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Showing posts with the label Gaudete Sunday

Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, December 15, 2019, Year A (Gaudete Sunday)

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Fr. Charles Irvin Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for Sunday’s readings ) “Are you the one who is to come, or do we look for another?” As you live out life as a Christian, trying to make the life of Jesus a reality in your own life, many are going to be observing you. In key moments, some people are going to be looking to you for help, hope maybe you’ll be their salvation, their way out. Very indirectly, perhaps very quietly, or perhaps quite directly, they might ask you: ARE YOU THE ONE WHO CAN HELP ME… WHO CAN BRING ME SALVATION IN THIS MESS… OR DO I LOOK FOR ANOTHER? You are a Christian. You openly and publicly bear the name of Christ… and you do it for all to see. You identify yourself as a Catholic. You attend Mass… receive the Sacraments. As a result people are going to look at you… to examine your actions… to look into your life. And they will ask you questions about why you are a Catholic. You have been baptized. You have been confirmed. As we heard John the Baptist de

Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent, December 17, 2017, Year B

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Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for today’s readings ) The third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete Sunday.” It comes from the first word of the “Entrance antiphon” or “Introit” of the Mass. “Gaudete” is Latin for “rejoice,” and the text of the antiphon is from Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!” It appears in a shorter form in today’s second reading: “Rejoice always.” More on this later. Television shows have gone through many fads and phases. There was the age of quiz shows, the age of westerns, of variety shows, of situation comedies, of detectives, and so on. Today we are in the age of “reality shows.” They are of two types. There are those where we simply observe people: litigants in small claims court, women buying a wedding dress, survivalists, home buyers, you name it. Others are competitions, in which each week someone wins and someone i

Advent Reflection Week Three: "The Lord is Near"

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As Christmas draws ever closer, holy Mother Church emphasizes the joy which should reside in our hearts over the birth of our Lord and Savior. The greatest joy of Christians is to see the day drawing near when the Lord will come again in His glory to lead the faithful into His kingdom. The oft-repeated Veni (Come) of the Advent season is an echo not only of the prophets but also of the conclusion of John's Revelations: "Come, Lord Jesus," the last words of the New Testament. The beautiful passage from this Sunday’s Gospel recalls the forerunner of Christ: “A man named John was sent from God. He came for testimony, to testify to the light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.” John the Baptist’s role as the harbinger of salvation was no accident. His was indeed, the "voice crying out in the wilderness", foretold by the prophets, who urged repentance and proclaimed to the world the imminence of the Mes

Homily for the Third Sunday of Advent, December 11, 2016, Year A (Gaudete Sunday)

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Fr. René J. Butler, M.S. Provincial Superior, La Salette Missionaries of North America Hartford, Connecticut ( Click here for today’s readings ) We are in Cycle A of the Sunday readings, in which the majority of the Gospel readings are from Matthew. In a few weeks we will be reading his account of Jesus’ Baptism. “Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?” That was chapter 3 of Matthew. Today’s Gospel is from chapter 11. John needs to know: “Are you the one?” Strange, isn’t it? He knew him then. How can he now have doubts? What has changed is that John is now in prison! It would appear that this was not what he expected. Jesus’ answer is in two parts: 1.) Look around you. Everything prophesied in Isaiah 35 is being fulfilled—and more besides! 2.) Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me. What we have here is a beatitude! (There are many beati

Homily for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, December 11, 2016, Year A (Gaudete Sunday)

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Fr. Charles Irvin Senior Priest Diocese of Lansing ( Click here for today’s readings ) “Are you the one who is to come, or do we look for another?” As you live out life as a Christian, trying to make the life of Jesus a reality in your own life, many are going to be observing you. In key moments, some people are going to be looking to you for help, hope maybe you’ll be their salvation, their way out. Very indirectly, perhaps very quietly, or perhaps quite directly, they might ask you: ARE YOU THE ONE WHO CAN HELP ME… WHO CAN BRING ME SALVATION IN THIS MESS… OR DO I LOOK FOR ANOTHER? You are a Christian. You openly and publicly bear the name of Christ… and you do it for all to see. You identify yourself as a Catholic. You attend Mass… receive the Sacraments. As a result people are going to look at you… to examine your actions… to look into your life. And they will ask you questions about why you are a Catholic. You have been baptized. You have been confirmed. As we heard