December 12, Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday)
Daily Readings: Zephaniah 3:14-18a, 1 Philippians 4:4-7 & Luke 3: 10-18
"Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, Jerusalem!" The passage is from the prophet Zephaniah and reflects the joy of the Visitation. Here our reflection emphasizes the visitation of God to us through the Birth of His Son, Our Lord.
What should we do?" asked the crowd to John the Baptist. It is an appropriate question for each of us. "What should I do especially in this holy and joyful Season?
"Sharing our cloaks with those who have none." Yes, many are with no clothes and even no shelter. Many homeless are to shelter themselves under the bridges and roadsides. "Whoever has food should do likewise." In time of great inequality between the rich and the hungry, it is really a time to stretch out our hands with the physical nourishment to the hungry and not take advantage of the poor.
"Stop collecting more than what is prescribed." It is also a time to kill our greed. Killing our greed and sharing go hand in hand. "Be satisfied with your wages." Running after our wants than our needs is like a person who drinks seawater and never gets satisfied. The more he drinks, the more he is thirsty. The only way to quench our thirst is to be attentive to the message of John the Baptist.
John the Baptist helps us to realize that we are to give something to those in need. Giving is a true spirit of Christmas and the Season. Christmas is about how people accept each other. The preaching of John the Baptist to us is to be generous to those who are in need. And he invites us to repentance and conversion, to become new and changed persons. Every great act counts a lot to those who are in need in any aspect.
May the Lord help us to empty ourselves after His way of life for those who need our care and service to them.
Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent. The Church calls upon the faithful to worship and hail with joy "The Lord who is now close at hand. The constant Alleluias emphasize the Joy of expectation. In the words of John the Baptist, he reminds us that the Lamb of God is even now in our midst, but we may know Him not. Joy and gladness in the promised Redemption should never be absent from the hearts of the faithful.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
