Advent, by its nature, is a season of anticipation. This makes it a more solemn season in the
course of the Church year. The word solemn need not mean “sad” or “somber,”
especially in the context of Advent, during which we are preparing for the
joyous event of Christmas and Jesus’ birth.
Indeed, in this context, it means “serious.” We have feast days during the Church year
that are celebrated as Solemnities. For
instance, for our parish, the feast of St. Ambrose on December 7th
may be celebrated as a Solemnity because he is our patron saint. This means we get to celebrate a little more
than usual. We can take the day more
seriously.
During this season of anticipation, we have one Sunday
during which we celebrate a little more:
Gaudete Sunday, which is the Third Sunday of Advent. We celebrate because we are halfway (or a
little more than halfway) to the celebration of Christmas. We light the rose-colored candle. We allow ourselves to be a little more
joyful.
The word gaudete is
Latin for rejoice. It is a command to
us. The reason we call the Third Sunday
of Advent Gaudete Sunday is because the entrance antiphon in the Roman Missal
for this Sunday is taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Phillipians, in which he
tells the new Christian community to “Rejoice in the Lord always” (Philipians
4:4). We are to rejoice because the Lord
is coming. Indeed, He is near.
As Christmas approaches, and with it, our commemoration of
the first coming of Jesus, the anticipation grows as well. Yesterday, I overheard one of the little ones
in EDP asking, “Mommy, is it Christmas?”
The mom responded, “Not yet, soon.”
The excitement was evident in the child’s voice.
As we get older, we tend to become more serious, somber, and
solemn. We lose our childlike joy as we
become jaded by life experience. Starting
today, try to indulge your inner child.
Try to find the joy you may have felt growing up when the first signs of
Christmas appeared in your surroundings.
Rediscover the awe and wonder of one of the best things that has
happened to you, because Christmas is just that: one of the best things that has ever happened
for humankind.
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