Join us for the annual

Advent Reconciliation Service

Tuesday, December 14th at 7 pm

Third Sunday of Advent December 12, 2021

11:30 am Music reprinted for live stream broadcast under license #612145, OneLicense.net

Gathering Song: Emmanuel verses 1, 2 and 5 Steve Angrisano

Penitential Act I confess to almighty God and to you, my brothers and sisters,

that I have greatly sinned, in my thoughts and in my words,

in what I have done and in what I have failed to do,

(strike breast) through my fault, through my fault,

through my most grievous fault;

therefore I ask blessed Mary ever-Virgin, all the Angels and Saints,

and you, my brothers and sisters, to pray for me to the Lord our God.

Fr. John: May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life.

All: Amen

from Mass of St. Mary Magdalene by Sarah Hart

Collect

The Liturgy of the Word

First Reading: A reading from the Book of the Prophet Zephaniah (3:14-18a (9C)) Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! The Lord has removed the judgement against you, he has turned away your enemies; the king of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst, you have no further misfortune to fear. On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem: Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged! The Lord, your God, is in your midst, a mighty savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love, he will sing joyfully because of you, as one sings at festivals. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6 Josh Blakesley

1. God indeed is my savior; I am confident and unafraid. My strength and my courage is the Lord, he has been my savior. 2. Give thanks to the Lord, acclaim his name; among the nations make known his deeds, proclaim how exalted is his name. 3. Sing to the Lord for his glorious achievement; let this be known throughout all the earth. Shout with exultation, O city of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel! Second Reading: A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians (4:4-7) Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. The Word of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Advent Gospel Acclamation: Isaiah 61:1 (cited in Luke 4:18) Stephen Pishner The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. The Lord be with you. And with your spirit. A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke. Glory to you, O Lord.

Gospel Reading: Luke (3:10-18) 7KH�FURZGV�DVNHG�-RKQ�WKH�%DSWLVW��´:KDW�VKRXOG�ZH�GR"µ��+H�VDLG�WR�WKHP�LQ�UHSO\��´:KRHYHU�KDV�WZR�FORDN�VKRXOG�VKDUH�ZLWK�WKH�SHUVRQ�ZKR�KDV�QRQH���$QG�ZKRHYHU�KDV�IRRG�VKRXOG�GR�OLNHZLVH�µ��(YHQ�WD[�FROOHFWRUV�FDPH�WR�EH�EDSWL]HG�DQG�WKH\�VDLG�WR�KLP��´7HDFKHU��ZKDW�VKRXOG�ZH�GR"µ��+H�DQVZHUHG�WKHP��´6WRS�FROOHFWLQJ�PRUH�WKDQ�ZKDW�LV�SUHVFULEHG�µ��6ROGLHUV�DOVR�DVNHG�KLP��´$QG�ZKDW�LV�LW�WKDW�ZH�VKRXOG�GR"µ��+H�WROG�WKHP��´'R�QRW�SUDFWLFH�H[WRUWLRQ��GR�QRW�IDOVHO\�DFFXVH�DQ\RQH��DQG�EH�VDWLVILHG�ZLWK�\RXU�ZDJHV�µ Now the people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Christ. -RKQ�DQVZHUHG�WKHP�DOO��VD\LQJ��´,�DP�EDSWL]LQJ�\RXU�ZLWK�ZDWHU�EXW�RQH�PLJKWLHU�WKDQ�,�LV�FRPLQJ���,�DP�QRW�ZRUWK\�WR�loosen the thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His winnowing fan is in his hand to FOHDU�KLV�WKUHVKLQJ�IORRU�DQG�WR�JDWKHU�WKH�ZKHDW�LQWR�KLV�EDUQ��EXW�WKH�FKDII�KH�ZLOO�EXUQ�ZLWK�XQTXHQFKDEOH�ILUH�µ�� ([KRUWLQJ�WKHP�LQ�PDQ\�RWKHU�ZD\V��KH�SUHDFKHG�JRRG�QHZV�WR�WKH�SHRSOH�µ

The Gospel of the Lord. Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Homily

Profession of Faith

The Nicene Creed

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth,

of all things visible and invisible.

I believe in one Lord Jesus Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God,

born of the Father before all ages. God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God,

begotten, not made, consubstantial with the Father; through him all things were made.

For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven, �DW�WKH�ZRUGV�WKDW�IROORZ��XS�WR�DQG�LQFOXGLQJ�´DQG�EHFDPH�PDQ�µ�DOO�ERZ��

and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.

For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate, he suffered death and was buried,

and rose again on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.

He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead and his kingdom will have no end.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is adored and glorified,

who has spoken through the prophets.

I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church. I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.

Prayer of the Faithful

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Preparation of the Gifts: Ready the Way Curtis Stephan

The Liturgy of the Eucharist acclamations from the Mass of Renewal by Curtis Stephan

Holy

Mystery of Faith

Amen

Advent Lamb of God Kevin Keil

Communion Song: Come to Us, O God Barbara Bridge

Say to the faint of heart: Be strong and do not fear. Behold, our God will come, and he will save us.

Isaiah 35:5

Final Blessing

Sending Forth: Emmanuel verses 3-5 Steve Angrisano

Christmas Mass Schedule 2021 Friday, December 24th

�����SP�&KLOGUHQ·V�3DJHDQW��mass at 4:00 pm; 7:00 pm and 11:00 pm

Saturday, December 25th at 9:00 am

Mass for the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Saturday, December 25th at 5:00 pm;

Sunday, December 26th at 8:30 am and 11:30 am

THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

In Advent we undergo a spiritual exercise of living through the expecta7on of the coming of the Messiah. Today begins the third week of Advent. The third Sunday of Advent which is tradi7onally called “Gaudate Sunday” marks the liturgical halfway point of Advent, and the Church rejoices because Jesus’ coming is near.

All the readings of today call upon us to rejoice or be joyful because our salva7on is closer than when we started the journey to prepare for the coming of the Lord and Savior of the World.

In the first reading, the prophet Zephaniah exhorts the people of Israel who were down and depressed because of the calamites that had befallen them. He comes to comfort and console them. He tells them to no longer be afraid but to rejoice because the Lord, in his mercy, has decided to remove the judgment against them, and has turned away their enemies. And most importantly, the Lord is with them in love and support.

The same message of calling the people of Israel to dismiss their anxie7es, fears and worries comes up in the second reading. St. Paul says to the Chris7an brothers and sisters in the church in Philippi to rejoice in the Lord’s presence. He, as it were, gives three keys to a lifestyle of rejoicing: (1) not being anxious, through abandonment to God’s providence, (2) showing kindness to everyone, (3) making constant prac7ce of prayer as an an7dote to worry, including intercession, supplica7on and especially thanksgiving in our prayer. (Cf. John Bergsma, “The Word of the Lord: Reflec7ons on the Sunday Mass Readings for Year C”). The point is according to St Paul, the heart and mind turn to God are always ready to rejoice.

When the Lord is our midst or near, wonderful things happen. It is for this reason that the people who were listening to John the Bap7st in the Gospel reading asked what they had to do when the Lord was near.

John called them to a life of repentance and renewal. John had different advice for each group. St Luke picks up two of the most despised groups of that 7me—tax collectors and soldiers.

John the Bap7st’s pieces of advice to them are s7ll very much to the point for all of us. As the coming of the Lord draws closer, what you and I need to do is ask the ques7on, “What should I do?” Then listen to your heart, you will hear what the Lord wants you to do. Perhaps, the Lord may ask you to be charitable to your fellow man or woman, to pay a just wage to your workers, to do an honest day’s work for the pay you are ge\ng. Perhaps, the Lord may ask you to stop being nega7ve, to overcome the anxie7es and worries caused by financial stresses, health problems, deadlines at work, dysfunc7onal rela7onship with family members.

As we are filled with expecta7on of the arrival of the Messiah let us pay a]en7on to the message of the readings of today and overcome the things that prevent us from rejoicing in the Lord always. Let us strive to turn our minds and hearts to God amid what is going on in our lives.

Let us also make a frui^ul use of the sacraments of reconcilia7on so that we may always turn our hearts and minds to God.