Feria II infra Hebdomadam III Adventus – III. classis
Philippians 4:4–7
“Rejoice in the Lord always: again, I say, rejoice. Let your modesty be known to all men: The Lord is nigh. Be nothing solicitous; but in every thing, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your petitions be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding, keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.”
John 1:19–28
“I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord.”
I. Gaudete: The Quiet Joy That Comes From Nearness to the Lord
St. Paul’s exhortation to the Philippians—“Rejoice in the Lord always”—resounds with particular beauty in these days of Advent, especially following Gaudete Sunday. The rose vestments of yesterday still leave a lingering hue in the liturgical memory, and today’s Epistle continues the theme: not a worldly joy, but a joy rooted in the nearness of the Incarnate Word.
“The Lord is nigh.” This is both a consolation and a challenge. His nearness demands preparation.
St. John Chrysostom writes,
“This is the sign of a soul that lives in peace: it rejoices in the Lord. But he says not simply, ‘Rejoice,’ but ‘rejoice in the Lord,’ that is, in spiritual things, in your heavenly citizenship.”
(Homily on Philippians 14)
Indeed, Advent is not an emotional season of lights and shallow happiness—it is a time of spiritual vigilance and interior expectation. Yet the Church invites us, not to gloom, but to a deep joy rooted in hope: Gaudete in Domino semper.
St. Augustine offers a similar note,
“The Christian should be an alleluia from head to foot. Because even in the sorrows of this world, he knows where he is going.”
(Sermon 256)
What a contrast to the world’s anxiety and noise. The Apostle urges us: “Be nothing solicitous”—not because life lacks real difficulties, but because the faithful soul has access to the peace of God, which surpasseth all understanding.
II. The Voice in the Wilderness: Humility Before the Word
In today’s Gospel (John 1:19–28), we encounter St. John the Baptist, the Forerunner and Prophet. To the priests and Levites who came from Jerusalem, he confesses freely that he is not the Christ, nor Elias, nor the Prophet.
His answer is striking: “I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness.” Not the Word, but the voice.
St. Augustine comments powerfully:
“John was the voice, but the Lord in the beginning was the Word. John was a voice for a time, Christ the Word in the beginning, the Word eternal.”
(Tractate on John 2.1)
John’s humility is a pattern for us all in Advent. As the voice gives way to the word, so our outward preparations—candles, hymns, penances—must give way to an interior disposition: ready to receive Christ, hidden and silent in the womb of Our Lady.
Again, Augustine exhorts:
“Let us love humility, so that we may come to eternity.”
(Sermon 293)
III. The Modesty of the Saints: Making Straight the Path
St. Paul says, “Let your modesty be known to all men.” The Greek word here, ἐπιεικές (epieikés), is difficult to translate—sometimes rendered gentleness, patience, or mildness. The Douay-Rheims gives it as modesty, capturing that quiet strength and virtue that so often marked the saints.
St. John the Baptist lived this modesty not only in word, but in manner. Clothed in camel’s hair, eating locusts and wild honey, he spoke not of himself but of Another: “There hath stood One in the midst of you, Whom you know not.”
What better model for Advent? To be a voice that leads to the Word. To be hidden, so that Christ may be revealed.
St. Gregory the Great reminds us:
“The more a man is united to God, the more he is separated from the glory of this world.”
(Moralium, Book V)
Conclusion: Watch, Pray, and Rejoice
The Advent message of today’s liturgy is this: Rejoice, for the Lord is near—but also, prepare, with prayer and modesty, for His coming. St. John the Baptist stands before us as a mirror of the soul in Advent: humble, vigilant, obedient, hidden, and full of holy joy.
Let us live the remainder of Advent in this spirit: with prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, and above all, with the peace of God guarding our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.
“May we, like the voice crying in the wilderness, prepare the way for the Lord in the wilderness of our hearts, that He may come and be born anew in us.”
— From a Traditional Monastic Advent Reflection
Suggested Prayer for Today:
O Lord, Who didst send Thy servant John to prepare Thy way before Thee: grant us grace to rejoice in Thy coming, to humble ourselves before Thee, and to live in the peace that passeth all understanding. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.