3rd Sunday of Advent – Year A

Fr. Mark Gatto

Preached: December 14, 2025

What is God’s plan for the universe? What is God’s plan for humanity?

This Third Sunday of Advent is called Joyful Sunday precisely because we are hearing the joyful message about God’s ultimate plan. Plan for healing and salvation. Plan for joy and peace. In a world that often seems so full of sadness, and where we can easily become discouraged by what we see, our Catholic Faith offers a vision of Good News and joy.

We hear the Prophet Isaiah, “Here is your God. He will come and save you.” Isaiah offers a message of joy and gladness where sorrow and sighing will flee away.

John the Baptist came preaching a message of repentance, calling people to be ready for what God was planning to do. But, John was now in prison, unable to do much. He heard about Jesus and sent his followers to investigate what Jesus was doing. Jesus sends them back quoting from the Prophet Isaiah, the passage we heard today, about the blind seeing, the lame walking, the lepers cleansed. John would have recognized right away these words from Isaiah and realize what Jesus was saying. Jesus was to be the instrument of God opening the way to that Kingdom of joy and peace. Jesus revealed the plan of God for the universe and for humanity. Not death and destruction, but healing and salvation.

When Jesus did come almost no one recognized what God was doing. Very few were able to see the hand of God at work in this event of Jesus. Today, how many of us recognize what God is doing in our world or in our lives? How many of us see the hand of God at work in our midst?

John the Baptist was trying to prepare the people of his time to be ready for what God was about to do. Today we also need to prepare our hearts and minds to be ready to see what God is doing in our midst. One thing so essential for our minds and hearts to recognize the joyful plan of God taking place in our midst, is beauty.

Our Catholic Faith has always emphasized beauty. Think of the great works of art created in our Catholic tradition. Even our churches were meant to express beauty. Beauty opens our heart to recognize God’s ultimate plan for the universe and humanity. It is good for our souls to go experience beautiful works of art. The beauty in an art gallery, the beauty in a great novel, the beauty in a church. Even music that is not directly religious can open our hearts to God’s grace if it is beautiful. Cinema can also be a source opening our hearts and minds. A great film is something beautiful. I found a youtube channel recently called, The Beauty Of, that gives short visions of various films.

It is also good for us to be out in nature and experience the beauty of creation. Beautiful art, beautiful music, beautiful churches, beautiful cinema, the beauty in creation. All beauty is able to open our hearts and minds to the plan of God for our universe and humanity. A plan for joy and gladness.

We also need to see beauty in the simple and ordinary of daily life. In your home and where you work or study. Do you see the beauty in the ordinary of daily life? Think about when we are here each Sunday for Mass. We have a beautiful church and works of art. But, we also need to be able to see the beauty in the people gathered here. The beauty of the children in our midst. The beauty of parents with a little baby. The beauty of an elderly person walking in with her walker or cane. The beauty of a young couple holding hands. The beauty of a person kneeling quietly in prayer. The beauty of parishioners laughing together before or after Mass in the Narthex. The beauty of the lines of hundreds of people processing forward to receive Holy Communion as one body. There is so much beauty in the simple of everyday life if our eyes are open.

Beauty is able to open our souls, our minds, our hearts to be prepared to recognize the plan of God for our world and humanity. A plan for joy and gladness.

During these final days of Advent pay attention and look for beauty. Even in a busy crowded mall full of Christmas shoppers. Even with distractions all around us. See the beauty in the people around you and in the simplest moments of your life. Beauty is able to open our hearts and minds to see beyond the death and destruction and sadness in our world to the ultimate plan of God for salvation, joy and gladness.