Today is Gaudete Sunday. We have passed the midpoint of Advent. The normal purple vestments of Advent are not worn. The vestments worn at the Mass today will be a rose color. This is a visual encouragement for us to continue our spiritual preparation for the coming birth of Jesus. This encouragement and joy is shown by the lighting of the pink candle on an Advent wreath and the Entrance Antiphon of today’s Mass. The antiphon points us to the joy of the coming of our Lord when we sing “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed the Lord is near.”
Why do we rejoice? First, we rejoice because the Word became flesh. We see God in the baby Jesus. We take comfort in the fact that God has not abandoned us. We were created out of love and that love for us has lead to the birth of Christ. Jesus has come so we may know the Father through the Son and by this we may know the way for eternal salvation.
In every baby we see the possibility of great things that can be. We see a child growing and the richness that their life can have. We too are like babies in the eyes of God. We have such great possibilities but we are easily turned away from the richness God has prepared for us. Jesus is our hope for salvation. He points us to the right path for salvation. We can read of Jesus as an adult. He fulfilled all that our own human nature can be. It is by his birth that our hope takes root.
So today we do rejoice! The Lord is near both in the celebration of his birth and through his salvation. His birth leads to his Passion and Death but we know it is not the end of the story. The story of Jesus continues with his Resurrection; our hope for a new life. Our story starts with our birth, continues through death and into what we hope is our eternal salvation, the salvation that Jesus won for us by his Passion, Death and Resurrection.
Today Collect (the opening prayer of the Mass) reminds us of this. We celebrate the Lord's Nativity for we know of the joy of salvation that it offers.
O God, who see how your people
faithfully await the feast of the Lord’s Nativity,
enable us, we pray,
to attain the joys of so great a salvation
and to celebrate them always
with solemn worship and glad rejoicing.
Showing posts with label Gaudete. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gaudete. Show all posts
Sunday, December 11, 2016
Monday, December 15, 2014
Rejoice in the Lord (Bulletin Column 20141214)
"Rejoice in the Lord always” are the first words in our entrance antiphon. They are the very first words that are either recited or sung when the Mass begins. We rejoice because the Advent season is more than halfway over. We are closer to the birth of Christ. Advent is a season of joy to most of us. We have found the perfect gift for our loved ones. We have attended a few Christmas parties. Our houses have been decorated both inside and out. The Christmas Eve or Christmas day menu has been set. We wait in joyful anticipation of the beautiful Christmas Mass with its music that recalls the angels giving glory to God.
To recognize this joy the Church lights the pink candle on the Advent wreath and the clergy vestments are rose colored. The third Sunday of Advent or Gaudete Sunday should also remind us of what the Advent season is for. In just the action of lighting a pink candle we should be reminded of why purple vestments are worn and purple candles are light during the other weeks of the Advent season. Advent is like the Lenten Season, a penitential season. Advent is a time for us to remove any hindrance that will keep us from being in full communion with the Church when our Savior is born.
It is important that we be prepared for the birth of Christ. Recall that John the Baptist was crying out in the desert for all to repent and make straight the way of the Lord. John the Baptist understood that we must remove the distractions that keep us from growing closer to our God. When our earthly distractions begin to fall away we realize that our hope can only come from God. Advent gives us the opportunity to examine ourselves. We use the season to remove the things that give us false hope and distance us from God.
We read in Thessalonians that we are to “Pray without ceasing.” This does not mean we should always remain in a prayerful posture and never attend to those who cry out for our help. It means that everything we do should be done as a prayer being offered up to God. Recall how you pray in church; with reverence, sincerity and humility. Image if you did everything in this same way, as a form of a prayer being offered up to God. Your abilities are a gift from God so you would use your gifts with reverence. You would share your gifts with others in sincerity knowing that they are given to you by God's love for us. You did not earn these gifts; they are given to you freely from God so you would use them humility. Your actions can be prayers that glorify God.
The conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians is a prayer. The part we read today is a wonderful Advent prayer to all of us.
To recognize this joy the Church lights the pink candle on the Advent wreath and the clergy vestments are rose colored. The third Sunday of Advent or Gaudete Sunday should also remind us of what the Advent season is for. In just the action of lighting a pink candle we should be reminded of why purple vestments are worn and purple candles are light during the other weeks of the Advent season. Advent is like the Lenten Season, a penitential season. Advent is a time for us to remove any hindrance that will keep us from being in full communion with the Church when our Savior is born.
It is important that we be prepared for the birth of Christ. Recall that John the Baptist was crying out in the desert for all to repent and make straight the way of the Lord. John the Baptist understood that we must remove the distractions that keep us from growing closer to our God. When our earthly distractions begin to fall away we realize that our hope can only come from God. Advent gives us the opportunity to examine ourselves. We use the season to remove the things that give us false hope and distance us from God.
We read in Thessalonians that we are to “Pray without ceasing.” This does not mean we should always remain in a prayerful posture and never attend to those who cry out for our help. It means that everything we do should be done as a prayer being offered up to God. Recall how you pray in church; with reverence, sincerity and humility. Image if you did everything in this same way, as a form of a prayer being offered up to God. Your abilities are a gift from God so you would use your gifts with reverence. You would share your gifts with others in sincerity knowing that they are given to you by God's love for us. You did not earn these gifts; they are given to you freely from God so you would use them humility. Your actions can be prayers that glorify God.
The conclusion of Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians is a prayer. The part we read today is a wonderful Advent prayer to all of us.
May the God of peace make you perfectly holy
and may you entirely, spirit, soul, and body,
be preserved blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
May this Sunday’s change in liturgical color be your encouragement to continue the spiritual preparation for Christmas.
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