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Lunes a Viernes: 9am-12pm Y 1pm-5pm
Our parish is staffed by the
Missionaries of the Sacred Heart (M.S.C.)
December 14, 2025
Third Sunday of Advent
14 de diciembre de 2025
Tercer Domingo de Adviento
“Yo les aseguro que no ha surgido entre los hijos de una mujer
ninguno más grande que Juan el Bautista.
Sin embargo, el más pequeño en el Reino de los cielos,
es todavía más grande que él".
“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.”
Reflection on Sunday Readings by Fr. Luis and Fr. Raj
Reflexión sobre las lecturas dominicales del P. Luis y P. Raj
TERCER DOMINGO DE ADVIENTO 2025
Queridos hermanos y hermanas: Este domingo encenderemos en la iglesia la tercera vela, de color rosa, que nos recuerda lo cerca que estamos de celebrar el nacimiento de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, que vino a visitar nuestro mundo y salvarnos de nuestros pecados. Permítanme hacerles algunas preguntas: ¿Han tenido alguna vez una razón para estar muy alegres? ¿Cómo se siente una persona cuando está a punto de vivir un acontecimiento importante? Piensa en tu primera cita amorosa, en la celebración de tus quince años, en tu primera comunión, en el día de tu boda, en el día que empezaste a trabajar, en el día que compraste tu primer carro o tu primera casa. ¿Cómo te sentiste en ese momento? Probablemente estabas nervioso, pero también muy alegre por lo que estaba a punto de suceder. Del mismo modo, nosotros también nos sentimos muy alegres hoy, porque esperamos la pronta venida de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo.
Hoy se nos invita a regocijarnos en Dios y a reconocer lo maravilloso y grande que es su amor por nosotros. La alegría a la que estamos invitados proviene de nuestra estrecha relación con Jesús y va más allá de si sonreímos o no. Se trata de una alegría verdadera que brota de nuestro interior al sabernos y sentirnos amados por Dios. En nuestro día a día, nos encontramos con muchas personas que sonríen y fingen ser felices, pero no tienen el gozo verdadera porque lo que tienen proviene de su éxito personal, de sus bienes materiales, de la fama o de cosas pasajeras que, tarde o temprano, se quedarán solo en este mundo. La alegría de la que nos hablan las lecturas de este domingo viene de Jesús y no puede ser destruida por ninguna circunstancia adversa, ya que no se apoya en ningún bien humano ni depende del vaivén del destino, de cuánto tienes o de cuánta gente haya a tu alrededor, sino solamente de Dios. ¿Crees que tienes ese tipo de alegría en tu vida?
Este domingo se llama Gaudete, precisamente porque nos invita a contemplar la cercanía de Dios, que llega para salvar a su pueblo, como dice bellamente el profeta Isaías. Lo que Isaías anunció proféticamente en el Antiguo Testamento se cumplió en Jesús, el enviado por Dios para llenar de regocijo, paz y amor los corazones afligidos; para dar vista a los ciegos, hacer caminar a los cojos, sanar a los leprosos, hacer oír a los sordos, resucitar a los muertos y anunciar la buena nueva a los pobres. Esas acciones son la prueba de su mesianismo, y por eso, cuando los enviados de Juan el Bautista, que estaba encarcelado, fueron a preguntarle a Jesús si era el mesías, él les respondió: «Vayan y cuéntenle lo que están viendo y oyendo», es decir, las acciones y palabras que daban fe de que el mesías ya había llegado al mundo.
El apóstol Santiago nos invita a esperar con paciencia la venida del Señor, preparándonos con un corazón sincero y sin quejas. Esa es la mejor manera de esperar al Señor, que viene a llenar nuestros corazones de gozo y alegría, y a proclamar la buena nueva para todos.
Ojalá, mientras preparamos nuestros corazones para el encuentro con Jesús, realicemos también buenas obras con las que mostremos a los demás nuestra fe en Dios.
P. Luis Segura M.S.C.
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THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT 2025
Dear brothers and sisters: This Sunday we will light the third candle in the church, the pink one, which reminds us how close we are to celebrating the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who came to visit our world and save us from our sins. Allow me to ask you a few questions: Have you ever had a reason to be very joyful? How does a person feel when they are about to experience an important event? Think about your first date, your quinceañera celebration, your first communion, your wedding day, the day you started your first job, the day you bought your first car or your first house. How did you feel at that moment? You were probably nervous, but also very happy about what was about to happen. In the same way, we too feel very joyful today, because we await the imminent coming of Our Lord Jesus Christ.
Today we are invited to rejoice in God and to recognize how wonderful and great his love is for us. The joy to which we are invited comes from our close relationship with Jesus and goes beyond whether or not we are smiling. It is a true joy that springs from within us, from knowing and feeling loved by God. In our daily lives, we encounter many people who smile and pretend to be happy, but they do not possess true joy because what they have comes from their personal success, their material possessions, their fame, or fleeting things that, sooner or later, will remain only in this world. The joy that the readings of this Sunday speak of comes from Jesus and cannot be destroyed by any adverse circumstances, since it does not depend on any human good or the whims of fate, on how much you have or how many people are around you, but only on God. Do you believe you have this kind of joy in your life?
This Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday, precisely because it invites us to contemplate the closeness of God, who comes to save his people, as the prophet Isaiah beautifully describes. What Isaiah prophesied in the Old Testament was fulfilled in Jesus, the one sent by God to fill afflicted hearts with joy, peace, and love; to give sight to the blind, make the lame walk, heal lepers, make the deaf hear, raise the dead, and proclaim the good news to the poor. These actions are proof of his messianic identity, and that is why, when the messengers of John the Baptist, who was imprisoned, went to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah, he replied: "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard," that is, the actions and words that bore witness to the fact that the Messiah had already arrived in the world.
The Apostle James invites us to patiently await the coming of the Lord, preparing ourselves with a sincere heart and without complaint. This is the best way to await the Lord, who comes to fill our hearts with joy and gladness, and to proclaim the good news to all.
Hopefully, as we prepare our hearts for our encounter with Jesus, we will also perform good works that show others our faith in God.
Fr. Luis Segura M.S.C.
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Good news to the Poor…
The Gospel of this third Sunday of Advent speaks to us about John the Baptist who, while in prison, sends his disciples to ask Jesus: “Are you he who is to come, or shall we look for another?” (Mt 11:4). Indeed, John, hearing of Jesus’ works, is seized with doubt as to whether He is really the Messiah or not. In fact, he imagined a stern Messiah who would come and do justice with power by chastising sinners. Now, on the contrary, Jesus has words and gestures of compassion towards all; at the center of His action is the mercy that forgives, whereby “the blind receives their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them” (v. 6). It does us good, however, to look more closely at this crisis of John the Baptist, as it can tell us something important too.
The text emphasizes that John is in prison, and this, as well as being a physical place, makes us think of the inner situation he is experiencing: in prison there is darkness, there is no possibility of seeing clearly and seeing beyond it. In effect, the Baptist is no longer able to recognize Jesus as the awaited Messiah. He is assailed by doubt, and he sends the disciples to check: “Go and see if he is the Messiah or not”. It surprises us that this should happen to John, the one who had baptized Jesus in the Jordan and had indicated him to his disciples as the Lamb of God (cf. Jn 1:29). But this means that even the greatest believer goes through the tunnel of doubt. And this is not a bad thing; on the contrary, sometimes it is essential for spiritual growth: it helps us understand that God is always greater than we imagine Him to be. His works are surprising compared to our calculations; His actions are different, always, they exceed our needs and expectations; and therefore, we must never stop seeking Him and converting to His true face. This is what the Baptist does: in doubt, he still seeks Him, questions Him, “argues” with Him and finally rediscovers Him. John, defined by Jesus as the greatest among those born of women (cf. Mt 11:11), teaches us, in short, not to close God within our own mindsets. This is always the danger, the temptation: to make ourselves a God to our measure, a God to use. And God is something else.
We too at times find ourselves in his situation, in an inner jail, unable to recognize the newness of the Lord, whom we perhaps hold captive in the presumption that we already know everything about Him. One never knows everything about God, never! Perhaps we have in mind a powerful God who does what He wants, instead of the God of humble meekness, the God of mercy and love, who always intervenes respecting our freedom and our choices. Perhaps we even find ourselves saying to Him: “Are you really you, so humble, the God who is coming to save us?”. And something similar can happen to us with our brothers and sisters too: we have our ideas, our prejudices and we attach rigid labels to others, especially those we feel are different to us. Advent, then is a time for overturning our perspectives, for letting ourselves be surprised by God’s mercy. A time – Advent – in which, preparing the Nativity display for the Infant Jesus, we learn again who our Lord is; a time to leave behind certain preconceptions and prejudices about God and our brothers and sisters. Advent is a time in which, instead of thinking about gifts for ourselves, we can give words and gestures of consolation to those who are wounded, as Jesus did with the blind, the deaf and the lame.
May Our Lady take us by the hand, like a mother, may she take us by the hand in these days of preparation for Christmas, and help us recognize in the smallness of the Infant the greatness of God who is coming. [Synthesized from Pope Francis, Angelus, 11 XII 22]
Rev. Jos Rajesh Peter M.S.C.
3rd Sunday of Advent – Gaudete Sunday - Cycle A 2025
My friends, the theme for our Liturgy today is rejoice ! For those among us who can remember the days of Latin, today is called “Gaudete Sunday.” Gaudete means, “Rejoice !” Our theme is also reflected in the color of vestments and advent candle.
I most always refer to the color of the candle and vestments as, “Pink” but am usually corrected and told that the color is actually Rose, not Pink – even though roses come in many colors: Red, White, Yellow, Pink, etc. Anyway, the colors today represent the theme for our Liturgy: Joy and Happiness because salvation is at hand.
My friends, today’s Gospel is about rejoicing, even though it begins with the image of John the Baptist in prison. It’s about Rejoicing because of the message Jesus sent to John. In essence, Jesus told John, “Yes. I am the one – who is to come…”
“Go and tell John what you 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.”
Jesus’ message to John’s disciples was, “Don’t tell John what I am claiming, tell him what I am doing! Tell him what you see.”
Even though John was in prison, he was able to rejoice because his life’s work of preparing the world for the coming of Jesus came to fruition. John accomplished his mission. He “made straight the path of the Lord…”
The last sentence of Jesus’ message to John in today’s gospel is very significant. It gave encouragement to John and gives encouragement to us: “Blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” Scripture scholars tell us that Jesus was telling John, “Don’t be upset with me because I’m doing things differently than you.”
John’s way of preaching, as we heard last week was blistering: “You brood of vipers !” And, “The chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
Jesus’ way of preaching was (and is): “Your sins are forgiven – go in peace.”
So, Jesus says to John: "Maybe I am not doing the things you expected me to do. But the powers of evil are being defeated – not by irresistible power – but by undefeatable love."
This statement of Jesus is encouragement for us also as we continue to do the work of Jesus. Not all of us do that work in the same way:
Some of us continue the work of Jesus by donating food and clothing for those in need.
Some of us work in food pantries, homeless shelters.
Some of us continue the work of Jesus by teaching those who hunger for the Word of God.
Some of us bring Holy Communion to those who are unable to come to Sunday Mass.
Some of us are able to do good works by giving financial support to those in need.
In whatever way we choose, in whatever way we are gifted, we all have the opportunity to continue the work of Jesus by doing good works for those in need…
So, we rejoice today and give thanks to John the Baptizer for announcing and preparing us for the coming of Jesus into our lives in a new way, full of Hope and Joy.
We also give thanks to Mary, the Mother of God for saying “Yes” to become the Mother of God:
The angel said to Mary: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called Holy, the Son of God.” (Luke 1:31-32)
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
My friends, we also rejoice and give thanks to all the people in our lives who have prepared us for the coming of Jesus.
“Before you speak of peace, you must first have it in your heart.” –Francis of Assisi
“Antes de hablar de paz, primero debes tenerla en tu corazón”. –Francisco de Asís
