First Reading
The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me,
because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the poor,
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.I rejoice heartily in the LORD,
Is 61:1-2A, 10-11
in my God is the joy of my soul;
for he has clothed me with a robe of salvation
and wrapped me in a mantle of justice,
like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
like a bride bedecked with her jewels.
As the earth brings forth its plants,
and a garden makes its growth spring up,
so will the Lord GOD make justice and praise
spring up before all the nations.
Reflection
Today is Gaudete or rejoicing Sundy. It gets its name from the first line of the original Latin introit that was used for the third Sunday in Advent. Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, Gaudete. “Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice.” This simple phrase marked a shift in the tone for the congregants in those days. Up until the 9th century, Advent was a 40 day penitential season similar to Lent. It was later shortened to the 4 week period that we know today. But Gaudete Sunday was that “let your hair down” Sunday, a day to hear readings that were about things fun, to Rejoice in God.
Isaiah gives us that tone in today’s reading. This passage is from the second half of Isaiah. In the Hebrew scrolls in synagogues, it is in a scroll all by itself. This is because the tone between the writings is so different. Isaiah is telling his people it is time to go home. Rejoice! Rejoice your time in captivity on foreign soil is over look to Jerusalem the city of peace again.
Isaiah’s tone is that we should all want for in the world. We should all be proclaiming good news to the captive, healing to the brokenhearted, and glad tidings to the poor. It is after all why Jesus in his ministry echoes those lines. It’s our hallmark. To be people of good cheer, in proclaiming the word, and in doing the work we have been given to do. But many of us like the Israelites remain of a mentality of “the captive.” Captive to the four walls of the church for service, captive to our own limitations, captive to our inability to trust in God.
Isaiah’s call is to not be limited but to be limitless in our commitments, and our trust in God and each other in ministry.
Food for Thought:
What ways have you been captive?
What has held you back from answering the call of God?
What has God given you to rejoice about?
All of these are great points to reflect and meditate on this day. And I pray that they help direct you to the coming year and the coming of the Christ Child. God Bless+
The Rev. Fr Matthew Schnabel, nFCM
Sts Francis and Clare Parish
Wilton Manors,FL
Assistant Pastor.
Advent Retreat 