3rd Sunday of Advent Year C – Gaudete Sunday
Sunday December 15, 2024
Mass Readings for the 3rd Sunday of Advent Year C – Gaudete Sunday
- First Reading – Zephaniah 3:14-18A: “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.”
- Responsorial Psalm – Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6: “Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.”
- Second Reading – Philippians 4:4-7: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!”
- Gospel – Luke 3:10-18: “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.”
Themes for the 3rd Sunday of Advent Year C
The readings for the 3rd Sunday of Advent Year C (Gaudete Sunday) encourage us to rejoice at the new life being offered to us through Jesus Christ. In the first reading we hear that the Messiah is a mighty savior who will bring joy and love. In the second reading Paul tells us to rejoice for the Lord is near. And in the gospel, John the Baptist tells his followers that a great savior is coming.
- The Incarnation
- The call to repentance
- Humility
- Preparing for the Lord
See the Homilies and Reflections section and the More Thoughts section for further expansion on these readings and some reflection questions for the 3rd Sunday of Advent Year C.
Resources for the 3rd Sunday of Advent Year C
What Should We Do? – A Lesson Plan on Advice
This What Should We Do lesson plan on advice will help youth understand that we must go to a trustworthy source when we are seeking answers to our questions.
Give Me Discerning Eyes
Give Me Discerning Eyes is a prayer which asks for God’s grace in seeing His will for us and understanding our own hearts. And then it asks us to be able to help others see.
Know It All Game
In this game you test the knowledge of youth in various categories. Play several rounds and then total up the points to see which team has more members who Know It All.
Advent Ideas for the 3rd Sunday of Advent Year C
Why Linus Drops His Blanket in A Charlie Brown Christmas
A Charlie Brown Christmas emphasizes the religious nature of the Christmas holiday. But did you ever notice that Linus drops his blanket during the show?
Pray the O Antiphons
The “O Antiphons” are part of the evening prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours for December 17 to December 23. In them, Old Testament imagery is used to proclaim the coming of the Christ child. Incorporate them into your family prayer this advent.
Make Some Christmas Ornaments and Give Them Away
Today, make some Christmas ornaments together and give them away. Bring a little light and cheer into somebody else’s Advent by letting them know you are thinking of them. While any recipient would do, this would be an especially nice Advent activity to do for an elderly neighbor or
Sing Some Christmas Carols
While still in Advent, sing some well known carols which focus on the coming of the Christ Child and the mystery of the Incarnation.
Homilies and Reflections for the 3rd Sunday of Advent Year C
Expectation
Jeff Cavins discusses how the people respond to the teaching of John the Baptist and his call to repentance.
Baptism in the Holy Spirit
From Bishop Robert Barron. To be baptized in the Holy Spirit is to be immersed in the ocean of the divine love. When we are dipped into this reality, we become capable of something that neither Aristotle nor Plato nor the Founding Fathers nor the prophets themselves dreamed possible: we can love with the very love of God.
Rejoice Always!
From Bishop Robert Barron. The destruction Zephaniah predicts is seen in the destruction of the body of Jesus on the cross. But God turns this destruction into victory.
What Do We Do?
From Scott Hahn. We can be joyful and fearless because we know the Good News. God is coming to be among us! Continue reading.
More Thoughts for the 3rd Sunday of Advent Year C
Jesus brings change. “His winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor…” “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
Some of us feel very comfortable with the status quo. It is working for us. We feel secure and comfortable. Some of us welcome change. We live in poverty and do not know where our next meal is coming from. Some of us are somewhere in the middle, thinking change would be good, but not wanting to disturb what we already have.
We might hold on to our gifts, wanting to secure or improve our positions. But God dreams of something bigger. His imagination reveals a world where our social structures strive to ensure that everyone has what they need. This is a good time to consider if we are participating in systems which exploit people or seek to lift them up.
Reflection Questions for the 3rd Sunday of Advent Year C
- Where am I on the spectrum from secure to insecure in meeting my daily needs?
- How can we change social structures so that everyone’s needs are met?
- How can I use what I have been given to bring about change?
- Am I ready to give an accounting to our Lord today?
Quotes and Social Media Graphics for the 3rd Sunday of Advent Year C
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.
Zephaniah 3:16-18
God became man to turn creatures into sons; not simply to produce better men of the old kind but to produce a new kind of man.
C. S. Lewis
“What should we do?” With this question, the Gospel of the day reminds us that life has a task for us. Life is a gift that the Lord grants us, saying to us: discover who you are, and work hard to make the dream that is your life come true!
Pope Francis
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