Third Sunday of Advent
Is 35:1-6; Jas 5:7-10; Mt 11:2-11 (year a)
‘Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I say rejoice! Indeed, the Lord is near.” The entrance antiphon for the Third Sunday of Advent pierces winter’s gloom with a glimpse of anticipated joy. The prophet Isaiah, speaking from one of the darkest moments in Israel’s long history, captured the mood. “Let the wilderness and the dry lands exult, let the wasteland rejoice and bloom. Strengthen all weary hands, strengthen all trembling knees and say to all faint hearts: courage! Do not be afraid, your Lord is coming.”
