The Third Sunday of Advent Year B Readings, Lectionary #8 Begin in prayer Spend a few moments in prayer before reading the Scripture. Ask the Lord to let his Word speak to your heart. Lord, let your Spirit be upon me, for you have anointed me to bring glad tidings to my brothers and sisters. May all of us who are poor be made rich in your love. Be with me now, Holy Spirit, as I prepare my homily for next weekend. Guide my words and my life to reflect the joy you bring. Amen. Liturgical Context While repentance is still an Advent theme as the Baptist continues throughout the season to call us to conversion, the Third Sunday of Advent is a transition point in our waiting we look with joy toward the incarnation of God s Son. We are almost there, but not yet. We call this Sunday Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete (rejoice) is the first word uttered in the entrance antiphon for today s liturgy. Advent is a time not just of expectant waiting but also of profound renewal. We wait in joy for the coming of our Savior Jesus Christ. Approach the Text Read the Scripture for this Sunday several times. Let its words and phrases truly affect you. Use the Lectio Divina method (available from PastoralPlanning.com as part of this homily kit) to allow the Word to fill your heart and excite you about the homily you are preparing. Begin by reading through all the readings for this weekend.
FIRST READING: Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11 The Lord has sent me to announce a year of favor. Today s reading looks to the future day of the Lord. Anointing in this reading conveys empowerment for preaching and hearing God s word. It conveys receptivity to God s word. Anointing strengthens the people to be hearers and doers of God s Word as St. James said. Isaiah is announcing God s saving work for all people. Due to Isaiah s prophetic word the people believed they stood on the threshold of the fulfillment of God s definitive action in human history. The salvation envisioned by the prophet promised to impact the spiritual, personal and communal lives of the people. The people will be led from their captivity; no longer will any earthly power bind them. The year of favor referred to the future year of jubilee the year of the Messiah. The time in which debts are forgiven and all things are either renewed or made new. The bottom line for Isaiah? God loves his people Israel. There is great reason to be joyful. God will deliver the people just as he did in the desert; just as he promised when he forged the covenant with the Israelites at Mount Sinai. God will be their God and they will be God s people. God will care for his people. Christians look at this text and relate it to the coming of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, Lord and Savior of the world. The year of favor for Christians is the year in which the incarnation of God s own Son took center stage in human history. The poor then must rejoice; their vindication is at hand. No longer will they be bowed down and oppressed. The poor must stand humbly before the God who loves them. They have every reason to rejoice as they are God s special children and God will care for them as only a Father cares for his children. For your reflection: When you look at the poor in today s world, does it seem as though Isaiah s prophecy regarding them has been fulfilled? If by all appearances that does not seem to be the case (they are still oppressed and downtrodden) what is the point of this word and how can we possibly see Good News in this reading? Keep in mind as you prepare your homily that this reading also looks to the future, final day of the Lord the consummation of the world, when all things are brought together in Christ. Perhaps the poor in their waiting to be released from oppression teach us something about hope and the power of waiting, waiting for God to act definitively on their behalf. What evidence is there in the world that our hope is not futile that we can trust in God s saving power? Can you raise up this hope this week in your homily? What is the bottom line message for Isaiah? Preparing the Homily Mary Birmingham PastoralPlanning.com Page 2
SECOND READING: 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 In all circumstances give thanks. Paul reminds the Thessalonian community that every Christian must rejoice in the Lord. There is good reason to rejoice and to place our hope in Christ. Paul exhorts his community to be joyful. Joy is a fruit of the Holy Spirit when a person is living a life in the shadow of God s Holy Spirit that person can be nothing less than joyful. As we wait for the day of the Lord we are reminded that when that day comes we will enter into Christ s own glory such is the greatest reason of all to rejoice. Joy no matter what befalls us is borne out of hope that the Lord will act as the Lord has promised. Hope never fails. Paul calls his community to holiness. Holiness is borne out of selfless acts of charity, prayer and joy borne from living a Spirit-filled life. God does the saving and sanctifying, we must be willing receptors. We must cooperate with God s saving grace. For your reflection: What reason is there in your life to be joyful? What does hope mean to you? Are you a hope-filled person? What gives you the greatest joy when you consider your life in Christ? GOSPEL: John 1:6-8, 19-28 John was not the light, but came to testify to the light. John gives us a glimpse of the eternity to which we are all destined as he begins his Gospel: In the beginning was the Word John was sent to witness to Christ who is the Light. Messianic fever at the time of Jesus was rampant. The people believed the time was ripe and the stage was set for the arrival of the special Son of Man a savior of the people a messiah foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament. The people looked forward to God s anointed one to come and save the people. In addition to the expected Son of Man figure, another figure was also mentioned Isaiah s Servant of the Lord. The Lord s Servant was closely associated with the Son of Man but was not actually believed to be the actual Messiah. The Servant to come would be a Light to the nations showing that God s saving message was not just for the Israelites but for the entire world. Jesus saw himself in that image. He was Isaiah s Suffering Servant who came to be the Light and dispel the darkness that covered the earth. Preparing the Homily Mary Birmingham PastoralPlanning.com Page 3
The Baptist makes one very clear point. Jesus is the savior; he, John, is not. John is the messenger and witness to the savior. The intention of John the evangelist is to identify the witnesses to Jesus, the Light. John the Baptist was the first witness followed by the woman of Samaria, followed by Jesus own words about himself. The evangelist also points out that the Old Testament prophets witnessed to the advent of the Christ (as we see today s reading from the prophet Isaiah). Witness and testimony about Christ are the vehicles for bringing people to faith in Christ. It is important to remember that John the Baptist s work was conditioned by time his witness would end. Jesus work on the other hand will last throughout eternity. Like the Baptist, Christians are to recognize that we too are unfit to tie his sandals. Disciples of the Lord are to humble themselves before the Lord and continue to establish his reign on earth as they await his second coming. For your reflection: On this Gaudete Sunday, this day of rejoicing, name all the reasons in your life that you should be joyful. How often do you thank God for these great gifts? Do you spend more time thanking God for his gifts God has given you or complaining about the gifts you wished you had? You may want to weave in elements from Pope Francis The Joy of the Gospel this week. If witness and testimony according to John are the best ways to bring people to faith in Christ, when was the last time you witnessed to God s action in your life to another person? If you are uncomfortable with such witnessing, what would it take to make you comfortable? Build such witness into your homily so that your people can grow in their faith by witnessing yours. Who might God be calling you to witness to? Who needs to hear the Good News of God s love and salvation? It may well be those on the edge of parish life who do not feel fully welcome in your pews. Take an inward glance Think about how the call to holiness is embedded in this week s liturgy: * [Isaiah] "Announce a year of favor from the Lord." Has the Jubilee Year of the third millennium been announced as a "year of favor"? What specific favors are you hoping for in this special year of grace? * [Psalm] "He has looked upon his lowly servant." What, particularly, makes you feel like a "lowly servant" as you go about your ministerial tasks? What is it about your lowliness that the Lord has "looked upon"? What do you most appreciate about being "lowly" for the Lord? Preparing the Homily Mary Birmingham PastoralPlanning.com Page 4
* [1 Thessalonians] "Do not quench the Spirit." Try to be honest about your personal and ministerial life: in what little ways have you, perhaps, quenched the Spirit's power in you? Has the institutional Church inadvertently quenched your own enthusiasm--how has it failed to recognize, or capitalize on, your gifts? * "He came for testimony." Is this why you have come? What testimony can you give? If you were standing in the witness box, and sworn to give answer, what kind of witness would you be for God? * "Who are you?" Indeed, who are you, really? Deep down inside, are you more like a timid kitten or a roaring lion? When you look in the mirror, who do you see? When you do an examination of conscience, what do you discover? * "What do you have to say for yourself?" If you were standing in the witness box, what kind of witness would you be for you? If you were to ask your closest friends for their estimation of you, how would it differ from your own? Take an outward glance Think about how the call to holiness is embedded in the daily experiences of the people to whom you will be speaking: * [Isaiah] "To heal the brokenhearted." Who are the brokenhearted in your parish- -and what, or who, has broken their hearts? What needs to be done for them? In what situations that are resistant to the Lord's healing do some of your parishioners live? * [1 Thessalonians] "Test everything; retain what is good." How successful, do you suppose, are most of your brothers and sisters in this task? If some of your parishioners are less than fully successful, what have they failed to test accurately? * "To testify to the light." Name some of the members of your liturgical assembly who could "testify to the light" even more eloquently than you. Who are the prophets in your midst? * "There is one among you...." Do you suppose that your sisters and brothers easily locate the Lord among them, or do they find God more distant, more lofty? What can you and the other parochial ministers do to assist those who feel that the Lord is far off? Speaking of Scripture Preparing the 8-minute homily The Lord is true to his promises. This week's inward and outward glances have, perhaps, been an opportunity for self-examination: what kind of witness are you to the Lord's faithfulness? Try to preach a homily this Sunday that engenders rejoicing in the hearts of the assembly--the Light has come into the world and we can be his witnesses! Pope Francis reminds us that when we turn to Christ, we will not be disappointed. Christ is waiting for us. His arms are open, no matter how sinful or absent we have been. Offer your people this hope and they will rejoice, indeed! Preparing the Homily Mary Birmingham PastoralPlanning.com Page 5
Timing Homily notes Memo 30 seconds Greet everyone and say one thing to connect with what is on the mind of the community news, weather, sports, parish events, visitors, a special group which is present, or other. Humor is good here. God is sending his love through you to your listeners. 1-2 minutes Tell a story or provide an image that will fire the imagination of your listeners. Do not launch into a treatment of the readings. This image or story must be one that is easy to understand by everyone, young and old. Avoid using standard jokes here. Instead, as you prepare the homily, what comes to mind as illustrative of the message in the readings? 3-4 minutes Connect that image now to the message in today s readings. Again, avoid providing commentary on the readings or exegesis which is disconnected from your image. You want people to remember what you say and take it home. What hope does the message today offer to your listeners? 1-2 minutes Return to the liturgy. Gesture toward the altar and say, Let s come back here now to this liturgy You re setting the stage for what will follow. Make a quick connection between the message today and the Eucharist. 30 second Thank your listeners and end on a very positive note. Keep this very short. It takes any group of people a few seconds to get used to the sound of your voice in a room and this is a way to begin that will help your listeners hear you. Again, make sure this stays brief. The point of the homily is not you or your story but the Word of God and this image or story is a way to set the stage for that. Make two or three quick points here. Remember that the message must fit into the lives of the people in front of you. How will celebrating Eucharist and receiving communion change you and your listeners? How will it help them incorporate the message of today s readings into their daily lives? Sit down. Conclude in prayer To conclude your preparation, think about the community for whom you ve just prepared to preach or teach, and spend a few moments in prayer. Lord God almighty, you have done great things and holy is your Name. Have mercy on us all, fill us with good things and remember your promise of mercy. I open myself to the wisdom you alone can give as I prepare my homily. Amen. Preparing the Homily Mary Birmingham PastoralPlanning.com Page 6