DECEMBER 17, 2023

(White Vestment for Misa de Gallo/Aguinaldo)

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT/GAUDETE SUNDAY-B
(Rose/Violet Vestment for 3rd Sunday of Advent)

I. The Introductory Rites

Entrance Procession
Announcement of sponsors, mass intentions etc. is made before the Entrance Procession, if
possible.

Lighting of the Advent Candles

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. Amen.
The candles are lighted by the priest or lay minister or one of the faithful.

Sign of the Cross and Greeting

P. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.

P. The Lord be with you.

All: And with your spirit.

Introduction
P. Our anticipation heightens as we draw closer to the birth of the
Messiah. As we make ourselves busy with external preparations, we
must do our best with spiritual preparations. We must accept the
challenge of John the Baptist of translating renewal into concrete
actions, that is, to be kind, honest, loving and truthful.
The Third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday-a Sunday of rejoicing.
Our celebration of the mass invites us to cry out to God with joy and
gladness because our salvation is neat at hand.
In this Misa de Gallo/Aguinaldo Mass, we will reflect on the
Stewardship theme of “Ano ba ang Katiwala?”

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.

All: And grant us your salvation.

P. May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring
us to everlasting life.
All: Amen.

Kyrie

In the Misa de Gallo/Aguinaldo Mass, the GLORIA is sung/recited.

In other Masses not Misa de Gallo/Aguinaldo Mass, the Gloria is
omitted.

Collect
P. Let us pray (Pause).
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 worship and glad rejoicing.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, forever and ever.
All: Amen.

II. The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading (Is 61:1-2. 10-11)

A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah.

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,
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.
The word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Responsorial Psalm
My soul rejoices in my God.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;

my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,
for he has looked upon his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:

The Almighty has done great things for me,

and holy is his Name.
He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.

He has filled the hungry with good things,

and the rich he has sent away empty.
He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,

Second Reading: 1 Thes 5:16-24

A reading from the first letter of Paul to the Thessalonians.

Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing.

In all circumstances give thanks,
for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit.
Do not despise prophetic utterances.
Test everything; retain what is good.
Refrain from every kind of evil.
May the God of peace make you perfectly holy
and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,
be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The one who calls you is faithful,
and he will also accomplish it.
The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.
Gospel Jn 1:6-8, 19-28

P: The Lord be with you.

All: And with your spirit.

P: A reading from the holy Gospel according to John.

All: Glory to you, O Lord.

A man named John was sent from God.

He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
but came to testify to the light.
And this is the testimony of John.
When the Jews from Jerusalem sent priests
and Levites to him to ask him, “Who are you?”
He admitted and did not deny it,
but admitted, “I am not the Christ.”
So they asked him,
“What are you then? Are you Elijah?”
And he said, “I am not.”
“Are you the Prophet?”
He answered, “No.”
So they said to him,
“Who are you, so we can give an answer to those who sent us?
What do you have to say for yourself?”
He said:
“I am the voice of one crying out in the desert,
‘make straight the way of the Lord,’”
as Isaiah the prophet said.”
Some Pharisees were also sent.
They asked him,
“Why then do you baptize
if you are not the Christ or Elijah or the Prophet?”
John answered them,
“I baptize with water;
but there is one among you whom you do not recognize,
the one who is coming after me,
whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
This happened in Bethany across the Jordan,
where John was baptizing.
P: The Gospel of the Lord.
All: praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily (For Misa de Gallo/Aguinaldo)

Stewardship: Ano ba ang katiwala?
Katiwala nga tayo ng Diyos. Ito ang misyon natin bilang tao. Ano nga ba
o sino nga ba ang katiwala? Ang katiwala ay hindi ang may-ari. Hindi
kanya ang ginagamit niya. Pero kahit na hindi siya ang may-ari, siya ang
namamahala, siya ang gumagamit. Dahil dito madali niyang kalimutan
na hindi pala siya ang may-ari kasi siya ang gumagamit at
nagdedesisyon tungkol sa ipinagkatiwala sa kanya. Hindi kanya ang
bahay, pero siya ang namamahala at nangangalaga nito. Minsan siya pa
nga ang nakatira doon. Kaya madaling makalimutan na hindi pala kanya
ang bahay.

Dahil sa hindi kanya, tinatanong niya at inaalam niya kung ano ang
gusto ng may-ari. Tinatanong niya sa may-ari kung gusto ba niyang
papinturahan ang bahay. Hindi lang siya basta-bastang nagdedesisyon.
Dahil dito kailangan na may contact siya sa may-ari. Paano niya
malalaman ang gusto ng may-ari kung hindi naman siya nakikipag-usap
sa may-ari?
Dahil sa siya ay katiwala lamang, mananagot siya sa may-ari sa mga
ipinagkatiwala sa kanya. Hindi dapat masira at masayang o mamatay
ang ipinagkatiwala sa kanya. Hindi dapat mawala ang cellphone na
pinahiram sa kanya. Hindi dapat mamatay ang kalabaw na
pinangangalagaan niya. Hindi dapat mabutas ang bangka na
pinagagamit sa kanya. Dahil siya ang nakikinabang sa ipinagkatiwala sa
kanya, dapat nagbibigay siya ng bahagi ng may-ari. Kung ako ang
nangangalaga sa lupa, may bahagi din ang may-ari sa ani ko. Dahil
ipinagkatiwala sa akin ang inahin, may bahagi ang may ari sa mga anak
nito.

Tayo ay katiwala ng Diyos ng mga nilikha niya. Hindi atin ang mundo.
Katiwala tayo. Inaalam natin sa Diyos paano ba gagamitin at aalagaan
ang lupa, ang karagatan, kagubatan, ang biodiversity na nasa mundo.
Isinasaalang-alang ba natin ang Maylikha sa paninirahan natin sa
mundong ito? Ano ba ang gusto niya?

Gusto niya na igalang natin at pangalagaan natin ang sangnilikha, na

hindi natin ito abusuhin. Gusto ng Diyos na Maylikha na ang lahat ng
tao ay makinabang sa yaman ng mundo at hindi lang ang mga may
kaya, ang mga may pera at may teknolohiya. God created the world for
all for the benefit of all. Ito ay tinatawag natin na universal destination
of the goods of the earth.

Parang hindi yata ito nangyayari ngayon. May ilang mga bansa lang at
maliit na porsiyento lang ng mga tao ang nakikinabang sa kayamanan
ng mundo. Ang karamihan ay napapabayaan at mahihirap. Hindi pantay
ang pag-distribute sa yaman na galing sa mundo. Kung marami ang
mahihirap, hindi ito dahil sa kulang ang yaman ng mundo para sa lahat.
May sapat na yaman sa mundo pero hindi maayos ang pag-distribute
ng yamang ito.
Hindi rin natin masasabi na ang mga mahihirap ay tamad kaya sila ay
mahirap. Mas masipag pa nga ang maraming mahihirap kaysa mga
maykaya. May mga pamamalakad sa mundo, mga hindi makatarungang
pamamalakad na nagpapahirap sa maraming tao, isa na diyan ay ang
corruption at hindi makatarungang business practices tulad ng
panggipit sa mga manggagawa. Nandiyan na rin ang paggamit ng police
at military upang supilin ang mga maliliit na mga tao.

Pero makatarungan ang Diyos. Mananagot tayong lahat sa kanya.

Napapakita ang katarungang ito sa paghihiganti ng kalikasan. Kaya
nandiyan ang mga baha, ang El Nino, ang global warming. May
kasabihan na ang Diyos ay palaging nagpapatawad, ang tao ay minsan-
minsan nagpapatawad, pero ang kalikasan ay hindi nagpapatawad.
Bumabawi siya.

Dahil sa ginagamit natin ang mundo na ipinagkatiwala sa atin, sana

nagbibigay din tayo ng bahagi ng May-ari. Ito ay ang balik-handog. Sa
mga bigay ng Diyos may ibinabalik tayo sa kanya, kung tayo ay
mabubuting katiwala. Kaya magbalik-handog tayo. Bahagi ito ng ating
pagiging mabuting katiwala.

Homily (For 3rd Sunday of Advent)

From the notes of Fr. Ingeno Rapadas
SOMEONE IN OUR MIDST
V.26
Ilokano: adda ti maysa a makipulpulapol
Ibanag: egga I tadday nga melivu-livu
Tagalog: may isang nakikisalamuha
In English: someone in mingling with you

Until now Jesus is standing beside us – but we do not recognize him or

fail to remember his presence
When we are troubled – discouraged – because of problems
Low moments, hirap sa buhay, mga suliranin

When we do not know how to deal with your son or daughter;

husband/wife; friend/relatives
May galit, may tampo, may hinanakit

When you are hurt – you are victimized by favoritism; betrayed by

friends
When rejected, iniwan, na traydor, napagbintangan

When you do not know where to turn to

Litong lito, parang walang katuturan ang buhay, naghahanap ng kalinga
at atensyon

Stop. Look. Listen. Jesus is standing beside you/ kasam si Hesus

Keep quiet.

Jesus wants
to mix with us: kilala at familiar siya sa atin-
to suffer with us: alam nya ang ating hirap na dinaranas; alam niya
ang ating kalungkutan ; he knows our
failures
to travel with us: kasama siya lagi sa pagtahak sa buhay

Profession of Faith (Niceno-Constantinopolitan 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, con-substantial 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 seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will 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.

Universal Prayer
P. Let us dismiss all anxiety from our minds and present our needs to
God Almighty in prayer and gratitude. With confidence, we ask:
Lord, grant us your peace and joy.

That our religious and political leaders may strive to unite our people in
the spirit of truth, transparency, genuine dialogue and true democracy,
we pray:

That in these difficult and trying times due to sickness and poverty, may
the Lord fill us with hope and joy and make us eager to share these with
others, we pray:

That, in response to the Gospel, we may have the courage to shun

corruption, extortion, false accusations and a lifestyle that is beyond
our means, we pray:

That makers and propagators of fake news, deceptions, trolls and lies
may realize the evilness of what they are doing and be converted to the
truth, we pray:

That we may realize that we are only stewards of God’s creation, and as
stewards we are not the absolute owners of our possessions but God’s,
we pray:

That the faithful departed may be made worthy of the crown of

righteousness, we pray:

In silence let us pray for our personal intentions (Pause).

P. Father, bring light and joy to our lives that we may serve you with
generous hearts. Help us to live up to our Advent resolutions. Through
Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

III. Liturgy of the Eucharist

Presentation and preparation of the Gifts

Bread and Wine only, and other gifts only. The chalice is not to be offered

P. Pray brethren (brothers and sisters), that my sacrifice and yours

may be acceptable to God, the almighty Father.

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
P. The Lord be with you.
All: And with you 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.

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:

Sanctus

Eucharistic Prayer II

Prayer after Communion

P. Let us pray (Pause).
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

IV. The Concluding Rite

Brief announcement is made before the final blessing.
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 and announce the Gospel of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God.

Petrus Simanganensis