Third Sunday of Advent

The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because the Lord hath anointed me: he hath sent me to preach to the meek, to heal the contrite of heart, and to preach a release to the captives, and deliverance to them that are shut up. ²To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God: to comfort all that mourn: ¹⁰I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, and my soul shall be joyful in my God: for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation: and with the robe of justice he hath covered me, as a bridegroom decked with a crown, and as a bride adorned with her jewels. ¹¹For as the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth her seed to shoot forth: so shall the Lord God make justice to spring forth, and praise before all the nations.

⁴⁶And Mary said: My soul doth magnify the Lord. ⁴⁷And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. ⁴⁸Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid; for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. ⁴⁹Because he that is mighty, hath done great things to me; and holy is his name. ⁵⁰And his mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear him. ⁵³He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. ⁵⁴He hath received Israel his servant, being mindful of his mercy:

℟ My soul shall be joyful in my God.

Always rejoice. ¹⁷Pray without ceasing. ¹⁸In all things give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you all. ¹⁹Extinguish not the spirit. ²⁰Despise not prophecies. ²¹But prove all things; hold fast that which is good. ²²From all appearance of evil refrain yourselves. ²³And may the God of peace himself sanctify you in all things; that your whole spirit, and soul, and body, may be preserved blameless in the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴He is faithful who hath called you, who also will do it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. ⁷This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him. ⁸He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light. ¹⁹And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites to him, to ask him: Who art thou? ²⁰And he confessed, and did not deny: and he confessed: I am not the Christ. ²¹And they asked him: What then? Art thou Elias? And he said: I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered: No. ²²They said therefore unto him: Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What sayest thou of thyself? ²³He said: I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias. ²⁴And they that were sent, were of the Pharisees. ²⁵And they asked him, and said to him: Why then dost thou baptize, if thou be not Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet? ²⁶John answered them, saying: I baptize with water; but there hath stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not. ²⁷The same is he that shall come after me, who is preferred before me: the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose. ²⁸These things were done in Bethania, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.