Rejoice!

The third Sunday of Advent is traditionally known as Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is Latin for “joy.” In today’s readings we hear the word “joy” in one form or another six times. The rose colored candle in the advent wreath is a symbol of our joyful anticipation at the impending birth of the Savior.

And we have much to be joyful about. Even though the world is inundated with sin, expressed as violence, oppression, and poverty, we still have cause to rejoice. For we know that Jesus came to open a path from heaven to earth. Christ is the source of our joy and our hope.

And we have evidence to back up our hope. For two thousand years the Catholic Church has continued to grow and spread to every culture and corner of the world. It has gone through periods of great trials and persecution. But through all of this it has kept its faith, sacraments, and structure intact. The mass we celebrate today is, at its core, unchanged from the first mass of the early Church.

By contrast the United States of America is less than 250 years old, and its founding document, the constitution is already being twisted and interpreted in ways the founding fathers never intended.

The Church is proof that our joy is rooted in the truth of God.

Let us fan the flames of our joyful hope through our words and deeds, and share with our lost brothers and sisters the true meaning of Christmas.

Pax vobiscum
3rd Sunday of Advent