Zep 3:14-18a
Phil 4:4-7
Lk 3:10-18
Gaudete in Domino semper,
iterum dice gaudete.
Dominus enim prope est.
“Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I say rejoice!
The Lord is near.”
Gaudete means “rejoice, thus the traditional name for the 3rd Sunday of Advent
Gaudete Sunday or Rejoice Sunday. Gaudete is one of two Sundays of the year
on which priests have the option of wearing either purple vestments or, ideally, the dusty rose vestments that visually hint at the joy that is to come. Note: the color is dusty rose NOT Pepto-Bismol pink. There is an enormous difference.
We rejoice because in the words of the antiphon we know: Dominus enim prope est: The Lord is near. The Lord is very near. We rejoice because Jesus was born in the same way we were, and into same world in which we now live and breathe. He walked upon the same earth on which we work and relax, rejoice and mourn. Fully human, Jesus knew cold and heat, hunger and thirst, joy and sorrow. He knew the feel of the earth under His feet and gentle breezes caressing His skin. We celebrate because Jesus; fully divine and fully human,
like us in all things but sin, walked this same planet. We rejoice because Jesus brought us forgiveness of sin and the promise of eternal life.
The readings highlight the rejoicing. Zephaniah tells us:
"Be glad and exult with all your heart . . .
The Lord has removed the judgment against you . . .
the King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst,"
When the judgment against us was removed eternal life was opened for us. The responsorial psalm confirms what we know,
"My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation."
The Lord has been my savior. The Lord is my savior. The Lord will be my savior. Always.
Paul is direct in his letter to the Philippians. "Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!"
Our rejoicing will increase over the coming days until the Gloria in Excelsis Deo of Christmas explodes throughout the known universe and then travels beyond the edges of the universe. On Tuesday December 17, the Church’s anticipatory joy will enter another phase as we chant or recite the first of the seven ancient “O Antiphons” that introduce and end Luke's canticle at vespers:
"Magnificat anima mean . . . "
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord
My spirit rejoices in God my savior."
The antiphon on Tuesday is: "O sapientia, quae ex ore Altissimi prodiisti . . . .
“O Wisdom, O holy Word of God.
You govern all creation with strong yet tender care.
Come and show your people the way to salvation.”
The final antiphon on December 23 celebrates Emmanuel, God with us:
“O Emmanuel, king and lawgiver,
desire of the nations,
Savior of all people, come and set us free,
Lord our God.”
There is a hidden message in the antiphons. If one takes the first letter after the “O” in the Latin antiphon and reads from the last to the first one discovers a Latin anagram: Ero Cras, that means, tomorrow I will be, tomorrow I will be there,
tomorrow I come. The Messiah was foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament. He was announced by John the Baptist, the bridge between the Old and New covenants, John the Baptist of whom we heard in the Gospel, who exhorted the people and preached to them the Good News.
Jesus was borne of Mary, whom we honor nightly when we pray the Magnificat,
the prayer with which Mary responded to Elizabeth's greeting at the Visitation. The time of waiting is coming to an end. Only one more Sunday stands between us and the great Feast of the Nativity of the Lord.
Expectant waiting will be replaced by unfettered joy. Ero Cras will come to fulfillment.
Gaudete in Domino semper,
iterum dice gaudete.
Dominus enim prope est.
“Rejoice in the Lord always;
again I say rejoice!
The Lord is near.”
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Winter photography is deeply satisfying. The photos below were taken a few years ago in Vermont when I was stranded on Mt. Equinox for three days in a blizzard accumulating 17 inches. It was very cold, the snow was mostly powder and there was no wind. Took undreds of shots.
Fr. Jack, SJ, MD
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