WHAT SHOULD WE DO?

Readings for Sunday, December 12, 2021

 

 

Third Sunday of Advent   Lectionary: 92

It-Tielet Ħadd tal-Avvent

Reading 1            ZEPHANIAH 3:14-18a   

Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel!   Be glad and exult with all your heart,  O daughter Jerusalem! The LORD has removed the judgment against you he has turned away your enemies; the King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!a mighty savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals.

QARI 1              mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Sofonija 3:14-18a
   
Għajjat bil-ferħ ta’ qalbek, bint Sijon, Iżrael, samma’ leħnek! Infexx fl-hena u ifraħ b’qalbek kollha, bint Ġerusalemm! Neħħa l-Mulej minn fuqek is-sentenza li kellek kontrik, keċċa l-għedewwa tiegħek. Is-sultan t’Iżrael, il-Mulej, hu f’nofsok; ma jkollokx iżjed ħsara minn xiex tibża’. Dakinhar jgħidu lil Ġerusalemm: “Tibżax, Sijon, tħallix idejk jintelqu! Il-Mulej, Alla tiegħek, qiegħed f’nofsok, gwerrier li jsalva; minħabba fik jithenna b’hena kbir, fi mħabbtu jġeddek, jinfexx minħabba fik f’għajat ta’ ferħ, bħallikieku f’jum ta’ festa”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej. 

Responsorial Psalm            ISAIAH 12:2-3, 4, 5-6.

God indeed is my savior;
    I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
    and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
    at the fountain of salvation.
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
    among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
    let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
    for great in your midst
    is the Holy One of Israel!
R. Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel.

SALM RESPONSORJALI           Izaija 12:2-3,4bċd,5-6
R/.(6): Kbir hu f’nofsok il-Qaddis ta’ Iżrael.

Alla s-salvazzjoni tiegħi,
jiena nittama u ma jkollix mniex nibża’.
Għax qawwieti u għanjieti hu l-Mulej,
għalija sar is-salvazzjoni.
Kollkom ferħana
timlew l-ilma mill-għejun tas-salvazzjoni. R/.

Roddu ħajr lill-Mulej, sejħu ismu,
għarrfu lill-ġnus bl-għemejjel tiegħu,
xandru li ismu huwa fl-għoli. R/.

Għannu lill-Mulej għax għamel ħwejjeġ kbar;
ħa jkun dan magħruf mal-art kollha.
Aqbeż bil-ferħ, għanni,
int li tgħammar f’Sijon,
għax kbir hu f’nofsok il-Qaddis ta’ Iżrael. R/.

 Reading 2           PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7

Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again:  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.

QARI 2               mill-Ittra lill-Filippin 4:4-7

Ħuti, ifirħu dejjem fil-Mulej; nerġa’ ngħidilkom, ifirħu. Il-ħlewwa tagħkom ħa jkunu jafuha l-bnedmin kollha. Il-Mulej qorob! Tħabbtu raskom b’xejn. Fit-talb kollu tagħkom itolbu u uru lil Alla xi jkollkom bżonn, u iżżuh ħajr. U s-sliem ta’ Alla, sliem li jgħaddi kulma l-moħħ jista’ jifhem, iżommilkom qalbkom u moħħkom sħaħ fi Kristu Ġesù. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel             LUKE 3:10-18

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.

EVANĠELJU              Qari skond San Luqa 3:10-18

F’dak iż-żmien, in-nies kienu jistaqsu lil Ġwanni u jgħidulu: “Mela x’għandna nagħmlu?”. U huwa kien iweġibhom: “Min għandu żewġ ilbiesi, jaqsam ma’ min ma għandu xejn, u min għandu x’jiekol jagħmel l-istess”. Resqu wkoll xi pubblikani biex jitgħammdu u qalulu: “Mgħallem, x’għandna nagħmlu aħna?”. U huwa weġibhom: “Tissikkaw lil ħadd biex jagħtikom taxxi iżjed milli jmisskom tieħdu”. Staqsewh ukoll xi suldati u qalulu: “U aħna, x’għandna nagħmlu?”. U huwa weġibhom: “Tisirqu lil ħadd bit-theddid jew bil-qerq tagħkom, u kkuntentaw ruħkom bil-paga li għandkom”. Il-poplu kien qiegħed jistenna ħerqan, u kulħadd kien jistaqsi lilu nnifsu dwar Ġwanni, jekk kienx hu l-Messija. Għalhekk Ġwanni qabad u qal lil kulħadd: “Jien, ngħid għalija, ngħammidkom bl-ilma, imma ġej wieħed aqwa minni, li ma jistħoqqlix inħollu l-qfieli tal-qorq tiegħu. Hu jgħammidkom bl-Ispirtu s-Santu u n-nar. Il-midra qiegħda f’idu, biex iderri l-qiegħa u jiġbor il-qamħ fil-maħżen tiegħu, imma t-tiben jaħarqu b’nar li ma jintefiex”. U b’ħafna twissijiet oħra kien ixandar lill-poplu l-bxara t-tajba.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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Eight-minute  Gospel reflection by Fr Antony Kadavil   

REJOICE - HE COMES!

 

Central theme:

Sunday’s readings are centred around the command “Rejoice!” We are to do so mainly by realizing the presence of Jesus in our midst, by receiving Jesus into our lives through our repentance, our renewal of life, and by doing God’s will. Sunday is called “Gaudete” Sunday because today’s Mass begins with the opening antiphon, “Gaudete in Domino semper” (“Rejoice in the Lord always”). 

Today we light the rose candle of the Advent wreath, and the priest may wear rose vestments, to express our communal joy in the coming of Jesus as our Saviour. 

We rejoice because:
a) we are celebrating the day of Christ’s birth,
b) we recognize Jesus’ daily presence in our midst, and
c) we wait for Christ’s return in glory.

Scripture lessons summarised:

In today’s first reading, the prophet Zephaniah encourages Jerusalem and Israel to shout out for the joy of their expected deliverance by the Lord. In today’s Responsorial Psalm (Is 12:6), the prophet Isaiah gives the same instruction, “Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel.” 

St. Paul echoes this message of joy in the second reading, a letter written from imprisonment: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again, rejoice…” In the Gospel today, John the Baptist explains the secret of Christian joy as our wholehearted commitment to God’s Way by the doing of His will. John challenges people to generosity and a sense of fairness so that others may have reason to rejoice. 

According to John, happiness comes from doing our duties faithfully, doing good for others, and sharing our blessings with others in need. John’s call to repentance is a call to joy and restoration. Repentance means a change in the purpose and direction of our lives. John tells the people to act with justice, charity, and honesty, letting their lives reflect their transformation. For us, that transformation occurs when Christ enters our lives, and it is to be reflected in our living in the ways John suggests.

Life Messages:

1)  We are called to a change of life. First, we should examine our relationships with others. We must mend ruptures, ease or relieve frictions, face family responsibilities, work honestly, and treat employees and employers justly. Our domestic and social lives must be put in order. We must abandon our selfish thirst for consumption and, instead, be filled with the expectation of Jesus’ coming.

2)  We need to remember that we are, like John the Baptist, Christ’s precursors: Parents, teachers, and public servants act as Christ’s precursors by repenting of their sins, reforming their lives, and bringing Christ into the lives of those entrusted to their care. Parents are expected to instill in their children a true Christian spirit and an appreciation for Christian values by their own lives and behavior. All public servants need to remember that they are God’s instruments and that they are to lead the people they serve to the feet of Jesus, so that they, too, may know him personally and accept him as their Saviour, Lord and Brother.

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