The Gospel of December 14, 2025

III Sunday of Advent – “Gaudete”

First Reading

Behold your God, he comes to save you.

From the book of the prophet Isaiah
Is 35:1-6a.8a.10

The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the steppe shall exult and blossom.
Like the flower of the narcissus it shall blossom;
yes, it shall sing with joy and jubilation.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and of Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the magnificence of our God.
Strengthen the weak hands,
make firm the feeble knees.
Say to those who are of a fearful heart:
“Be strong, do not fear!
Here is your God;
vengeance comes,
the divine recompense.
He comes to save you.”
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then the lame shall leap like a deer,
and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy.
A highway shall be there, and it shall be called the Holy Way.
On it the ransomed of the Lord shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

The word of God.

Responsorial Psalm

From Ps 145 (146)

R. Come, Lord, to save us.

The Lord remains faithful forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The Lord sets the prisoners free. R.

The Lord gives sight to the blind,
the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down,
the Lord loves the righteous,
the Lord protects the sojourners. R.

He sustains the orphan and the widow,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The Lord will reign forever,
your God, O Zion, for all generations. R.

Second Reading

Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.

From the letter of James the apostle
Jas 5:7-10

Be patient, therefore, beloved, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You also must be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged. See, the Judge is standing at the doors. As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord.

The word of God.

Gospel Acclamation

Alleluia, alleluia.

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
he has sent me to bring good news to the poor. (Is 61:1 (cited in Lk 4:18)

Alleluia.

The Gospel of the day December 14, 2025

Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?

From the Gospel according to Matthew
Mt 11:2-11

When John heard in prison what the Messiah was doing, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?” Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news brought to them. And blessed is anyone who takes no offense at me.”
As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to look at? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft robes? Look, those who wear soft robes are in royal palaces. What then 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 written, ‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.’
Truly I tell you, among those born of women no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”

The word of the Lord.

The Creed is said.

Saint Cyril of Alexandria (380-444)

bishop and doctor of the Church

First Christological Dialogue, 706; SC 97, 27

« The blind see…, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them »

“The one who is coming after me is more powerful than I; he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (Mt 3:11). Shall we say that the work of baptizing with the Holy Spirit and fire belongs to a humanity like ours? How could it be? Yet, speaking of a man who has not yet made himself known, John declares that he baptizes “with the Holy Spirit and fire.” Not by transmitting a spirit that is not his own to the baptized, as any servant would do, but as one who is God by nature, and gives with sovereign power what comes from him and belongs to him as his being. Through this grace, the divine imprint is stamped on us. Indeed, in Christ Jesus, we are transformed, made similar to the divine image; not because our body is newly shaped, but because by receiving the Holy Spirit we can come into possession of Christ himself, to the point of being able to cry out in joy: “My soul exults in the Lord, for he has clothed me with the garments of salvation” (Is 61:10). In fact, the apostle Paul says: “As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Gal 3:27). Were you baptized into a man? Silence, you who are only man; do you want to cast our hope down to the ground? We have been baptized into a God made man; he frees from penalties and guilt those who believe in him. « Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ… And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit » (Acts 2:38). He drives away those who cling to him… He makes his very nature spring forth in us… The Spirit properly belongs to the Son, who became a man like us. Indeed, he is the life of all that exists.

THE WORDS OF THE POPES

John, hearing about the works of Jesus, is struck by doubt as to whether He is truly the Messiah or not. The text emphasizes that John is in prison, and this, besides the physical place, suggests the interior situation he is experiencing: in prison there is darkness, the possibility of seeing clearly and seeing beyond is lacking. In effect, the Baptist can no longer recognize Jesus as the expected Messiah. He is assailed by doubt and sends his disciples to verify: “Go and see if this is the Messiah or not.” This means that even the greatest believer goes through the tunnel of doubt. And this tunnel of doubt is not spared and is not a bad thing, on the contrary, sometimes it is essential for spiritual growth: it helps us understand that God is always greater than we imagine; the works he accomplishes are surprising compared to our calculations; his actions are always different, exceeding our needs and expectations; and therefore we must never stop seeking him and converting to his true face. The Baptist does this: in doubt, he seeks Him again, questions Him, “argues” with Him and finally rediscovers Him. John, whom Jesus called the greatest among those born of women (cf. Mt 11:11), teaches us, in short, not to confine God within our schemas. This is always the danger, the temptation: to make a God to our measure, a God to use. And God is something else. (Pope Francis – Angelus, December 11, 2022)