Liturgical Leaflet for an Active Participation in the Celebration of the Eucharist

11 December 2016 3rd Sunday of Advent Year A

NATIONAL ANTI-HUMAN TRAFFICKING SUNDAY

Rejoice! The Lord Is Coming!

O
n this Third Sunday of Advent “Gaudete Sunday” – St.
Paul invites us to rejoice. He reminds us to remove
from our hearts all anxiety and fear, for the Lord is
near. In the Gospel, St. John the Baptist exhorts us to be gen-
erous, fair and service-minded.
These are attitudes that make our preparation for Christ-
mas practical and fruitful. In this season of joyful expectation,
we ever more open our hearts to welcome the Lord Jesus.
Such is the basic disposition he needs to find in us so that he
may bring about in us that radical renewal we are all yearning
for.
Today, the second Sunday of December, we also cele-
brate Anti-Human Trafficking Sunday. In our world, modern forms of slavery exist, putting men, wom-
en, and children in oppressive situations of forced labor and sexual exploitation. We offer all Masses in
the Philippines today for all victims, as we pray and work for an end to human trafficking.

P – Lord Jesus, you came to

Entrance Antiphon
(To be recited only when no Entrance
Hymn is sung.)
Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the
Lord is near.
Greeting
P – Blessed be the Lord who
invites us to rejoice in him. May
his grace and peace be with you
all!
All – And with your spirit!
Penitential Act
P –As we prepare to celebrate
the sacred mysteries on this third
Sunday of Advent, let us call to
mind our sins. (Pause)
P –Lord Jesus, you came to
bring glad tidings to the
poor. Lord, have mercy!
All – Lord, have mercy!
heal the broken-hearted.
Christ, have mercy!
All – Christ, have mercy!
P – Lord Jesus, you came to
proclaim liberty to those
who are slaves of sin. Lord,
have mercy!
All – Lord, have mercy!
P – May almighty God have
mercy on us, forgive us our sins,
and bring us to everlasting life.
All – Amen!
Collect (Opening Prayer)
P –O God, who see how your
people faithfully await the feast
of the Lord’s Nativity, enable us,
we pray, to attain the joys of so
great a salvation and to celebrate
them always with solemn wor-
ship and glad rejoicing.
Through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of
the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever
and ever.
All – Amen!
1st Reading Is 35:1-6.10
The desert will bloom with
flowers, the eyes of the blind will
see . . . . Things deemed impos-
sible do happen when the Lord
intervenes. Such is the heart-
ening message of the prophet
Isaiah as he contemplates the
coming of the Messiah.
R – A proclamation from the
Book of the Prophet Isaiah
The desert and the parched
land will exult; the steppe will
rejoice and bloom. They will
bloom with abundant flowers,
and rejoice with joyful song.
The glory of Lebanon will be
given to them, the splendor of
Carmel and Sharon. They will
see the glory of the Lord, the
splendor of our God.
Strengthen the hands
that are feeble, make firm the
knees that are weak. Say to
those whose hearts are fright-
ened: Be strong, fear not! Here
is your God, he comes with
vindication; with divine rec-
ompense he comes to save you.
Then will the eyes of the
blind be opened, the ears of the
deaf be cleared. Then will the
lame leap like a stag, then the
tongue of the mute will sing.
Those whom the Lord has ran-
somed will return and enter
Zion singing, crowned with
everlasting joy. They will meet
with joy and gladness, sorrow
and mourning will flee.
The Word of the Lord!
All – Thanks be to God!
Responsorial Psalm Ps 146
R – Lord, come and save us!
* The Lord God keeps faith
forever, secures justice for the
oppressed, gives food to the
hungry. The Lord sets captives
free. R.
* The Lord gives sight to the
blind; the Lord raises up those
who were bowed down. The
Lord loves the just; the Lord
protects strangers. R.
* The fatherless and the
widow he sustains, but the way
of the wicked he thwarts. The
Lord shall reign forever; your
God, O Zion, through all gen-
erations. R.
2nd Reading Jas 5:7-10
Patient waiting for the ful-
fillment of God’s promises is the
virtue we should learn both from
the farmers and the prophets of
old. The Lord will never renege
on his promises, St. James as-
sures us in this brief passage.
R – A proclamation from the
Letter of James
Brothers and sisters:
Be patient until the coming
of the Lord. See how the farm-
er waits for the precious fruit
of the earth, being patient with
11 December 2016
it until it receives the early and
the late rains.
You, too, must be patient.
Make your hearts firm be-
cause the coming of the Lord
is at hand. Do not complain,
brothers and sisters, about one
another, that you may not be
judged. Behold, the Judge is
standing before the gates. Take
as an example of hardship and
patience, brothers and sisters,
the prophets who spoke in the
name of the Lord.
The Word of the Lord!
All – Thanks be to God!
Gospel Acclamation Is 61:1
All – Alleluia! Alleluia!
The Spirit of the Lord is
upon me, because he has
anointed me to bring glad
tidings to the poor.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Gospel Mt 11:2-11
“Is Jesus the awaited Mes-
siah?” Such was the question
asked by John the Baptist. Jesus
answered it by mentioning some
of the miracles he had been per-
forming. They were signs that he
was, indeed, the Messiah who
heals and gives hope to all the
afflicted.
P –The Lord be with you!
All –And with your spirit!
P – A proclamation from the
holy Gospel according to
Matthew
All – Glory to you, O Lord!
When John the Baptist
heard in prison of the works
of the Christ, he sent his dis-
ciples to Jesus with this ques-
tion, “Are you the one who is
to come, or should we look for
another?” Jesus said to them in
reply, “Go and tell John what
you hear and see: the blind
regain their sight, the lame
walk, lepers are cleansed, the
deaf hear, the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good
news proclaimed to them. And
blessed is the one who takes no
offense at me.”
As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the
crowds about John: “What did
you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to
see? Someone dressed in fine
clothing? Those who wear fine
clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out? To
see a prophet? Yes, I tell you,
and more than a prophet. This
is the one about whom it is writ-
ten: ‘Behold, I am sending my
messenger ahead of you; he will
prepare your way before you.’
Amen, I say to you, among
those born of women there has
been none greater than John
the Baptist; yet the least in the
kingdom of heaven is greater
than he.”
The Gospel of the Lord!
All – Praise to you, Lord Jesus
Christ!
Homily
Profession of Faith
(Nicene Creed)
All –I believe in one God, the
Father almighty, maker of heaven
and earth, of all things visible and
invisible.
I believe in one Lord Jesus
Christ, the Only Begotten Son of
God, born of the Father before all
ages. God from God, Light from
Light, true God from true God,
begotten, not made, consubstan-
tial with the Father; through him
all things were made. For us men
and for our salvation he came
down from heaven, (bow)* and
by the Holy Spirit was incarnate
of the Virgin Mary, and became
man.* For our sake he was cru-
cified under Pontius Pilate, he
suffered death and was buried,
and rose again on the third day in
accordance with the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven and is
seated at the right hand of the
Father. He will come again in
glory to judge the living and the
dead and his kingdom will have
no end.
I believe in the Holy Spirit,
the Lord, the giver of life, who
proceeds from the Father and the
Son, who with the Father and the
Son is adored and glorified, who
has spoken through the prophets.
I believe in one, holy, catholic
and apostolic Church. I confess
one Baptism for the forgiveness
of sins and I look forward to the
resurrection of the dead and the
life of the world to come. Amen!
 Prayer of the Faithful
P –As we look confidently
to the fulfillment of the Lord’s
promises, let us submit to Him
some of the most pressing prob-
lems of these days. Trusting fully
in His omnipotent love, we say:
All – Father of all consolation,
hear us!
C –For the Catholic faithful all
over the world: May the obser-
vance of the Advent season be a
source of grace and hope as we
look forward to the celebration
of our Lord’s Birthday. Let us
pray! R.
C –For the Holy Father and all
other spiritual leaders: May they
arouse in us confidence and opti-
mism as they strive to answer the
many challenges of our times.
Let us pray! R.
C –For all those who feel con-
fused and are not able to see
meaning in what they do or suf-
fer: May our unfeigned charity
give them the enlightenment and
affirmation they need. Let us
pray! R.
C –For all those who are fol-
lowing the false messiahs of
profit, popularity, pleasure,
and power: May they realize
that only Jesus can fully satisfy
their deepest aspirations. Let us
pray! R.
C –For all the victims of the war
and other forms of violence in
Iraq, Palestine, Israel, Syria, and
other parts of the world: May the
spirit of brotherly love brought
by Jesus Christ be for them a
source of consolation and salva-
tion. Let us pray! R.
C – For all victims of human
trafficking: May they find hope
and inspiration in the life of St.
Josephine Bakhita, who was
also a victim like them but found
healing and new life in Jesus. Let
us pray! R.
C – For the leaders of our coun-
try and the world: May they
make serious efforts to bring to
justice all human traffickers and
put an end to this modern-day
slavery. Let us pray! R.
C –For all of us: As Pope Francis
has pleaded, may we not “look
the other way” and instead care
and do our share in fighting hu-
man trafficking and all forms of
exploitation and abuse. Let us
pray! R.
C –Let us pray in silence for our
intentions and needs. (Pause)
Let us pray! R.
P –God our Father, look with
compassion at the many forms
of suffering that afflict mankind
today. Make us experience the
healing presence of Your Son Je-
sus, for he alone is our hope and
salvation, and lives and reigns
forever and ever.
All – Amen!
Preparation of the Gifts
P – Pray, brethren . . .
All – May the Lord accept the
sacrifice at your hands, for the
praise and glory of his name,
for our good and the good of all
his holy Church.
Prayer over the Offerings
P –May the sacrifice of our
worship, Lord, we pray, be of-
fered to you unceasingly, to com-
plete what was begun in sacred
mystery and powerfully accom-
plish for us your saving work.
Through Christ our Lord.
All – Amen!
Preface of Advent l
P –The Lord be with you!
All –And with your spirit!
P –Lift up your hearts!
All – We lift them up to the Lord!
P –Let us give thanks to the
Lord our God!
All –It is right and just!
P – It is truly right and just,
our duty and our salvation, al-
ways and everywhere to give you
thanks, Lord, holy Father, al-
mighty and eternal God, through
Christ our Lord.
For he assumed at his first
coming the lowliness of human
flesh, and so fulfilled the design
you formed long ago, and opened
for us the way to eternal salva-
tion, that, when he comes again
in glory and majesty and all is at
last made manifest, we who watch
for that day may inherit the great
promise in which now we dare to
hope.
And so, with Angels and
Archangels, with Thrones and
Dominions, and with all the
hosts and Powers of heaven, we
sing the hymn of your glory, as
without end we acclaim:
All – Holy, holy, holy . . .
Memorial Acclamation
P –The mystery of faith!
All –Save us, Savior of the
world, for by your Cross and
Resurrection you have set us
free.
All – Our Father . . .
P –Deliver us, Lord . . .
All –For the kingdom, the
power, and the glory are
yours, now and for ever.
Sign of Peace
Breaking of the Bread
All – Lamb of God . . .
Communion
P –Behold the Lamb of God,
behold him who takes away the
sins of the world. Blessed are
those called to the supper of the
Lamb.
All –Lord, I am not worthy
that you should enter under
my roof, but only say the word
and my soul shall be healed.
Communion Antiphon
(To be recited only when no Com-
munion Hymn is sung.)
Say to the faint of heart: Be
strong and do not fear. Behold,
our God will come, and he will
save us.
Prayer after Communion
P –We implore your mercy,
Lord, that this divine sustenance
may cleanse us of our faults and
prepare us for the coming feasts.
Through Christ our Lord.
All – Amen!
3rd Sunday of Advent (A)

P –The Lord be with you.
All – And with your spirit!
P –May almighty God bless
you: the Father, and the
Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All – Amen!
P –Go in peace, glorifying the
Lord by your life!
All – Thanks be to God!
“Rejoice!”
Jess P. Balon
“R
ejoice! I say it again: Re-
joice!” proclaims today’s
entrance antiphon, echo-
ing the invitation addressed by
the apostle Paul to the Christians
of Philippi about 1,950 years ago.
How could anyone realistically
tell people to rejoice at a time
when so many human beings, in
the so-called “civilized world” of
the Roman Empire, were slaves
of a relatively small minority which
treated them as “things” or, at
best, as animals, without dignity or
rights? How could anyone rejoice
in a society in which vices and
perversions of all sorts were glori-
fied, and a cruel Roman emperor
delighted in having the bodies of
Christians covered with bitumen,
set on fire to light up his immense
garden with those human torches
in the deep night of his seemingly
bottomless depravity?
Was not Paul
aware of all these
things? For sure he
was, for he knew all
too well the world in
which he lived. And
if he was aware of
those horrible things,
how could he shout
to the four winds,
“Rejoice!” which sounded almost
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like a senseless battle cry? His
reason was only one: “The Lord
is near!”
That thought alone was enough
for him to feel full of hope, in spite
of so much evil around him.
It was enough to make him feel
sure that better days were com-
ing when injustice, mourning, and
death would be wiped out forever,
and the peace which surpasses all
human understanding and yearn-
ing would fill the hearts of all those
who believe.
The “nearness” of the Lord
which Paul had in mind was the
one promised by Christ himself
when he said, “Behold, I am with
you always, until the end of
time” (Mt 28:20). The apostle Paul
had also in mind the “nearness”
of the coming of the Divine Judge
who would right all wrongs and
reward all good done. Such were
the reasons for the unshakable
certainty that brought Paul and all
the believers of the first century to
rejoice and continue to hope, even
in the midst of so many reasons to
despair.
How Can We? . . . .
And yet, today – almost 2,000
years after Paul wrote those words
– many still would say that mankind
has very little ground to rejoice and
plenty of reasons to cry bitter tears of
despondency or even of despair . . . .
And indeed, how can we
close our eyes to the brutali-
ties that have been perpetrated
in all wars, century after century,
and still are being inflicted today?
How can we rejoice in front of the
collective madness
of governments of
even poor coun-
tries, which spend
two-thirds of their
budgets in buying
and using arms in
waging war or con-
structing weapons
of mass destruc-
tion that terrorize
the world . . . rather than promoting
education, healthcare and decent
living conditions for their people?
How can we rejoice when
we know that hundreds of thou-
sands of children and youths are
snatched from their families and
made into child-soldiers who are
brainwashed into believing that it
is all right to hate, maim, and kill
other human beings? How can
we rejoice when we are aware
that human monsters like Hitler,
Stalin, Pol Pot, and their likes still
cast long shadows over the earth
through the atrocities committed
by the followers of their doctrines
in Darfur, Uganda, and other Afri-
can nations where millions of hu-
man beings are forced to flee their
homes in terror? . . .
How can we rejoice when we
learn about the horrors of child
prostitution, child labor and moral
perversions such as the glorifica-
tion of homosexuality, environ-
mental degradation and the ma-
nipulation of human embryos? . . .
This horrifying list could be
stretched into miles. In the face of
all this, does it make sense even
to think that we should rejoice? For
many “realistic” people, the answer
would be a square “NO!” uttered
without the least hesitation.
And yet, the Church, in to-
day’s liturgy, repeats unasham-
edly and with insistence: “RE-
JOICE, I say it again: REJOICE!”
This is the message of one who
believes that the entire universe
is in the hands of an omnipotent
and loving God. Such faith re-
fuses to give in to discourage-
ment and defeatism, and contin-
ues to believe in the light even in
the darkest of nights. St. John the
Evangelist, in the Prologue of his
Gospel, states: “The light shines in
the darkness and the darkness has
not overcome it” (Jn 1:5).
But what are the reasons that
ground such assuredness? And
what are “the signs” that verify and
prove its truth?
(To be concluded next Sunday.)