Word for the Weekend of December 13: REJOICE!

I'm late with this - but you still have tonight, Friday and a good part of Saturday to read and ponder the scriptures for the Third Sunday of Advent. As is also the case in the season of Lent, the mid-point Sunday of Advent has a special character, that of rejoicing. This third Sunday is often called Gaudete Sunday because the first word of the entrance antiphon in Latin is "gaudete," rejoice! (The mid-point Sunday in Lent is called Laetare Sunday for the same reason: "laetare" also means rejoice!) The vestments for this Sunday are the color of rose and it's the Sunday for lighting the rose candle on the Advent wreath.

We're half-way there! Well, we're half-way to Christmas but, literally, only God knows where we are in time between now and the coming, the final Advent, of Christ at the end of time. Some parishes may be singing a blessing and dismissal which includes the line, "May the blessing of Christ whose coming we celebrate, whose Advent we await, be upon us..." That one line says perfectly what the liturgical season of Advent is all about.

The readings for Gaudete Sunday and background material on them can be found here. If you're bringing young ones to Mass with you this weekend, you can check here for hints on helping children prepare to hear the Word.

The first reading, from Zephaniah, echoes the joy of the day with the prophet calling on Israel to "shout for joy, rejoice, be glad, exult and to sing" because the Lord is in our midst! The second lesson, from Philippians, rings with the same message: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!" The gospel, however, offers a more sober message from Luke. John the Baptist appears again this week and the crowds, tax collectors and soldiers all ask him, "What should we do?" His response is valuable not only at this time of the year but throughout our lives. The second half of the gospel taps lightly on the theme of joy and notes that the people asking the question, "What should we do?" were filled with expectation, wondering if John might be the Christ, the Anointed, who was to come.

Image: Rejoice! by Janell Wemberly

-ConcordPastor