Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, Year A
Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10; Psalm 146; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11: 2-11,
“Joy That Finds Us”
Friends!
On this Gaudete Sunday—Rejoice Sunday—the readings proclaim a truth our weary world often forgets: God’s joy does not wait for perfect circumstances; it breaks into the desert places of our lives.
Isaiah speaks of a wilderness bursting into bloom, weak hands strengthened, and fearful hearts told, “Be strong, do not fear!” That is not poetry about a distant future—it is the promise that God enters our dryness, our waiting, our questions, and transforms them from within.
In the Gospel, John the Baptist—God’s fiery prophet—finds himself in prison, struggling, perhaps for the first time, with doubt. And Jesus does not rebuke him. Instead, He sends back proof of hope:
“The blind see, the lame walk, the poor have the Good News proclaimed to them.”
In other words: Joy is already happening. God is already moving. Even if you can’t see it yet.
James tells us to be patient like a farmer who waits for rain—not with passivity, but with trust. Advent joy is not a feeling we create; it is a truth we receive. It comes from knowing that God is near, that healing is underway, and that love is stronger than whatever prisons we find ourselves in.
Today, as we light the rose candle, the Church whispers to every discouraged heart:
“Joy is closer than you think. Christ is already on the way.”
Three Outstanding Takeaways:
1. Joy is not the absence of struggle—it is God’s presence in the struggle.
Like John in prison, you can feel confined and still receive hope.
2. God is already at work in hidden ways.
Even deserts bloom slowly; look for small signs of life.
3. Patience is not waiting passively—it is trusting actively.
A farmer prepares the soil; disciples prepare their hearts.
May this Gaudete Sunday awaken in us the quiet, steady joy that comes from knowing God is near, and Christ is on His way to us—even now.
Have a splendid day!
