Third Sunday of Advent

December 14, 2025

What kind of Messiah are you waiting for?

Matthew 11:2-11

Now John had heard in prison what Christ was doing and he sent his disciples to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect someone else?” Jesus answered, “Go back and tell John what you hear and see; the blind see again, and the lame walk, those suffering from virulent skin-diseases are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life and the good news is proclaimed to the poor; and blessed is anyone who does not find me a cause of falling.” As the men were leaving, Jesus began to talk to the people about John, “What did you go out into the desert to see? A reed swaying in the breeze? No? Then what did you go out to see? A man wearing fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothes are to be found in palaces. Then what did you go out for? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet: he is the one of whom scripture says: Look, I am going to send my messenger in front of you to prepare your way before you. “In truth I tell you, of all the children born to women, there has never been anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.”

REFLECTIONS ON THE GOSPEL

First Impressions - 3rd Sunday of Advent by Jude Siciliano, OP
Isaiah 35: 1-6a, 10; Psalm 146; James 5: 7-10; Matthew 11: 2-11

The opening line of James’ letter today certainly sets an Advent tone. “Be patient brothers and sisters until the coming of the Lord.” We often speak of Advent as a time that requires patience and waiting. But it is not a passive waiting, merely putting up with the trials life presents to us in our society. James gives us the image of a farmer who waits for the “precious fruit of the earth,” trusting that time, patience and God’s providence will bring growth. He reminds us at this Advent time to live in faith in what is unseen, “not yet.” He is inviting us to trust that time and God’s providence will bring growth. Patience is not easy during testing times. Testing might be as we struggle with personal issues in our families, local community and diminished health. The bad news in our world of national and international strife can also test our patience. Advent patience is active as we, in James’ imagery, tend the soil of our hearts through prayer, repentance and compassion. We are like the farmer and must do as much as we can to prepare. But we are reminded that we are not in control and must surrender the outcome to God’s timing. The good news, James tells us is, that “the Lord is near.” That nearness gives us strength as we wait in a “not-yet world.” We are tempted and can grow discouraged. Indeed, James reminds us, God is with us as we wait and already at work in the hidden places: in quiet conversations, small acts of mercy, the early signs of light present even before sunrise. Have we noticed? He also cautions us not to grumble against one another. In our waiting we might grow impatient with God which can spill over to impatience with one another. Advent invites us to be gentle to see others who are like us, pilgrims on the road to redemption. In today’s gospel we meet John the Baptist in prison, sending his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” This is a poignant moment in the gospel. John was the fiery prophet who had proclaimed the coming of the Messiah. Jesus had come, but he doesn’t seem to be what John expected. John sounds like he is wrestling uncertainty; might even be wondering if he had gotten God’s message right. He lives in a state we know as well: between promise and fulfillment; between what has begun in Christ and what we still await and hope. John voices our own questions in Advent when we ask, “Lord, where are you? Are you really present at this time in our world?” The world is in deep pain, spiritual and as well as physical. The delay in God’s promises being fulfilled can cause us to wonder if God and the kingdom are really near. That is our Advent question and besides raising the question we are also invited to listen to Jesus’ gentle reply. Here is the answer Jesus gives to John’s disciples about himself. “The blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.” Jesus does not argue or explain. He points to what’s happening: healing mercy and transformation. Aren’t those signs of God’s kingdom? Advent faith invites us to look for those same signs. They may be small and hidden, or right before our eyes, hard to miss. These signs announce to us to God’s saving power is still at work among us. Do we not see? How can we participate in them? We note the beatitude in today’s gospel, “Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” This is an Advent challenge because God’s ways can surprise or unsettle us. We can’t stumble when Christ comes to us in a form we do not expect in the poor, and suffering, in the slow process of grace. Faith means trusting that even when we do not see everything clearly, God’s promises being fulfilled. John the Baptist is a reminder to us that even the prophet of fiery conviction struggles to understand how God is working. Like him, we too may wonder: where is God’s kingdom? Why does it seem delayed when the world needs it to come in its fullness?Today is the third Sunday of Advent, also called “Gaudete Sunday.” It is customary to light the third candle in our Advent wreath, the “Rose candle.” With its lighting we are reminded that joy grows in patient faith, the kind of trust that even when the world seems dark, God’s light is already dawning.”

[Here is a short prayer to accompany the reflection on Matthew 11:2–11 for the 3 rd Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday)]

Advent Prayer

Lord Jesus,
you are the One who was promised,
the light that dawns in our darkness,
the joy that quiets our fears.
When we grow weary or impatient in waiting,
help us to see the signs of your presence all around us —
in kindness shared, in mercy given, in hope renewed.
Give us the faith of John the Baptist,
who sought you even in his uncertainty,
and the courage to point others toward your coming.
As we rejoice this Advent,
strengthen our hearts with your peace,
and make us ready to welcome you —
now and when you come in glory.
Amen.

Justice Bulletin Board by Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral, Raleigh, NC

The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom.— Isaiah 35:1

“Rejoice!” I say, “Rejoice!” The third Sunday of Advent, so called from the first word of the Introit at Mass (Gaudete, i.e. Rejoice), calls upon the faithful to worship with joy, “The Lord who is now nigh and close at hand.” While our attitude during Advent is one of anticipation and preparation, this Sunday’s liturgy symbolizes that joy and gladness in the promised redemption /salvation should never be absent from the heart of the faithful. Many Christians have reduced “salvation” to assurance of a blessed afterlife with God. However, if we look at biblical words translated as “salvation,” we find that they convey meanings of healing, wholeness, and right relationships. The human person can act on these three meanings of salvation. As Isaiah points out, salvation begins on this earth. One of the best ways we can make a difference and bring about a bit of salvation is to advocate on behalf of the poor and the earth against unjust situations. Here are some avenues:      

 1. Justice for Immigrants: JFI’s primary objectives are to educate the public, especially the Catholic community, about Church teaching on migration and immigrants; to work for positive immigration reform articulated by the bishops; and to organize Catholic networks to assist qualified immigrants obtain the benefits of the reforms. Contact Luisa Martin-Price.

2. The Reflecting Pool: A contemplative group that studies and reflects on the subject of racial justice with the hope of action toward a more equitable world. We meet once a month remotely by Teams. Lauren Green, Master Catechist, is the facilitator.  

3. Laudato Si’ Circle: A group that meets monthly by Zoom to pray, reflect, and act on how to live out being stewards of God’s creation. Parishioner Monica Kleimeyer, a Laudato Si’ Animator, facilitates the group.

4. NC Catholics Caring for our Common Home: (N4CH) is building a network of Catholics across our diocese that want to unite in hearing and responding to the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth through an integral ecological lens. Come join any of the above at socialconcern@hnojnc.org     

As you light the third Advent candle, reflect on what you can do to heal, to bring to wholeness, and to create right relationships. Then, rejoice in the God who is coming to be with us and who saves us by showing us how to live.

Faith Book
Mini-reflections on the Sunday scripture readings designed for persons on the run. “Faith Book” is also brief enough to be posted in the Sunday parish bulletins people take home.

From today’s Letter of St. James: “You must be patient. Make your hearts firm because the coming of the Lord is near”.

Reflection: James gives us the image of a farmer who waits for the “precious fruit of the earth,” trusting that time, patience and God’s providence will bring growth. He reminds us at this Advent time to live in faith in what is unseen, “not yet.” He is inviting us to trust that time and God’s providence will bring growth.

So, we ask ourselves:
Where in my life am I being called to wait with faith rather than anxiety?
How can I “make my heart firm” through prayer, or service, during this Advent season?
In what way can I practice gentleness and patience with others as I prepare for the Lord’s coming.

Commentary on Isaiah 35:1-6; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 From Living Space, A service of the Irish Jesuits

Today used to be called “Gaudete Sunday” from the first word of the Entrance Song in Latin. Gaudete means “Rejoice!”  Formerly, Advent was a much stricter penitential season. At this earlier time in the Church, there was fast and abstinence for three days of this week. This was known as “Quarter Tense” because it occurred four times in the year. However, this Sunday was intended to be a relaxing break reminding us of the celebrations soon to come. As a symbol of this, the penitential violet of the vestments are softened to a kind of pink or rose colour. There is a similar Sunday in the middle of Lent. On the one hand, a penitential mood is an appropriate way to prepare ourselves to welcome the coming of the Lord.  And, though we may not have fasting, many parishes will organise Penitential Services with the Sacrament of Reconciliation during the days leading up to Christmas.  At the same time, it is difficult not to feel some excitement as we anticipate the celebration of Jesus’ coming among us.

Full of joy — So, the Mass text and readings today are full of joy, especially the Entrance Song, the Opening Prayer and the First Reading from Isaiah. The cry of the Entrance Antiphon is: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. (Phil 4:4) And why? Because: The Lord is near! (Phil 4:5) The Opening Prayer asks that we: …who look forward to the birthday of Christ, experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and thanksgiving. In the First Reading, the prophet goes overboard with excitement and enthusiasm: The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; the desert shall rejoice and blossom…and rejoice with joy and shouting. And the reason for all this? They shall see the glory of the Lord,the majesty of our God. And is it just a matter of being able to see him? No, because: …your God….He will come and save you. Salvation means bringing healing, wholeness and holiness as we become closely united to him. This healing, wholeness and holiness is depicted graphically: …the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be opened; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. These words, as we will see below, will be applied explicitly to Jesus, who brought this healing and wholeness into so many people’s lives. However, we should not confine this healing only to the physical. It will also include healing on the emotional, social and spiritual levels. We are not made whole until harmony and well-being flows through our whole self.

The One who is to come — All this is closely linked to today’s Gospel. We find ourselves, in Matthew’s Gospel, at the mid-point in Jesus’ ministry. John the Baptist had already been arrested. He had accused King Herod of doing something immoral, i.e. marrying his brother’s wife while his brother was still living. While in prison, John hears about Jesus and sends some of his disciples with a question: Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another? Whether John really wanted to know, or whether it was really for the benefit of his disciples is not clear. After all, John had already proclaimed Jesus at the River Jordan, and said he was not worthy to unloose the thongs of Jesus’ sandals. “The one who is to come” is, of course, the long-expected Messiah. How does Jesus answer? As so often happens, he does not respond directly to the question, but quotes the prophet Isaiah using the passage which is our First Reading for today: Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, those with a skin disease are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news [gospel] brought to them. This exactly describes what Jesus has been doing. It also exactly conforms to what Isaiah said about the time of the Messiah. Jesus in effect is saying “Yes, I am the one who is to come. I am the Messiah, the Christ, the Saviour King of Israel.”

Still waiting — While the Gospel speaks of the Messiah already here, we at this very time are, in a sense, still waiting in anticipation. Jesus, of course, is already present and working through his Body, the Christian community: the Church. But he still has to come more fully into our own lives. As the Opening Prayer suggests, we need to “experience the joy of salvation,” that power of healing and wholeness which Jesus can bring into our lives. This is something each one of us has to do, and what we as a community also have to do. I feel that there are still many, including Christians, who have not yet experienced the deep joy of becoming whole in Christ. For most of us, the transformation into becoming “another Christ” takes time. We need the advice of James in the Second Reading: Be patient, therefore, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. And James says: The farmer waits for the precious crop from the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains.

One of the greatest — John the Baptist is presented by Jesus as one of the greatest persons ever born. Yet, he missed the privilege of being born into the age of Christ, a privilege that has been made available to us. We could do well to emulate John in preparing ourselves for Jesus to become really part of our lives. John was strong, he was a man of integrity. He was not one of the rich and famous, he was no pop star, all sound and no substance. He would never have been a glamorous public icon. Yet many people went out to hear him, to be challenged by him, to have their lives radically changed by his words. Actually, our Christian vocation is similar to his. We are called to prepare the way for Jesus to come into our own hearts, and also to prepare other people’s hearts so that they, too, may “experience the joy of salvation,” that healing, wholeness and holiness we all long for, and which alone gives real meaning to our lives. Christmas is a time of gifts, both giving and receiving. Let us make sure that among the gifts we offer to others is some of the Christian joy which we ourselves have received.

PREPARATION FOR THE SESSION

Adapted from Sacred Space: The Prayer Book 2025

Presence of God: Jesus, As I come to you today, fill my heart, my whole being, with the wonder of your sacred presence. Help me to become more aware of your presence in my life, and more receptive to that presence. I desire to love you as you love me. May nothing ever separate me from you. ( 1-2 minutes of silence)

Leader: Jesus, Grant me the grace to have freedom of spirit. Keep me from being bound by desires and actions that are not good for me or others. Cleanse my heart and soul that I may live joyously in your love. ( 1-2 minutes of silence)

Consciousness: Where am I with God? With others in my life? What am I grateful for? Is there something I am sorry for, words or actions that have hurt others, and which I now regret? I take a moment to ask forgiveness of God and of those whom I have hurt. God, I give you thanks for your constant love and care for me. Keep me always aware of your presence in my life. (2-3 minutes of silence)

OPENING PRAYER

Jesus, we talk of your coming, of your coming again. But you have never really gone away. You have been with humanity since the beginning of time, have been with us throughout history, and are with us now and forever. Help us to remember that and live in the “now” of your presence, and help us to live truly in your presence, modeling our very lives after the humility and selflessness, the forgiveness and compassion which was your true self.

COMPANIONS FOR THE JOURNEY

From “ First Impressions” a preaching service of the Southern Dominican Province:

Boy, a lot has changed in the life of John the Baptist since last Sunday’s gospel! He has been center stage for us these two middle weeks of Advent. Last week he was out in the desert, the fiery preacher and precursor for Jesus. Remember his warning about “the one who is coming” after him, the one who would have a winnowing fan in his hand to clear out all the chaff from the threshing floor and burn it in unquenchable fire? Well, that was then, in chapter 3 — this is now — in chapter 11. A lot has happened since John’s earlier preaching. Jesus has taken up his ministry of preaching and healing and John has been arrested for speaking out against Herod’s marrying Herodias, the wife of Philip, Herod’s brother. Now John is in prison and he sends his disciples to ask Jesus, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” What happened to that sure-fired preacher we met earlier? He seemed pretty sure he knew what God had in mind and what the one to come would be like. Initially John was quite taken by Jesus and when Jesus came to him to be baptized in the Jordan, John demurred, “I should be baptized by you, yet you come to me!” (Mt. 3: 14) We sense, in the question John sends through his disciples to Jesus, that John is disappointed or confused in how his successor Jesus is following the game plan John initiated. Why was it taking Jesus so long to purge the world? Where was the judgement on the world and the fire for the chaff John promised in last Sunday’s gospel? Why didn’t the religious leaders embrace Jesus? Others would have been disappointed as well. Jesus wasn’t pulling the country together along nationalistic lines, wasn’t organizing the people to fight for their freedom from the Romans. Sometimes when people go through a life-changing religious experience and they come to a deeper and more personal experience of Jesus in their lives, the initial moments are quite rosy. (Many people, when they recall their childhood faith, also have similar memories of a time when they felt they had stronger faith because they questioned less.) After a major faith awakening there is a sense of illumination, daily life takes on new meaning and having a sense of Jesus ready and present to their prayers gives a great feeling of companionship. But as life goes on, that sense of immediacy often fades, especially in the harsh light of the daily grind or at moments when we are jarred out of our routine by the harsh realities of life. Where, we ask, is Jesus now that we need him? Why isn’t he helping us solve our current problem? Isn’t our faith in him supposed to protect us from the difficulties we are now facing? Were we wrong to have put so much trust in him at the start? Faith doesn’t take the shape we think it should—or rather, if today’s gospel is any indication–Jesus doesn’t always fit our preconceptions. Besides the personal issues Christians face there are larger ones we face as a community of believers. Where is Jesus’ power in the world these days when we are experiencing so many manifestations of darker powers? What difference are we making to bring about a world of peace? Do our individual and communal efforts at reconciliation make any difference? So, we may find ourselves asking at worship today the question John raises, “Are you the one who is to come or should we look for another?” Are we being asked to trust this Advent that God is really at work in our lives, though in often less obvious or “impressive” ways? “Lead us not into temptation...” we will pray today before we receive the eucharist. Is our temptation to be disappointed in God’s pace, timing and manner of response to our urgent prayers? What answer will Jesus send back to allay John’s doubts and reinforce his faith in prison? Jesus doesn’t impatiently dismiss the emissaries from John--- and that was good news for John and comforting to us as well. We are not ignored in our faith struggles to understand who Jesus is for us at this stage of our journey. Jesus does respond to the question John sends, though at first, it seems indirect. Wouldn’t a simple “yes” or “no” have been appropriate to such an urgent question? Instead Jesus refers to Isaiah 35: 5-6 (“Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the dumb will sing.”) and 61: 1 (“God has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly, to heal the broken hearted.”) John would certainly be familiar with the prophet Isaiah’s description of the one God would send. Guided by the Jesus’ Isaiah reference, John would also have learned that Jesus was going to put aside the more militaristic messianic anticipations some of the people had and was going to be the kind of gentle messiah the prophet Isaiah had anticipated. However, Jesus did not give a thundering response to John’s question, did not draw down lighting or cause the Jordan to stop flowing to reassure John’s doubts. That would have coerced faith. Instead, John like us, was invited to draw his own conclusions and then decide whether to put faith in Jesus. John was urged to see God at work in Jesus’ reaching out to those in most need, bringing healing to the sick, forgiveness to sinners and preaching good news to all who had come to hear him. Jesus was God’s sure sign that God had heard the cry of the people and had come to address them definitively! Let’s not overly spiritualize Jesus’ statements to John’s disciples about the blind, lame, lepers, deaf and poor. They are very real among us, their numbers grow daily in the economic downturn our world is experiencing and the loss of jobs due to the terrorists’ attacks. (“Food for Survival,” one of New York City’s major food pantries just made a report that one million people, one out of eight New Yorkers rely on the city’s food pantries to help them fight hunger. NY Times, December 2, 2001) Jesus really did help the forgotten and those in need. His actions on their behalf were a proof to John that God was working through him, for they were the ones God has always shown concern for and considered precious. Though forgotten by a world distracted by war, possessions, fashion, glamor and high tech, the poor are noticed by God. Jesus is the undeniable proof.

LIVING THE GOOD NEWS

What action can you take in the next week as a response to today’s reading and discussion? Keep a private journal of your prayer/actions responses this week. Feel free to use the personal reflection questions which follow:

Reflection Questions:

What do you think is meant by the coming of Jesus into our lives?
What changes will happen?
Will you like those changes, or are you happy with the world as it is for you personally right now?

By my words and actions do people around me experience Jesus in their lives?

When have I recognized Jesus in someone who needed my help?

Am I proclaiming “good news” to the poor?
Do I encounter the poor in my life?
Do I even see the poor in my life?

In this gospel passage, John’s plans have changed and his life has taken a turn for the worse; still he has hope… For what do I hope, right here, right now?

Am I waiting for Jesus to make the blind see, the lame walk, those suffering from diseases cured, the deaf hear, the dead raised to life, and to bring good news to the poor?
Just who are the blind, the deaf, the lame, the suffering in my life?
What help or even comfort am I bringing to them?

John expected a “fire and brimstone” Jesus; instead he got a Jesus of compassion and forgiveness.
What kind of Jesus is our culture looking for?
What kind of Jesus am I looking for?

Advent is really not about waiting for the Baby Jesus to be born; the historical Jesus has come and gone. So what are we waiting for?
Are we sitting back and waiting for God to fix the messy world we inhabit?
If not God, who?

Advent clashes with the Christmas shopping season; how can we be more true to Advent with a better use of our resources, both personal and environmental?

Do we really believe that Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s plan?
Does this give us hope or cause a shiver of apprehension?

The world of John the Baptist and of Jesus was a mess, especially for the Jewish people. The rich were few but powerful, and exploited the poor. Poverty was rife, as were disease and problems caused by that poverty. The Romans were constantly rattling their sabers at the Jewish people, threatening their sovereignty and their very existence as a people. What messes are we facing as a people or individually in our own lives at this time?
Where do we find hope?

Jesus tells his disciples to go and see John in prison and tell him what they have heard and seen about Him (Jesus).
Are there peoples whom we need to tell about Jesus?
What are some of their particular prisons?
What do we say about Jesus to these peoples?

What brings the presence of Christ to us today?

CLOSING PRAYER

Don’t forget to provide some prayer time at the beginning and at the end of the session (or both), allowing time to offer prayers for anyone you wish to pray for. From Karl Rahner: Behold, you come. And your coming is neither past nor future, but the present, which has only to reach its fulfillment. Now it is the one single hour of your Advent, at the end of which we too shall have found out that you have really come. O God who is to come, grant me the grace to live, now, in the hour of your Advent, in such a way that I may merit to live in you forever, in the blissful hour of your eternity.

WEEKLY MEMORIZATION

Taken from the gospel for today’s session: What did you go out to the desert to see?

FOR THE WEEK AHEAD

Meditations:

A Meditation in the Ignatian Style/Imagination:
Imagine that you are John the Baptist, the prophet who convinced people to change their hearts in advance of the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. Now you are in prison, put there by Herod who feared your popularity among the Jewish people, (After all HE is king, and any popular figure is seen as a threat) Look around you: what is this prison like? Is it hot and stuffy or cold and damp? Is it clean or filthy? What do they feed you? How do the guards treat you? Sitting in your cell, you look back on your life, trying to piece together how you got here in the first place. So you reminisce: What was your childhood like? When did you realize that you had a special calling from God? Why did you go out into the desert and live as you did? What was with the clothes and the locusts and wild honey? Remember what it was like at the river Jordan when people came in droves to hear you preach and to be baptized. Try to imagine the arrival of the Pharisees and Sadducees on the scene. How did they react when you called them out for assuming they were special because they were descended from Abraham? Do you remember when you called them a brood of vipers? Did you seek out confrontation, or did confrontation seek you out? Jesus was all grown up and just beginning His ministry when he approached you that day by the River Jordan. When you hesitated to baptize Jesus, and when He insisted that you do so because it was what “uprightness” demanded, were you still a little reluctant to do so? Did you hear the voice from heaven calling Jesus God’s beloved, or was it only Jesus who heard? If you heard the voice of God, why, now that you are in prison, do you have such concern about what people told you that Jesus was doing and saying that you send some of you own disciples to talk to Jesus himself? Was it frustrating to be locked up and away from any ability to interact with Jesus directly? Specifically, does His message seem a little too “soft” on repentance and a little long on compassion for your taste? Do you ever hear back from your disciples? If so, what do you think about what they told you upon their return? Do you agree with what Jesus said about you? Just how DO you view Jesus? Now project yourself into our time and place where we can only know about Jesus from what others have told us. Does what I have heard give me hope? In what way am I called to advance the message of Jesus as John did? What sacrifices might Ï be called upon to make to advance the coming of the Kingdom of God?

A Meditation in the Franciscan Style/Action:
Jesus had a mission, but He is gone. Now it is our turn. Our mission, particularly this week, is to carry on the mission of Jesus. And while we cannot, perhaps, bring sight to the blind, help the lame walk, cure any lepers, restore hearing to the deaf, or raise the dead, we CAN in some way, by some concrete action, proclaim good news to those poor among us. How? We can donate money, food or clothing to a homeless shelter, we can give to Catholic Relief services, we can visit someone who is ill, or, or….

POETIC REFLECTIONS

Sparks
he late Stanford poet Denise Levertov ponders two approaches to the coming of the kingdom. Which do you prefer?

In today’s mail a poem
quotes from Ecclesiastes:
Whatsoever thy hand
findeth to do, do it with thy might:
for there is no work,
nor device,
nor knowledge,
nor wisdom,
in the grave, whither thou goest.
A letter with it
discloses, in its words and between them,
a life opening, fearful, fearless,
thousand-eyed, a field
of sparks that move swiftly
in darkness, to and from
a center. He is beginning
to live.
The threat
of world’s end is the old threat.
“Prepare
for the world to come as thou shouldst
die tomorrow” says
the Book of Delight,
and:
“Prepare for this world as thou
shouldst live forever.”

Advent Calendar by Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury
Is the poet speaking of the first coming or the second coming?

He will come like last leaf’s fall.
One night when the November wind
has flayed the trees to bone, and earth
wakes choking on the mould,
the soft shroud’s folding.
He will come like the frost.
One morning when the shrinking earth
opens on mist, to find itself
arrested in the net
of alien, sword-set beauty.
He will come like dark.
One evening when the bursting red
December sun draws up the sheet
and penny-masks its eye to yield
the star-snowed fields of sky.
He will come, will come
will come like crying in the night,
like blood, like breaking,
as the earth writhes to toss him free.
He will come like child.

By Judy Chicago
What is my part in creating “a new Eden?”

And then all that has divided us will merge

And then compassion will be wedded to power

And then softness will come to a world that is harsh and unkind
And then both men and women will be gentle

And then no person will be subject to another’s will

And then all will be rich and free and varied

And then the greed of some will give way to the needs of many
And then all will share equally in the Earth’s abundance

And then all will care for the sick and the weak and the old
And then all will nourish the young

And then all will cherish life’s creatures

And then all will live in harmony with each other and the Earth
And then everywhere will be called Eden once again.

Gaudete by Brad Reynolds, S.J.
This is called Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete means rejoice. Here is a wonderful poem for the season.

Gaudete
Because some people love you
Because of chocolate
Because pain does not last forever
Because Santa Claus is coming.
Gaudete
Because of laughter
Because there really are angels
Because your fingers fit your hands
Because forgiveness is yours for the asking
Because of children
Because of parents.
Gaudete
Because the blind see.
And the lame walk.
Gaudete
Because lepers are clean
And the deaf hear.
Gaudete
Because the dead will live again
And there is good news for the poor.
Gaudete
Because of Christmas
Because of Jesus
You rejoice.