Advent 2025: A Season of Longing and Listening
Advent: A Season of Joy
The Third Sunday of Advent is also known as Gaudete Sunday. This name is derived from the Introit or opening chant for the Eucharist that day which starts as follows: Gaudete in Domino semper or Rejoice in the Lord always.
Gaudete Sunday marks the half-way point in our Advent journey. The liturgical color for Gaudete Sunday is rose. This color is worn only twice during the liturgical year: Gaudete Sunday which mark the middle of Advent, and Laetare Sunday which marks the middle of Lent.
The late Pope Francis referred to the third Sunday of Advent as the Sunday of Joy. There are, of course, different types of joy. There is the joy we experience through our senses such as when eating a favorite meal, watching an amazing movie or listening to a timeless aria. There is the joy of achievement when we accomplish certain goals. There is the joy of harmony we may experience when hiking through nature or working in a garden. There is the joy of growth experienced through learning new things. Though these types of joy are important and rewarding, they are also somewhat superficial and rather fleeting and they are not what Pope Francis had in mind.
The kind of joy Pope Francis referred to is the type of joy that is much deeper and longer lasting than any of the others. This type of joy is not the result of something we feel, sense or accomplish, rather it results from living a life of generosity and charity, following the example of Jesus. This kind of joy does not flow from what happens to us but rather from what we do for others.
Though the holiday season may tempt us to revel in the fleeting kinds of joy, the season of Advent calls us to work on the kind of joy that is longer lasting and much more meaningful and flows from gratuitous love.
Blessing of the Bambinelli
The tradition of blessing the Bambinelli (Italian for the Baby Jesus figurines) was made popular by Pope St. John Paul II after Pope St. Paul VI initiated this blessing during the Angelus prayer on the Third Sunday of Advent in 1969. Today, the Third Sunday in Advent is also known as “Bambinelli Sunday” when children bring the baby Jesus from their nativity scenes to St. Peter’s square in Rome to be blessed by the pope. This custom has also spread throughout the world and children bring their Bambinelli to their local church for a blessing. At The Basilica we will bless Bambinelli at 9:30am and noon on Sunday, December 14.
What to do in the Domestic Church:
A Blessing for the Lighting of the Third Candle
After someone in the family has lit the first and second candle on the Advent Wreath the prayer begins with the sign of the cross and continues as follows:
Leader: Today we begin the third Week of Advent.
We open our hearts to God’s love
as we prepare to welcome Christ.
The candles of this wreath remind us that
Jesus Christ came to conquer the darkness of sin
and to lead us into his glorious light.
Let us pray that we may always be ready to welcome him.
Leader: You came to free us from anxiety
and to fill our minds and hearts with peace:
Lord, come and save us.
All: Lord, come and save us.
Leader: You come to baptize us in the Holy Spirit
and to kindle within us the fire of your love:
Lord, come and save us.
All: Lord, come and save us.
Priest: You will come as the God of Joy
who takes delight in your people:
Lord, come and save us.
All: Lord, come and save us.
Leader: Let us pray:
Ever-living God, we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ,
whose advent we await.
As we light the third candle of this wreath,
kindle within us the fire of your spirit,
strengthen our hearts and enlighten us with your grace,
that we may serve you all the days of our lives.
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.
The leader ends with the sign of the cross.
Preparing for Sunday Eucharist by Reading the Gospel (Matt. 11:2-11)
When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
“Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you hear and see:
the blind regain their sight,
the lame walk,
lepers are cleansed,
the deaf hear,
the dead are raised,
and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”
As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
“What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why 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:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
Amen, I say to you,
among those born of women
there has been none greater than John the Baptist;
yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.”
Preparing for Sunday Eucharist by Meditating on the Gospel
- Jesus points to physical the healings he performed as proof that he is the expected Messiah. What “signs” of God’s presence do you see today that might surprise you, and how do they challenge your view of what God should be doing?
- Jesus says, “Blessed is the one who is not offended by me.” How might you be tempted to stumble over Jesus’ unexpected ways, or how do you avoid being “offended” by his unexpected work?
- How does John’s wilderness life and his imprisonment make him greater than earthly royalty, and how does this redefine “greatness”?
- Who are the “weary and burdened” people in your life or the world today? Maybe you are burdened or weary, sad or lonely. How does this passage offer hope?
- What specific actions or attitudes would allow you to take on Jesus’ yoke and find rest for your soul today, especially when you feel exhausted or doubtful?