My dear brothers and sisters, today is "Gaudete [gow-DEH-tay] Sunday." The word "gaudete" is Latin for "rejoice," and in the Latin version of today's Mass, it's the very first word.
The third Sunday of Advent has been "Gaudete Sunday" ever since the time of Pope St Gregory the Great, in the sixth century [original Catholic Encyclopedia]. It's the reason for the rose-colored vestments and Advent candle.
One thing that can inhibit our experience of Christian joy is wrong expectations. The joy that comes from Christ goes deeper than passing emotions.
It is a joy that comes from knowing that Christ is always with us, guiding us, and loving us, even amidst life's trials. If we are expecting Christ to bring us heaven on earth, we simply won't be able recognize his action in our lives, because that's not what he came to do.
Something like that happened in today's Gospel passage.
The priests, Levites, and Pharisees who come out to investigate John the Baptist are the same leaders from Jerusalem who later rejected Christ and arranged his execution.
When they hear rumors that John the Baptist is attracting huge crowds and preaching to them about the Messiah, they get suspicious.
Since he didn't come from their inner circle, they assumed that he couldn't be a true messenger of God. And so when he answers their questions, they pay no attention to what he says. And as a result, they were not ready to welcome Christ later on.
They were expecting a political Messiah, not a Messiah who would redeem the world from sin.
They listened to John's message only through the filter of their personal agendas, and they missed the point.
Their own preconceived notions impeded their acceptance of God's word spoken through John. They heard the prophecy, but it didn't help them at all.