Readings: Isaiah 35:1-6a, 10; Psalm 146; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11
Grace and peace to you dear family of God’s people. Today is the Third Sunday of Advent, traditionally called Gaudete Sunday. The name comes from the first word of the Entrance Antiphon, which says, “Gaudete in Domino semper” (Rejoice in the Lord always, Philippians 4:4). The liturgy invites us to rejoice because our waiting is nearing its fulfillment and the coming of Christ is close at hand. In the midst of life’s shadows, God whispers to us today, “Rejoice, for I am near.”
The First Reading from Isaiah offers hope to the people of Judah in the 8th Century BC. They lived under the constant fear of the Assyrian empire, which had already conquered the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC. The prophet gives them a glimpse of God’s future salvation. Even though they faced hardship and even though the Babylonians would later bring more trials, God assures them, He promises to save, heal, restore and renew them. Their desolate land will blossom again and their sorrow will turn to joy. On this Gaudete Sunday, God is saying to someone here, “Your joy will return, your story is not finished, I have not and will not abandon you.”
The Second Reading from the letter of St. James balances this message. The letter is attributed to James the Just, the brother of the Lord and leader of the Church in Jerusalem (Acts 12:17; Acts 15; Galatians 1:19). Written most likely between AD 48 and 50, James addresses Jewish Christians scattered across the Roman Empire. They were facing persecution, poverty, injustice and internal division. Many were being exploited by wealthy landowners and the pressure of suffering made them irritable and divided.
James urges them: “Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord” (James 5:7). God will come through for them – joy will come. But he also warns, “Do not grumble against one another” (James 5:9). Trials often make people transfer aggression, become negative, or turn their pain against those closest to them. James is telling us: “Be patient. Do not let your suffering make you bitter, difficult and negative. Do not let the darkness around you create darkness within you.”
The Gospel shows us the inner struggles of John the Baptist. He is imprisoned by Herod Antipas for courageously condemning Herod’s unlawful marriage to Herodias. The prison was dark, isolated and cruel. John had once proclaimed boldly that Jesus was the Messiah, the Lamb of God, the one who would bring judgement and renewal. But in prison, Jesus did not come to rescue him. The silence of God felt heavy. Doubt began to creep in. So he sends his disciples to ask, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we wait for another?” (Matthew 11:3).
Jesus does not rebuke John. Instead, He points to the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy: “The blind see, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised” (Matthew 11:5; Isaiah 35:5-6). He is saying, “Yes, I am the Messiah, but my kingdom comes not with violence or political liberation but through mercy, healing and restoration.”
Then Jesus ends with a gentle but piercing beatitude:
“Blessed is the one who does not lose faith in me” (Matthew 11:6).
This is not only for John. It is for every heart that has ever felt forgotten, disappointed or imprisoned by life’s circumstances.
Perhaps today you feel like the Judeans in the First Reading, afraid of what the future may bring.
Perhaps you are like the Christians in the Second Reading, overwhelmed, treated unfairly, tempted to lose patience or hope.
Perhaps you are like John the Baptist, in a dark and lonely place, where what you hoped for has not happened and what you believed is now being tested. Maybe your marriage feels like a prison, or your vocation, your finances, your family, your health, or your future. Maybe you are starting to doubt what you once believed with joy.
On this Gaudete Sunday, let the words of Jesus echo deeply in your soul:
“Blessed is the one who does not lose faith in me.”
Let the words of St. James strengthen you:
“Be patient, do not become a bitter and negative person.”
God has not abandoned you. God is working even when you cannot see it. Joy will come, light will return.
It is this faith that can cause joy to spring up within us, even in the hardest and darkest seasons of life.
Sermon preached by Fr Emmanuel Baraka-Gukena Okami on December 14, 2025.