December 15, 2025

Gaudete Sunday

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-We call the 3rd Sunday in Advent “Gaudete Sunday” which is Latin for “rejoice.” -Today the prophet Isaiah speaks of “Joy, to “Be Strong,” and to “Fear Not!” / Let us look to the future because God is real, He is here, and He is coming.

 

-Central themes during these 1st three Sundays of Advent: Awaken, Repent, and Rejoice.

 

-On the first Sunday, we heard Jesus exhort the disciples, “Stay awake!

-The second Sunday John the Baptist (preached repentance in the desert).

-Today, the third Sunday while in prison John says (Go & ask if He is the one) / John knows / John rejoices because he wants to share Jesus with others.

 

-When we repent of our sins, we rejoice because God is restoring us.

-No one is happy with unrepentant sin / There is no joy because those who refuse to repent cannot be reborn / But when we repent it leads us to happiness and to rejoice.

 

-Joy is knowing (With Jesus, we can get through anything) / He has authority over His creation / Over All things / He permits things and then brings about a greater good / When we are awake and give our stuff to Jesus we are continually born again which helps us to deal with trials and difficulties.

 

-The second reading from James anticipates one of the serious challenges for everyone who has awoken and repented and now waits: impatience / “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord.” James is addressing Christians of the dispersion (Christian Communities outside Palestine) / Some experiencing trials.

 

-James is very direct: “Be patient.” Impatience has a way of eating at our resolve, and our hope / Can lead us to depend on our self alone   Only with Jesus and being aware that we need God will we find happiness amidst a world where we will experience difficulty.

 

-Back to John the Baptist.

-Matthew tells us: “There has been none greater than John the Baptist, yet the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he.”

 

-So the greatest person in this world is less than the lowest person in Heaven.

-Let that sink in.

 

-My twist:

-Unless our works are in God do they really matter? / If I have a building or a business in my name but it is separated from God what then?

-Maybe I invented something or am famous / What does that mean in eternity?

 

-God does amazing things through us in this world / Yet in Heaven we and our works are truly perfected.

 

-Any suffering or injustices on earth will be redeemed in Heaven.

-This hope is the source of my current joy this third Sunday of Advent.

 

-Pick one historical figure that you admire: Maybe they have power, wealth, or are famous / Did something extraordinary / They are still less than the lowest person in Heaven.

 

-Our lens for this life: Let our decisions be in and through Jesus and Grace / Anything we do or create apart from God is temporary and will pass away.

 

-On this third Sunday of Advent: Let our hope be in God during our trials, and our decisions / And not focused on material things that are passing away / Be awake and Repent / Because when we are awake, repent of our sins, we can rejoice because God is restoring us / And the temporary things can have meaning as they point to the eternal things of Heaven.

 

-Our last verse is Matthew 11:11 / How to understand this language: “…there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the LEAST in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.

 

-We find in the second chapter of (The Story of a Soul, Saint Thérèse of Liseux): To explain this language of “least or greatest” / Different sized glasses and pitchers were placed on a table / Then all were filled to their capacity (to the brim) and overflowing with water / In Heaven there will be no jealousy / We will be fully content because we all will be filled to our full capacity with our Lord and overflowing with His Grace without spot or wrinkle / How awesome is that! / That gets me excited this third Sunday of Advent.

 

Vivat Jesus,

Father Vic Gournas