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Third Sunday Of Advent
Zephaniah 3:14-18A
Is 12:2-3, 4, 5-6
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 3:10-18
Summary
The first reading from the book of Zephaniah is all about rejoicing
that God is in your midst. The second reading from Philippians, again
is telling us all to REJOICE, the Lord is near.The Gospel of Luke, John
the Baptist tells us how to ready ourselves for Jesus is coming soon.
Reflection
We all look forward to the holidays every year. It is a time of merri-
ment and over-scheduling. We ready ourselves for Christmas, by plan-
ning parties, volunteering, shopping, decorating, and baking; everyone
running around in a hurried pace of frenzy and delight preparing for
the holidays. In the Gospel of Luke, John the Baptist is witness to peo-
ple getting caught up in the excitement of the impending birth of Je-
sus. They ask,“What should we do?”And John answers them by tell-
ing them,“Whoever has two cloaks should share with a person who
has none.And whoever has food should do likewise.” He wants the
people to ready their souls for Jesus. Because of the crowd’s excite-
ment, John the Baptist also had to reinforce to the people, that he is
not the Christ. He says to them,“I am baptizing you with water but
one mightier than I is coming.”We too get very distracted and excited
during the holiday season and forget that Christmas is a celebration
of Jesus’s birth, not parties and packages. Everyone is guilty of the
“Christmas Machine” getting caught up
in all the trappings of the holiday with-
out any of the true meaning. Linus from
the TV special A Charlie Brown Christ-