Third Sunday of Advent Gaudete Sunday
As years go by, I realize that at the beginning of the third Sunday of Advent there is a shift in my way of thinking and praying. I am now getting used to thinking that there is no Christmas without snow. At the middle of the month of December, I always remember a friend who came to me after Mass a couple of years ago and gave me an envelope with a stipend to pray for her
intention that there might be snow at least on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. She said that without snow, there would be no joy for her family since all her children and grandchildren were coming home for Christmas. It seemed to make no sense to me, since where I grew up there was never snow at all, I never heard anyone worried about it, and I took snow as a sign of very bad weather. But I prayed for her intentions and, praise to God, there was so much snow. I don’t know if it is because of my prayers or not. That is not the point anyway.
Christmas is time that God showers his children with many blessings and His joy. It is always good to see that some people do their best to share God’s love with others and do everything in their power to bring joy in their lives. Yes, joy is a gift. It is not a gift one can simply give to the other, but a gift of God that He gives to me and to all of us freely so that we too can share it with others.
The third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudate. The name comes from the days when the Mass was in Latin and the entrance hymn began with the words: Gaudete in Domino Semper (Rejoice in the Lord, always) and the hymn goes on with “again I say rejoice.” The celebration of the third Sunday of Advent invites us to meditate on the theme of “Joy,” even in the midst of extreme suffering, the joy that the Son of God brings us. Having passed the midpoint of the penitential season of Advent, on Gaudate Sunday the Church lightens the mood a little. The priest and the deacon wear rose vestments, and we light the rose-colored candle of the advent wreath at the beginning of the Holy Mass.
Also the sacred readings that we reflect on and the prayers of the liturgy make Gaudate Sunday a mid-point break from the austere practices of advent to rejoice in the nearness of Jesus’ coming. As we draw closer to Christmas Day, we keep our hearts on the One who is the reason of this season and brings us true joy. Also, let us hold his joy in our hearts and spread the same joy in others’ lives everyday.
Now as I am focusing on the celebrations to come,
I am thinking of three tips that can help all of us to discover the joy of the Lord everyday and to keep the joy throughout the Advent and Christmas seasons:
· Pray, which is always the first best answer. Let us allow more time for private and family prayer and meet Christ in the sacraments, especially penance. Check the bulletin for the schedule or call or email Fr. McCullough or me to schedule an appointment.
· Be a good example. As we fix our hearts on the coming of the Savior, we also need to see all those ways in which God intervenes in our daily life, especially in good example and ask the grace to do the same. While the world witnesses more of the evil than the good, let us learn from countless good people who do many good things everyday, teaching us that it is still possible to encounter the Lord in the human being. If so, the incarnation of the Son of God will have meaning in our lives.
· Make small acts of love. Let us not be caught up with many things like shopping, decorations, watching shows, movies and so on, to the point to forget that we are where God wants us now to change the world by kind acts of love. Look around us and spread joy among our family members and neighbors. The more we spread joy, the more we have a world that mirrors what God wants His world to look like.
“Brothers and sisters:
Rejoice in the Lord always.
I shall say it again: rejoice!
Your kindness should be known to all.
The Lord is near.” Phil. 4:4-5