Dec 15 2024

First reading Zephaniah 3:14-18

The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst

Shout for joy, daughter of Zion,

Israel, shout aloud!

Rejoice, exult with all your heart,

daughter of Jerusalem!

The Lord has repealed your sentence;

he has driven your enemies away.

The Lord, the king of Israel, is in your midst;

you have no more evil to fear.

When that day comes, word will come to Jerusalem:

Zion, have no fear,

do not let your hands fall limp.

The Lord your God is in your midst,

a victorious warrior.

He will exult with joy over you,

he will renew you by his love;

he will dance with shouts of joy for you

as on a day of festival.

Responsorial Psalm Isaiah 12

Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the Lord,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.
Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.
Sing praise to the Lord for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!
Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Second reading Philippians 4:4-7

The Lord is very near

I want you to be happy, always happy in the Lord; I repeat, what I want is your happiness. Let your tolerance be evident to everyone: the Lord is very near.

There is no need to worry; but if there is anything you need, pray for it, asking God for it with prayer and thanksgiving, and that peace of God, which is so much greater than we can understand, will guard your hearts and your thoughts, in Christ Jesus.

Gospel Luke 3:10-18

‘Someone is coming who will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire’

When all the people asked John, ‘What must we do?’ he answered, ‘If anyone has two tunics he must share with the man who has none, and the one with something to eat must do the same.’ There were tax collectors too who came for baptism, and these said to him, ‘Master, what must we do?’ He said to them, ‘Exact no more than your rate.’ Some soldiers asked him in their turn, ‘What about us? What must we do?’ He said to them, ‘No intimidation! No extortion! Be content with your pay!’

A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all, ‘I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am, and I am not fit to undo the strap of his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing-fan is in his hand to clear his threshing-floor and to gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn in a fire that will never go out.’ As well as this, there were many other things he said to exhort the people and to announce the Good News to them.

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What must I do?

“When all the people asked John, ‘What must we do, then?” (The gospel). As we celebrate Gaudete Sunday, we can ask Jesus the same question, “What must I do?”. The answer is to give and share what we have with others, especially with those who are in need. This is the true spirit of Advent-Christmas. The commercial world encourages us to buy amazing gifts and decorate our homes to celebrate the festive joy. While there is nothing wrong with buying gifts and decorating our homes, we must not forget the importance of being generous to those in need. Whether through acts of kindness, spending time with someone we love or donations, we can make a difference in the lives of others. It is important to share our joy not just with close friends and family, but to touch the hearts of those who may be struggling.

One valuable gift we can share is our faith in God, who is the source of our peace and love. By our words and actions, we can invite others into a deeper relationship with God and experience His presence in their lives.

Reflective question:
What is one thing I can share with someone today?

Acknowledgment: Reflections are based on “Prayer for Living: The Word of God for Daily Prayer Year C” by Sr Maria Jose FMVD.