REJOICE IN THE LORD
INTRODUCTORY RITES
Gather as a family/ community; create an environment appropriate for prayer (dress appropriately - switch off your phones...).
We are conscious that Christ is present not only in the Blessed Sacrament but also in the Scriptures and in our hearts. Even when we are on our own, we remain part of the Body of Christ.
Place lighted candles, a crucifix, and the Bible on a covered table. These remind us of the sacredness of our time of prayer and could help us feel connected with our local worshipping communities.
You may sing or play an appropriate hymn. For instance:
The Sign of the Cross
Greeting and Introductory Words
L: The Lord invites us to the table of his Word: let us bless him for his goodness.
A: Blessed be God forever.
L: Today is the Third Sunday of Advent, also called “Gaudete Sunday”. The readings of today invite us to rejoice in the Lord because the Lord is near. Let us then rejoice in the Lord always; and joyfully witness to him.
Penitential Rite
L: We ask the Lord to pardon us for the times we have given in to despair, and have allowed circumstances to overwhelm us.
Pause
L: Lord Jesus, you bring us the joy of complete forgiveness:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: Christ Jesus, you share with us the Good News of the love of God:
Christ, have mercy.
A: Christ, have mercy.
L: Lord Jesus, you prepare us for a joy that will last forever:
Lord, have mercy.
A: Lord, have mercy.
L: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
Opening Prayer
L: O God, most high and most near,
you send glad tidings to the lowly,
you hide not your face from the poor;
you call into the light those in darkness.
Take away our blindness,
remove the hardness of our hearts,
and form us into a humble people,
that we may recognise your Son in our midst
and find joy in his saving presence.
He is Lord, and lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
THE LITURGY OF THE WORD
Readings
The readings are those assigned for the day in the Lectionary.
Preferably use a Bible/ Lectionary for reading.
Reading 1 Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11
Psalm Luke 1:46-48, 49-50, 53-54
Response My soul rejoices in my God.
Reading 2 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24
Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor.
Gospel John 1:6-8, 19-28
Reflection on the Readings
Use one of the following ways to reflect on the readings.
Lectio Divina
Imagine hearing the testimony of John the Baptist that he is “the voice” and that “there is one among you whom you do not recognize”. What are your thoughts and feelings?
Sunday Snippets
A king instructed his gardener to plant trees to represent different virtues. The gardener planted a palm to symbolise joy.
When the king saw the palm, he said: “I thought you would typify joy with a flowering plant like the tulip. How can the palm symbolize joy?”
The gardener replied: “Flowering trees get their nourishment from open sources in orchards or forests. I found this palm in a desert; its roots had found some hidden spring far beneath the burning surface. Highest joy has a foundation people cannot see and a source they cannot comprehend.”
How true that is! The foundation and source of our joy is God. That’s the emphasis of the readings on “Gaudete Sunday”; they urge us to rejoice… in the Lord.
The first reading from Isaiah invites us to rejoice in God who clothes us with salvation. This invitation is heart-warming because we are the broken-hearted God heals; the poor who receive the glad tidings; the captives he liberates.
In the second reading, Paul urges the Thessalonians to rejoice because the one who calls them is faithful.
In the gospel, John’s response to the Pharisees highlights the primary reason for our joy: Jesus has already come into our world as our saviour.
The liturgy gives us a message of hope.
The readings also give us a mission: to bring glad tidings to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and—above all—to testify to the light.
What is the source of my joy: the pleasures of the world or God and his liberating and healing love? Will I rejoice in the Lord and joyfully testify to his presence in my life?
Questions to Ponder
Reflect on some (or all) of the following questions:
Reading 1: Isaiah tells us “to bring glad tidings” and to “rejoice heartily in the Lord.” How can I do this in my life?
Reading 2: How can anyone “rejoice always” when one is suffering? Do I know people who seem to do that?
Gospel: How does my life give witness to what I believe? How does my witness encourage or discourage others from encountering Jesus?
What ‘deserts’ in my life are thirsting for the grace of God? In what ‘deserts’ am I called to speak God’s word of mercy and love?
The Creed
Prayer of the Faithful
L: The Spirit of the Lord is upon us and he sends us to bring the Good News to the poor. We bring before the Lord the needs of our world, and we pray: Lord, hear our prayer.
R: For the Church: that we may always find joy through our relationship with Christ, we pray…
R: For leaders of governments: that God may move them to address the needs of the poor, the homeless, the elderly, and children so that no one will be forgotten in our communities, we pray…
R: For peace in the world: that God may turn hearts from violence and bring forth a new springtime of justice and peace in every land, we pray…
R: For all who are ill: that God's healing love may renew and strengthen all who are ill or recovering from surgery, we pray…
R: For a new appreciation of the created world: that we may find God in all that he has created and rejoice that he is close to us this day, we pray…
R: For ourselves: that as we recognize the gift of our relationships and the many blessings that God has given us, our hearts may be grateful, and our spirits filled with joy, we pray…
L: God our Father, may your Holy Spirit give us the courage to bring your good news of hope and joy to all who wait for your Son, who is Lord for ever and ever.
A: Amen.
SPIRITUAL COMMUNION
The Lord’s Prayer
Spiritual Communion
A: Jesus, I know and believe in your real presence in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Eucharist. It is you I desire to love and receive above all things. As I am unable to receive your sacramental presence now, come and be with me in heart and soul. Let my entire self be united with you as I welcome you again and know your loving embrace. Amen.
Post Spiritual Communion Reflection
“Rejoice in the Lord always!”
Lord, we hear these beautiful words everywhere.
But for many people,
this is a time of depression, not of joy:
some have lost loved ones;
some are out of jobs and homes;
some are facing war and oppression.
How is joy possible?
“My spirit rejoices in God my Saviour.”
Mary did not take these words back when she stood by the cross!
She suffered a great loss and severe pain.
But her suffering was enveloped in your great love,
and so it was transfigured.
Lord, we can rejoice in you
in the midst of our pain and suffering and troubles
because you are Emanuel, God-with-us.
Your love suffuses all our suffering,
and so our spirits can rejoice in you.
Heal us, who are broken-hearted.
Free us from everything that shackles us today.
Come to us,
and send us out—forgiven, healed—
to the poor, the broken-hearted, and the prisoners.
CONCLUDING RITE
Concluding Prayer
L: Lord God, our Father,
no one has ever seen you
but you have shown yourself to us
in your beloved Son Jesus Christ.
Help us to recognize his face
in the poor and the humble.
Do not allow us to overlook him
in the broken-hearted and the weak.
Through Christ our Lord.A: Amen.
Blessing
L: The Lord bless us, protect us from all evil, and lead us to everlasting life.
A: Amen.
L: Go in the peace of Christ.
A: Thanks be to God.
Conclude with a hymn. For instance:
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