Year 35 No.
25 3rd Sunday of Advent (C) — Rose/Violet
T he Third Sunday of Advent is
called “Gaudete” Sunday. It is
the Advent Sunday of joy. Today’s
First Reading, Responsorial
Psalm, and Second Reading call
us to express joy in three ways:
we are summoned to “shout for
joy” (Zep 3:14), to “cry out with
joy” (Is 12:6), and to “rejoice in
the Lord always” (Phil 4:4).
The First Reading enjoins us
to rejoice because not only is the
Lord with us, renewing his love
for us, but also he will reveal
himself as our Savior, forgiving
us of our iniquities, freeing us
from dangers and misfortunes
(Zep 3:15-18), and liberating us
from all forms of evil.
Christianity may stress the
value of suffering, pain, and
patience, but it is also a religion
of joy. In the long run, God
will put an end to our misery,
suffering, and evil, when Jesus
returns in glory. This is what
the Psalmist captures: “Let the
heavens be glad and the earth
rejoice; let the sea and what
fills it resound; let the plains be
joyful and all that is in them” (Ps
96:11-13).
The Gospel does not explicitly
exhort us to rejoice, but surely,
if we all heed John the Baptist’s
call, there will be rejoicing,
especially among the poor and
the needy. John reminds us that
conversion is not something
emotional but is an intelligent
commitment to charity and
justice.
Justice and charity are our
response to God’s invitation
to metanoia—a process of
commitment to repentance and
transformation. It is a tangible
Gaudete Sunday
Rejoice!
by Fr. Albert Bernal, SSP
way of showing our conversion.
We should see to it that we do
not oppress anyone but are
always just and charitable to
people. If we do this, we have
reason to rejoice.
Unfortunately, some people
believe they cannot be happy
b e c a u s e o f t h e C ov i d - 1 9
pandemic and because of
many other issues and problems
confronting them as Christmas
December 12, 2021
is approaching: bills to pay,
loss of a loved one, feelings of
oppression and abandonment,
injustice, hopelessness,
prolonged illness, conflicts
with friends and relatives and
employers/employees. These are
valid reasons, to be sure.
In the Second Reading,
however, the apostle Paul in his
prison cell is able to encourage
his fellow Christians to rejoice
because “the Lord is near.”
Anxiety has no place in Christian
lives expecting the coming of the
Lord. Anxiety spoils rejoicing.
They cannot go together. The
Messiah is coming to vindicate
his people.
This Gaudete Sunday exhorts
us all to rejoice for indeed the
Lord is near. Christmas is the
feast of the Emmanuel, which
means “God is with us” (Mt
1:23). This is Advent: rejoicing
in the coming of the Lord. This
is the good news. This Christian
joy fills our lives and sustains us
when we struggle in the face of
suffering and misfortune.
When we realize this, we will
feel, even without being told,
the need to prepare ourselves
for his coming in our midst,
heeding John the Baptist’s call
to act justly and lovingly. Only
in this way can we enjoy the
coming of the Lord.
Let us rejoice for to us shall
come Emmanuel. And let us
accept the challenge to witness
to this by the joyful energy of our
lives even amid crises. After all,
we may have a thousand reasons
to be sad, but we need only one
reason to rejoice, sing joyfully, be
glad, and exult—EMMANUEL!

THE INTRODUCTORY RITES
Entrance Antiphon
(Phil 4:4–5)
(Recited when there is no opening song.)
Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I say, rejoice. Indeed,
the Lord is near.
Lighting of the Advent Candle
(The lighting of the third candle of the
Advent wreath may be made after the
entrance song, with the following or
similar prayer:)
P—Father, at the height of our
Advent walk, we relight the
candles of hope and peace, and
we light the candle of joy. Grant
us the courage to experience
joy in the hope of the Savior’s
coming: joy in the face of apathy,
joy in the face of sorrow, joy in
the face of uncertainty.
All—Amen.
Greeting
(The sign of the cross is made here.)
P—Grace to you and peace
from God our Father and the
Lord Jesus Christ.
All—And with your spirit.
Introduction
(These [or similar words] may be used
to address the assembly.)
P—Today is Gaudete Sunday,
the Sunday of rejoicing. As we
draw closer to Christmas, the
liturgy invites us to cry out to
God with joy and gladness.
We should rejoice because
our salvation is at hand.
As we make time for external
preparations, we do also our
best to be spiritually prepared.
We heed John the Baptist’s
challenge of translating renewal
into concrete deeds. We strive
to be kind, honest, and truthful
in our day-to-day living.
Penitential Act
P—Brethren (brothers and
sisters), let us acknowledge our
sins, and so prepare ourselves to
celebrate the sacred mysteries.
(Pause)
P—Have mercy on us, O Lord.
All—For we have sinned against
you.
P—Show us, O Lord, your mercy. over you with gladness, and
renew you in his love, he will
All—And grant us your salvation.
P—May almighty God have sing joyfully because of you,
mercy on us, forgive us our sins, as one sings at festivals.
and bring us to everlasting life. —The word of the Lord.
All—Amen. All—Thanks be to God.
P—Lord, have mercy.
All—Lord, have mercy. Responsorial Psalm (Is 12)
P—Christ, have mercy.
R—Cry out with joy and glad-
All—Christ, have mercy.
ness: for among you is the great
P—Lord, have mercy.
All—Lord, have mercy. and Holy One of Israel.
 = 80
(During Advent, the Gloria is omitted.) Mark Alegre
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F Fsus F Fsus
Collect
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P — Let us pray. (Pause)
Cry out with joy and glad ness;
O God, who see how your
people faithfully await the feast Gm Gm
  
3
of the Lord’s Nativity, enable
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us, we pray, to attain the joys for a mong you is the
of so great a salvation and to
celebrate them always with
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B♭/F F
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solemn worship and glad
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rejoicing. 
Through our Lord Jesus great and ho ly one of Is ra el.
Christ, your Son, who lives and
reigns with you in the unity of 1. God indeed is my savior;/
the Holy Spirit, God, for ever I am confident and unafraid./
and ever. My strength and my courage
All — Amen. is the LORD,/ and he has been
my savior./ With joy you will
Liturgy
of the word draw water/ at the fountain of
salvation. (R)
First Reading (Zep 3:14–18a)
(Sit) 2. Give thanks to the LORD,
acclaim his name;/ among
The prophet Zephaniah invites the nations make known his
God’s people to sing and exult deeds,/ proclaim how exalted
for joy. This is because God has is his name. (R)
forgiven the sins of his people. He
will restore them to life and bring 3. Sing praise to the LORD for
them home from exile. his glorious achievement;/ let
this be known throughout all the
A reading from the Book of earth./ Shout with exultation,
the Prophet Zephaniah
O city of Zion,/ for great in
SHOUT FOR joy, O daughter your midst/ is the Holy One
Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! of Israel! (R)
Be glad and exult with all your Second Reading (Phil 4:4–7)
heart, O daughter Jerusalem!
The L ORD has removed the Christian life is not without trials
judgment against you, he has and difficulties. But Paul exhorts the
turned away your enemies; Philippians to live in peace and joy
because the Lord is close to his people.
the King of Israel, the LORD,
is in your midst, you have no A reading from the Letter of
further misfortune to fear. On Saint Paul to the Philippians
that day, it shall be said to
Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, BROTHERS AND SISTERS:
be not discouraged! The LORD, Rejoice in the Lord always.
your God, is in your midst, a I shall say it again: rejoice!
mighty savior; he will rejoice Your kindness should be
known to all. The Lord is near.
Have no anxiety at all, but
in everything, by prayer and
petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to
God. Then the peace of God
that surpasses all understanding
will guard your hearts and
minds in Christ Jesus.
—The word of the Lord.
All—Thanks be to God.
Alleluia
(Is 61:1 [cited in Lk 4:18]) (Stand)
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 (Lk 3:10–18)
P—A reading from the holy
Gospel according to Luke
All—Glory to you, O Lord.
THE CROWDS asked John
the Baptist, “What should we
do?” He said to them in reply,
“Whoever has two cloaks
should share with the person
who has none. And whoever
has food should do likewise.”
Even tax collectors came to
be baptized and they said to
him, “Teacher, what should
we do?” He answered them,
“Stop collecting more than what
is prescribed.” Soldiers also
asked him, “And what is it that
we should do?” He told them,
“Do not practice extortion, do
not falsely accuse anyone, and
be satisfied with your wages.”
Now the people were filled
with expectation, and all were
asking in their hearts whether
John might be the Christ. John
answered them all, saying, “I am
baptizing you with water, but
one mightier than I is coming.
I am not worthy to loosen the
thongs of his sandals. He will
baptize you with the Holy Spirit
and fire. His winnowing fan is
in his hand to clear his threshing
floor and to gather the wheat
into his barn, but the chaff he
will burn with unquenchable
fire.” Exhorting them in many
other ways, he preached good
news to the people.
—The Gospel of the Lord.
All—Praise to you, Lord Jesus
Christ.
Homily (Sit)
Profession of Faith (Stand)
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,
consubstantial with the Father;
through him all things were
made. For us men and for our
salvation he came down from
heaven, (at the words that follow, up
to and including and became man,
all bow) and by the Holy Spirit
was incarnate of the Virgin
Mary and became man.
For our sake he was crucified
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—Amid the difficulties of life,
let us now pray to the Father
that we may hold fast to what
endures—the love and joy
found only in Him. In joyful
hope, let us pray:
R—Lord, bring joy to our hearts.
C—Fill with the spirit of
knowledge and fear of the Lord
all our Church leaders that they
may exercise their authority in
the Church with joy, peace,
justice, and love. We pray: (R)
C—Through humility and love,
may our government leaders set
aside their selfish desires and
petty grievances so that they
may lead the people entrusted
to their care towards unity and
peace. We pray: (R)
C—As we go through this
pandemic, may our advent
longing for the Messiah find
us watchful in prayer and active
in works of charity especially to
those who are sick. We pray: (R)
C—Heal whatever needs healing
in us—memory, emotions, body
and soul—so that our lives may
be found always worthy to praise
you with joy in our hearts. We
pray: (R)
C—Welcome with joy our
departed brothers and sisters
into your kingdom where all
tears, sickness, and anxiety are
wiped away. We pray: (R)
C—Let us pray for the urgent
concerns of our community
and our personal intentions
(pause). We pray: (R)
P—Lord, may you truly bring
joy in our hearts. In your mercy
grant our humble pleas that
we may be found worthy on
the day of Christ Jesus—where
true and lasting joy is found.
He who lives and reigns with
you and the Holy Spirit, God
forever and ever.
All—Amen.
Liturgy of
the eucharist
Presentation of the Gifts
(Stand)
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
offered to you unceasingly, to
complete what was begun in
sacred mystery and powerfully
accomplish for us your saving
work.
Through Christ our Lord.
All—Amen.
Preface I of Advent
(The two comings of Christ)
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,
always and everywhere to give
you thanks, Lord, holy Father,
almighty 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
salvation, 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 Lord God
of hosts. Heaven and earth are
full of your glory. Hosanna in
the highest. Blessed is he who
comes in the name of the Lord.
Hosanna in the highest.(Kneel)
Acclamation (Stand)
All—When we eat this Bread
and drink this Cup, we proclaim
your Death, O Lord, until you
come again.
THE COMMUNION RITE
The Lord’s Prayer
All—Our Father…
P—Deliver us, Lord…
All—For the kingdom, the
power and the glory are yours
now and forever.
Invitation to Peace
Invitation to Communion
(Kneel)
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
(Cf. Is 35:4)
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
(Stand)
P—Let us pray. (Pause)
We implore your mercy,
Lord, that this divine sus-
tenance may cleanse us of
our faults and prepare us for
the coming feasts.
Through Christ our Lord.
All—Amen.
THE CONCLUDING RITES
P—The Lord be with you.
All—And with your spirit.
Solemn Blessing
P—Bow down for the blessing.
May the almighty and
merciful God, by whose grace
you have placed your faith in
the First Coming of his Only
Begotten Son and yearn for
his coming again, sanctify
you by the radiance of Christ’s
Advent and enrich you with
his blessing.
All—Amen.
P—As you run the race of this
present life, may he make you
firm in faith, joyful in hope,
and active in charity.
All—Amen.
P—So that, rejoicing now with
devotion at the Redeemer’s
coming in the flesh, you may be
endowed with the rich reward
of eternal life when he comes
again in majesty.
All—Amen.
P — And may the blessing of
almighty God, the Father, and
the Son, + and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain
with you for ever.
All—Amen.
Dismissal
P—The Mass has been offered.
Go in peace, glorifying the
Lord by your life.
All—Thanks be to God.