General. This is a Sunday of joy and the Collect mentions the fast approaching Solemnity of Christmas. We are plunged right in the midst of the busiest commercial season in christendom, yet there is still time to make amends with God and to pave the way for His arrrival among us, mostly through the Eucharist during which we donate ourselves to Him and to humanity, just as He did through the Incarnation. Pervading JOY is the key-word of today’s Liturgy.

Isaiah. This is a Jubilee Sunday just as much as it is a jubilee year the Prophet is talking about. Jesus came around for those who are in any way sufferers and who realise that being so, they need healing. Jesus made this reading the opening words of his ministry, a sort of mission-statement, which set him out for three years looking for the lost sheep. Indeed, these are true words of Joy.

Magnificat. The Responsorial Psalm is today taken from Luke. It is Mary’s praise and thanksgiving of the Lord who has glorified her above all humanity notwithstanding her lowly status. It was this social condition, lined with a most humble and prayerful attitude, that God viewed in making her the Mother of her Creator.

First Epistle to the Thessalonians. In an exhortation to Christians in expectation of the arrival of the Lord, St Paul encourages constant thanksgiving while clinging on to all that is good and rejecting evil thoughts and actions. Keep your spirit, soul and body wholesome, Paul encourages.

St John. The Gospel puts personalities in their right historical perspective. There was a time when John the Baptist might have appeared as the real saviour, but he was not. Quoting Isaiah he said he was only preparing the way of the Lord who will baptise with the Spirit. Unknowingly, the Lord was already there, in their midst, waiting for the time to come to start his ministry. Glad tidings, indeed, that He is also present in our midst and whom we can feel and see if only we had a kernel of faith.

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