of a Kingdom already breaking in.

6. Advent and Zeal for Recognition

It is possible to miss the works of God because one is spiritually dull.
John the Baptist recognized Christ from a prison cell; many saw Christ’s miracles face-to-face and remained unmoved.

Zeal in Advent means:
Do not sleep through the signs of grace.

A Catholic who desires reverence, clarity, and doctrinal seriousness is not “rigid” — he is simply awake. He refuses to explain away miracles or reduce the Gospel to moralism.

Joy requires attention.
Gaudete joy is for those who notice the Messiah.

7. Interconnectedness, Magisterial Illumination, and Catholic Interpretation

The Catechism teaches:

“Jesus’ deeds… manifest Him as the promised Messiah.” (CCC §547)

This Sunday is a liturgical demonstration of that truth.

St. Thomas Aquinas teaches that joy is an act of charity — delight in the presence of the beloved (ST II–II, q.28). Since Christ is truly present and acting, joy becomes a moral duty.

Pope St. Leo the Great taught that Christian joy is always rooted in what God has already accomplished, not merely in what we hope for.

Thus the Church places these readings together to show that Christian joy is not escapism but recognition of divine action in history.

8. Practical Application — Joy as Obedience

Because God has acted, Christians must act:

• Practice patient endurance — following James.
• Look for signs of grace — following Isaiah.
• Profess Christ’s works boldly — following Matthew.
• Worship with visible joy — because the King is near.

The question Gaudete Sunday places before every soul is:

Do you see the signs of the Kingdom — or are you too spiritually distracted to notice?

Gaudete joy is the fruit of spiritual attentiveness.