Texts: Philippians 4:4–7; John 1:19–28
Occasion: Thursday in the Third Week of Advent (Feria V infra Hebdomadam III Adventus ~ II. classis)
In the quiet hush of Advent’s final days, the Church lifts our gaze with gentle insistence: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say, rejoice. The Lord is near.” (Phil 4:4–5). These words, so familiar, are charged with special weight in this holy season. This Thursday of the third week of Advent continues the note struck on Gaudete Sunday—a liturgical call to joy in the midst of penitence. The nearness of Christ is not only future and eschatological; it is now, sacramental and spiritual. And yet, this joy is not noisy, nor self-promoting—it is the quiet confidence of those who wait in hope and humility.
“Rejoice in the Lord Always”
St. Paul writes from prison, and yet speaks with a heart unfettered by fear or anxiety. The joy he exhorts is not tied to circumstance, but to the Lord Himself. As St. John Chrysostom says in his homily on this passage:
“This joy does not arise from wealth or health or from good things of this life; it comes from the hope of future blessings. Therefore, it is possible to rejoice even in poverty and illness and the loss of friends. Only let our hearts be upright.” (Homily on Philippians)
And so the Apostle urges not a joy rooted in worldly assurances, but a joy rooted in prayer, thanksgiving, and trust. “Be nothing solicitous,” he says—words which echo Our Lord’s own admonition in the Sermon on the Mount. This is the peace that surpasses all understanding, guarding the heart with the quiet strength of grace.
The Voice in the Wilderness: John 1:19–28
As Philippians leads us into the interior peace of the Christian soul, the Gospel takes us into the stark wilderness, to John the Baptist—the voice crying out in preparation for the Lord. Here too, we find a lesson for Advent: the way to joy is through humility.
The Baptist confesses: “I am not the Christ… I am not Elijah… I am not the prophet.” (Jn 1:20–21) With every question posed to him, he denies himself, stripping away every possible claim to status, until finally he declares: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.”
St. Augustine marvels at this humility:
“John was the voice, but the Lord was the Word. Take away the word, what is the voice? When it conveys no meaning, it is but a noise. A voice without the word strikes the ear but does not build up the heart.” (Tractate 2 on John)
John is great precisely because he refuses to center the message upon himself. He is the forerunner, the friend of the Bridegroom, whose joy is made full when the Bridegroom comes. His humility clears the way for Christ’s advent.
St. Gregory the Great reflects similarly:
“What else is preaching the truth but giving birth to the voice of the Redeemer in the hearts of the hearers? Thus, John, the voice of the Word, goes before, as though by his ministry he brings the grace of the Redeemer into the hearts of his hearers.” (Homilies on the Gospels, 7)
Joy, Prayer, and Humility: The Spirit of Advent
The convergence of these readings on this Thursday of Advent’s third week invites us to interior preparation. The joy of Philippians is not shallow cheer, but the fruit of a soul purified by humility and lifted by confident prayer. The witness of John the Baptist calls us to make straight the way—not through noise or display, but by a hidden self-emptying that exalts Christ.
The nearness of the Lord is both consolation and call. “The Lord is near,” St. Paul reminds us—not merely as a future judge, but as Emmanuel, already drawing close to those who wait for Him with love.
Let us then, in these final days before Christmas, echo the Baptist’s humility and Paul’s joy. Let us prepare a place within our hearts for the Word made flesh, not by anxious toil, but by fervent prayer and steadfast peace.
Come, Lord Jesus—be born anew in us.