REJOICE! THE LORD IS NEAR
Rejoicing in God our saviour
The readings on this Gaudete (Rejoice!) Sunday are full of encouragement, resonating with joyful hope as we draw closer to the birthday of Jesus: God’s Son coming to live among us. Isaiah, Mary, and John the Baptist all bear joyful witness to what God has done and will do for his people.
Isaiah in the First reading announces the coming of the anointed one: a cause for rejoicing. He will bring freedom, healing and good news to the people. Images of clothing bodies and growing seeds celebrate God’s activity in the world and in our lives.
Mary’s Magnificat in the Psalm is a joyful song of praise to God, her Saviour who is rich in mercy. St Paul I the Second reading encourages us to be guided by the Holy Spirit in all that we do; we are to give thanks for all things to God, and to pray constantly. Paul urges us to be happy always, because Christ is faithful to his promise and will not fail us.
The focus of the Gospel is John the Baptist, who bears witness, testifying to the true identity of ‘the light’: Jesus himself. John answers the priests’ questions about his own identity and ministry, then announces that the Saviour they seek, Jesus, is already among them, though ‘unknown to them’.
Source: Excerpted from the Scripture reflection courtesy of St Beuno’s Outreach in the Diocese of Wrexham, UK available at www.australiancatholics.com.au