Fr. Jorge Miró shares with Exaudi readers his commentary on the Gospel of Sunday, December 14, 2025, entitled, “Are you the one who is to come or do we have to wait for someone else? ”

***

The third Sunday of Advent is Joyful Sunday.  Thus begins the entrance antiphon: Rejoice! I will say it again, rejoice in the Lord.

But why should we be joyful?  Because often the world around us doesn’t exactly inspire joy, due to the number of difficulties, problems, struggles, and stories we have to live through.

The first reading gives us the keys.  Be strong, do not fear. Behold, your God! Vengeance is coming, God’s retribution. He comes in person and will save you.  Then the eyes of the blind will be opened, the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame will leap like a deer. The redeemed of the Lord return… Sorrow and affliction are left behind.

The Lord comes to you, to your heart, to your life. He comes to heal your wounds, to bear your sins and forgive them, to tell you that He loves you unconditionally, just as you are; to tell you that He will never stop loving you and that He gives you a new life.

And this is true joy:  having the certainty of God’s faithfulness and love, the certainty that there is nothing and no one that can separate you from the love of God manifested in Christ Jesus.

Christian joy is not   a mood or a feeling, but the experience of the presence of the Risen Jesus Christ in your heart, who with the gift of his Spirit makes your life new.

Christian joy   is one of the fruits of the Spirit   (cf.  Gal 5:22); it is often linked to pain, to the cross; but it leads to new life.

The Gospel presents us with Saint John the Baptist sending two of his disciples to ask Jesus if he is the Messiah, the Savior. Jesus’ answer is affirmative:  Jesus is the Savior, the Messiah, the one who was to come ; in him the prophecies of the Old Testament are fulfilled: the blind see, the deaf hear…

With this, the Word of God invites you to live Christmas in such a way that it does not remain a purely sentimental celebration, nor a mere historical remembrance of the Birth of Jesus, much less a commercial and consumerist festival, but rather that you open your heart wide to the Lord, that you accept in your life that Jesus is the Lord, the Messiah, the Savior, and, therefore, prepare your heart to receive him.

Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior, and there is no need to wait for another.  He is the Master and the Lord; He is the one who can give you life, peace, and happiness; the one who can give meaning to your life.

This arrival of Jesus should fill you with joy, because your salvation has arrived, the light you need to emerge from the darkness has arrived, hope has arrived.

What do you want from Jesus Christ? What do you expect from him? Who is he to you? Is he just a historical figure, or is Jesus truly your Savior, your Lord, your Messiah, the only one who can give you life? And that’s why this message is an invitation to open your heart to Jesus. To open your heart to the Savior who comes into your life.

And to the extent that you open your heart to Him, you too will see this word fulfilled in your life.  You will see your blindness disappear, and you will be able to see the Lord in the midst of your concrete life, your concrete story. You will see your deafness disappear, and you will be able to hear the word of God and receive it as good news.

And the great danger is feeling scandalized by Jesus.

To be scandalized by Jesus is to want to become a “teacher” in order to argue with Jesus, to “negotiate” the demands of the Gospel, to make the Gospel to suit your own needs.

To be scandalized by Jesus is to set conditions for following him, to accept the gospel halfway, to do only what suits you… and in such a heart the Lord cannot be born.

Therefore, it is necessary to clear away all obstacles ; conversion is necessary.

Take heart!  Ask for the gift of the Holy Spirit to prepare your heart.  Then you will be able to welcome Jesus Christ not as a  burden, but as a gift, and you will see him not as a threat, but as an adventure.

If you believe, you will see the glory of God!

Come, Lord Jesus!