IIIrd Sunday of Advent
Massimo Palombella
The present Sunday is called “Gaudete” from the first word of the Introitus, whose text (Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete. Dominus enim prope est) is taken from chapter 4 of Paul’s Letter to the Philippians (Phil 4:4.5). Today the colour of the sacred vestments is pink (as on Lenten Sunday “Laetare“), to show us in a visual manner that Christmas is coming, that the Lord is near and that we are called to rejoice in it.
In today’s Gospel (Mt 11:2-11), John the Baptist, in prison, sends his disciples to ask Jesus: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we wait for someone else?”
It is a question that reveals an attitude of searching, of waiting, an attitude that deeply belongs to all those who wish to live to the full, who want to give fulfilment to their lives.
It is the same question that a correct person asks in a relationship: ‘is this the woman, the man of my life or should I wait, look for someone else’; the same question when faced with an important existential choice: ‘is this the road I should take or should I look for something else?
It is the fundamental question of life at every age, and only by giving it space a process will emerge that makes our existence truly human. That process lies in ‘discernment’. Through this journey we learn to go “beyond” our own small horizon, “beyond” our immediate needs, “beyond” the recurring fear that can paralyse our lives, “beyond” those weaknesses that we have decided are insurmountable.
To leave room for this question is to recognise that reality is infinitely greater than our understanding of it, and it is precisely in the dynamics triggered by this question that God, the true God, awaits us to gently lead us to the truth embodied in us, to our true horizons (far broader than those we ourselves ordinarily define), to “life in abundance”.
The Offertory antiphon for today’s celebration is taken from Psalm 84 (Ps 82:2) with the following text:
“Benedixisti, Domine, terram tuam,
avertisti captivitatem Jacob.
Remisisti iniquitatem plebis tuae.”
(O Lord, you have blessed your land,
you have put an end to Jacob’s captivity;
you have forgiven the guilt of your people).
The attached music, in Gregorian Chant, is taken from the Graduale Triplex published in Solesmes in 1979. The interpretation is by the “Cappella Gregoriana” and the music track can be found on the CD “Chant: Gregorian Christmas Meditation” published by Cobra Entertainment LLC in 2014.
It is interesting to compare the Gregorian Offertory Antiphon with the Ambrosian Offertory Antiphon (which is performed on the 4th Sunday of the Ambrosian Advent).
As far as the Ambrosian Rite is concerned, the attached music, in Ambrosian Chant, is taken from the Antiphonale Missarum Iuxta Ritum Sanctæ Ecclesiæ Mediolanensis, published in Rome in 1935.
The interpretation is by the Cappella Musicale del Duomo di Milano at the Celebration on the Fourth Sunday of Advent on 4 December 2022.
A blessed Sunday and heartfelt greetings.
