The third Sunday of Lent is called “Rejoice Sunday” (Gaudete Sunday) because of the nearness of the Lord. In the Gospel selection from John, we find the Baptist announcing the presence of “one in your midst whom you do not recognize”. The announcement echoes what the evangelist had previously said “He — the Light that brings Life — came unto His own, but His own received Him not…” Those did not recognize the Lord who have not heard the proclamation “Behold the Lamb of God”.
We who daily hear the proclamation of the Baptist in the Eucharist are aware of the nearness of the Lord. Thus, we rejoice because we know that the time of the Lord’s presence is a time of rejoicing.
Relevant Articles
Sunday Thoughts: Our Life, Our Confession 
The Witness of John
See also this article on the reading from Isaiah and the one from 1 Thessalonians
Guide for Reading
The gospel text offered for our reflection is a combination of passages lifted from the first chapter of John. When this is done in the liturgy, the reader is directed to the whole context from which the passages are lifted. Below is an illustration of the way the selected relates to its context. Click on the picture for a larger look.
- Study the whole John 1, and try to establish the following points (it would be a good thing to also record the verses)
- Which is the true light that gives light?
- Which is the true light tha shines on all men that are born?
- In the light of the above passages, how do you understand vv. 6-8?
- On the basis of the passage you read during the past Sunday (Mark 1:1-8), how does the gospel present the role of John the Baptist?
- You have read many things about John the Baptist in the past. Try to gather all the passages you’ve read about him and in the light of these passages, understand the dialogue in vv. 19-28
- John the Baptist applies to himself Isaiah 40:3. What does the passage from Isaiah 40 announce?
- His interlocutors mention “the Prophet” (the one like Moses, cf. Deuteronomy 18:15) and Elijah. Does the Baptist admit to being these two Last-Day Israelite figures?
- The Baptist mentions “one among you whom you do not recognize”. Who is this?
Comparing the Readings
“Gaudete Sunday” is a special day in Lent. In olden times, when fasting and abstinence was taken seriously, Gaudete Sunday marked a relaxation in the discipline of Advent. If the four Sundays of Lent are likened to the four watches of the night, the third watch (between 12-3 AM) is also the time when the cock crows, and where the horizon grows lighter. It signals then the nearness of the morn. Hence, the readings reflect this nearness. The one awaited, John the Baptist says, is “one among you whom you do not recognize”. The Baptist will later on point to Him as the Lamb of God. In the Mass, just before communion, the Lamb of God is presented to the congregation in the form of bread and wine. “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”, the presider proclaims, just as the Baptist did.
The excitement about Christ’s nearness is also evident in the selection from 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24. 1 Thessalonians is the earliest document of the early church that we now find in the Scriptures. The blessing in vv. 23-24 actually echoes the one read from 1 Corinthians 1:7-9 (Sunday 1), expressing the firm hope that the Lord will preserve His faithful until the Last Day.
Finally, in Isaiah 61, we have the words that Jesus himself used to announce the beginning of His work (cf. Luke 4). A motive for rejoicing is underlined by this Jubilee announcement. The Lord’s Day is a day for those who are poor, emarginated, unfree and oppressed. And it is a day that nears.
Suggestions for the Lesson
“There is one among you whom you do not know…”
The words of John the Baptist is cryptic to his interlocutors but not to us who are aware that the Lord comes to us daily through His “least brothers and sisters”. The time of the Lord is a time of rejoicing for those who have not had any reason to rejoice. His Time — Anno Domini — is also the time of the Church that announces in its life the hidden presence of the Lord in its midst. The Lord does not lie who has said “I will be with you always till the end of time. (Matthew 28:20)” The One we await is also the One who walks with us1.
- In the last part of Tolkien’s classic “The Lord of the Rings”, the Awaited King is also the one who has all along been fighting at the side of the Ring-bearer and his associates. This part, aptly entitled “The Return of the King” has “Advent-trimmings” that only a Catholic like J. R. R. Tolkien can add.↩
December 10th, 2008 at 5:31 pm
Kindly send me a copy of the 4th sunday of advent B tagalog missalette. We will be using it for our Filipino mass (simbang gabi)on december 20th at 7:00 PM. Thank You so much.