We “Rejoice” in the coming of the Lord!
Today, the third Sunday of Advent, also called “Gaudete Sunday,” reminds us to live today and every day with a spirit of joyful rejoicing. Taken from the first word of the opening prayer at Mass, “Gaudete,” Latin for “rejoice,” reminds us of the joyful expectation of the coming of the Lord, both at the end of the age and in the memorial of the Feast of the Nativity. For the first two weeks of the season our focus has been on reflection, penance and prayerful waiting and preparation as we await Jesus’ second coming at the end the of the age. Today we rejoice that our faith revolves not just around penance and wallowing in our sinfulness, but in the confidence that Jesus our savior has removed the judgement against us. It reminds us that Jesus continually renews us with his love. This sense of rejoicing is symbolized in the change in color of the priest’s vestments from purple to rose and the lighting of the rose-colored candle in the Advent wreath. How do we live rejoicing? In Luke’s Gospel we see the crowds asking John the Baptist the same question and his answer is as practical today as it was then. John tells those who asked the question they should live simply, share their resources and come back to a sense of justice. He impressed this on the Roman soldiers, tax collectors and the people alike.
How are you especially aware of the poor and vulnerable and do you support them?
How do you practice charity, not just alms giving but addressing the social and political dimensions of poverty?
Reflection by Nick O'Hearn
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