LIVE IT TODAY: Sunday, December 14, 2025 | Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday)
My works in your life reveal who I am—look again and do not lose heart.
LIVE IT TODAY: Sunday, December 14, 2025 | Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday)
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GOD’S DECLARATION TO YOU TODAY
My works in your life reveal who I am—look again and do not lose heart.
INVOCATION
Come, Holy Spirit! Through the intercession of Our Blessed Mother Mary, open my heart to hear and receive all that You desire for me. Draw me ever more deeply into the Love and Life of the Blessed Trinity!
GOSPEL | Matthew 11:2–11
When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ,
he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,
“Are you the one who is to come,
or should we look for another?”
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Go and tell John what you hear and 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.
And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”
As they were going off,
Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John,
“What did you go out to the desert to see?
A reed swayed by the wind?
Then what did you go out to see?
Someone dressed in fine clothing?
Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces.
Then why did you go out? To see a prophet?
Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
This is the one about whom it is written:
Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you;
he will prepare your way before you.
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.”
EVERY DAY QUESTION
What struck you? Challenged you? Inspired you? What questions did it raise?
GOING DEEPER
Joy that grows even in prison walls
Third Sunday of Advent – Gaudete Sunday
It is astonishing to find John the Baptist—the fiery prophet, the unwavering voice crying out in the wilderness—now sitting in prison, asking a question that sounds almost like doubt: “Are you the one who is to come?” This is not a man who has lost faith but a man who has lost clarity. Darkness, disappointment, and isolation can do that even to the strongest hearts. Advent acknowledges this tension: We rejoice, yet we wait; we hope, yet we hunger.
Jesus does not scold John. He points him to the evidence. “Go and tell John what you hear and see.” The miracles Jesus names echo Isaiah’s prophecies about the Messiah. In other words: Look again. The Kingdom is already breaking in, even if not in the way you expected.
This is the heart of Gaudete Sunday. Joy is not denial. Joy is the recognition of God’s work even while we wait for its fullness. Joy grows when we interpret our lives not through our disappointments but through God’s actions.
Jesus then turns to the crowd and reveals just how extraordinary John is. He is not fragile like a reed in the wind, nor defined by luxury. He is the prophet who bridges the Testaments, the messenger promised by God. Yet Jesus adds the shocking line: “The least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” Why? Because after Christ’s death and resurrection, the smallest believer shares in a divine intimacy and indwelling that John could only anticipate. Grace elevates us beyond our natural abilities.
Families today often live in this intersection of longing and evidence—struggling marriages, anxious children, financial strain, health burdens, wounds from the past. We ask our own versions of John’s question: “Lord, where are You? Are You really acting here?” And the Lord answers the same way: Look again. Look at the forgiveness that softened a heart. Look at a child’s resilience. Look at a moment of honesty. Look at a reconciliation forming. Look at the grace that keeps carrying you.
Joy is not the absence of struggle but the presence of Christ transforming it.
Parents, pray over your spouse and your children by name. Ask the Holy Spirit to help your family see God’s work even in trials, to rekindle hope where discouragement sits, and to awaken joy that cannot be stolen by circumstance.
“The Gospel is the revelation of God’s love to us and the source of all true joy.” (CCC 2196)
LIFE APPLICATION QUESTIONS
JOY IN THE STRUGGLE
Where do you sense God inviting you to “look again” at His work in your life?
WHEN HOPE FEELS THIN
What prison-like place—fear, disappointment, or circumstance—needs the light of Christ today?
A FAMILY THAT REJOICES
How can your home more intentionally notice and celebrate God’s blessings, small or large?
FAMILY LIVE IT
Make some time today to gather together and, going around, share one place where you desire to see God’s work more clearly—one area where joy feels dim or distant.
Then take a moment to pray over each person by name, asking Jesus to open their eyes to His presence, deepen their hope, and renew their joy in the midst of real challenges.
Daily Challenge: Perform one intentional act of encouragement toward a family member who may be struggling to find joy today.
DAILY PARENT & GRANDPARENT BLESSING
LORD JESUS CHRIST, let Your holy anointing be upon each of our children, grandchildren, and godchildren this day and week, including all to whom they are called in vocation, and all future generations! In Your Sacred Name we claim them for You! We renounce all whispers, lies, and influences of the Enemy! We pray right now that each know Your loving Presence, be forged in virtue, and be flooded with an abundance of Your Holy Spirit to live fully their identity and mission in You now and through all eternity, through the intercession of our Blessed Mother! Amen.
PARENT BLESSING PROJECT: bit.ly/ParentBlessing
GOING VERTICAL
“Be still and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
Just as the vertical beam upholds the horizontal beam of the Cross, so too does undistracted, dedicated daily turning to God as our lifeblood uphold and strengthen every part of life. Start with just three minutes. Wait patiently for the breakthrough beyond the noise. Let Him speak.
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