Today, the third Sunday of Advent, is known by its Latin name Gaudete Sunday. The name comes from the first word of the entrance antiphon in Latin: Gaudete: Rejoice.
“Gaudete in Domino semper,
iterum dice gaudete.
Dominus enim prope est.”
“Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I say rejoice!
The Lord is near.”
Rejoice because our redemption is at hand. Rejoice because the time of the Messiah has drawn near. Rejoice because, as we were reminded three days ago, Mary, the Immaculate Conception, responded to the message of the angel that she was to be Mother of Jesus with the most perfectly enunciated yes in history:
“Ecce ancilla domini,
fiat mihi secundum verbum tuum.”
“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
With that ‘yes’ a universe that had been holding its breath sighed in relief and rejoiced.
Gaudete in Domino semper,
“Rejoice in the Lord always;
The world is told to rejoice because
Dominus enim prope est
The Lord is near,
Jesus entered into time and space he came to the earth,
so as to save it. He entered into our lives to save us from sin. Fully God and fully man He was sent to redeem us from the sin of Adam and Eve
and from our sins.
The joy of this third Sunday of Advent is apparent in the readings:
Isaiah describes how the desert will exult blooming with abundant flowers on the steppes and rejoicing with joyful song. The psalmist affirms the joy.
'The Lord God keeps faith forever
secures justice for the oppressed
He gives food to the hungry
and sets captives free.'
Anyone who is familiar with Handel's Messiah will recognize multiple verses from Isaiah throughout the oratorio. That includes some of the verses that were just proclaimed. They form the recitative:
"Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened,
and the ears of the deaf unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart,
and the tongue of the dumb shall sing."
The simple recitative is followed by the exquisitely beautiful aria “He Shall Feed His Flock." The aria includes an important directive for all:
"come unto Him all you that labor,
come unto Him that are heavy laden,
and He will give you rest."
As was true last Sunday, the gospel narrated more about John the Baptist,
the herald who announced the news of Jesus, the voice of the one crying out in the desert, the kinsman who felt unworthy to untie the sandal of the one who was to come. When John sent messengers to inquire if Jesus was indeed He who was to come, Jesus instructed the messengers, 'tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them.'
On the 17th of December, just six days from today, the Church holds her breath in anticipation as she sings the “O” antiphons that introduce and end the Magnificat at evening prayer. The antiphons prepare us more fully
for the ad venire, the coming of our Lord into and onto this earth. It is so near that we cannot help begin rejoicing. Soon. Very soon.
Gaudete in Domino semper,
iterum dice gaudete.
Dominus enim prope est.
“Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I say rejoice!
The Lord is near.”
___________________________________
The photos are of the 18th century Neapolitan Creche at the Abbey of Regina Laudis. Rather than write about it, this is from the Abbey Web site. After being closed due to covid, it is now open to the public. It will close again after the new year and reopen in the spring. Note, there is no admission charge for the creche.
This is the web site for the Abbey. It is worth a visit if in Connecticut. The abbey is about 20 minutes from Waterbury. Use GPS. The last few miles are tricky. I’ve been going there periodically since 2014 and still need the directions.
https://abbeyofreginalaudis.org/visit-creche.html
.jpg)
+Fr. Jack, SJ, MD
No comments:
Post a Comment