The Time of the Lord’s Favour (3rd Sunday of Advent)

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These last few chapters of Isaiah, in today’s first reading, are notable for their shift in tone from the previous chapters. Here, in contrast with the mournful tone of earlier chapters, there is more of an emphasis on hope and joy. A voice declares that he will bring good news that will be a source of joy to those who have been afflicted, and comfort for those who mourn.

This is said to happen in “the Year of the Lord's favour,” which is a reference to the Jubilee year that happens every fifty years, according to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 25:9). In the Jubilee year, prisoners and slaves are released from their captivity, and lands are to revert back to their ancestral owners. This practice was instituted by God so that those who find themselves in less than ideal circumstances may find relief.

In Isaiah, the Jubilee acts more as a symbol for release from oppressive conditions that the Jews find themselves in. Despite the Exile and the loss of their Temple, they had faith that God was still at work in their history. They had hope that He will come to save them from their enemies and usher in an age of peace.
This passage finds its fulfillment in the coming of Christ. This very passage was read by Jesus in the synagogue of Nazareth. After reading the passage, He declared to the people, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). This signals to us that the ultimate release from bondage was to comes through Christ, who released those who are bound by physical ailments and the weight of their sins. But the ultimate release from bondage came through His death and Resurrection.

As we enter into Gaudete Sunday, we remember that Jesus has brought us out of the bondage of sin and into salvation, and take joy in that. As St. Paul exhorts us in the epistle reading: “Rejoice always.”

J. Luis Dizon