Pope Francis Celebrates Gaudete Sunday with the Filipino Community in St. Peter’s in 2019.

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Have no anxiety at all, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving,
make your requests known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.  Letter to the Philippians 4:6-7.

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“Gaudete” means Rejoice in Latin. Look at today’s readings. The first, from the prophet Zephaniah, begins, “Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!” The second, from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, begins, “Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again:  rejoice!” And in the gospel, John the Baptist “Preached good news to the people”. Why all this rejoicing? Because we are roughly at the half-way mark to Christmas, the ultimate good news, when God became one like us, when we were considered to be good enough to have God come dwell with us and be one with us. Even the celebrant at Mass may wear rose-colored vestments, one of only two Sundays that is permitted (the other is Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday of Lent. That Latin word also means “rejoice” but to express it externally; gaudete means to rejoice internally). Even the third candle on the Advent wreath is usually rose colored! It all signifies a lightening in the somber atmosphere of Advent and we should all reflect the joy and conviction that the incredible is about to happen, as it does each year, that God – God! – wanted to be one like us in all things but sin.

So what does that all mean? Do we jump up in the air and dance around like Scrooge in the classic 1951 version of Christmas Carol when he realizes his true identity – vocation even – of being fully human with all its implications. Well, maybe, if we fully realize and accept that we are all considered to be good enough and worthy enough to have God come live among us out of pure love. That would certainly invite us all to be truly happy and even excited to be a child of God! What more could one ask? Well, patience to wait for the real day, and the time left to prepare for it in the best possible way. Joy does not have to expressed in outward, extravagant ways, though at Christmas time it is almost required! But we are just half way there. For us, the joy expressed in today’s name and readings should perhaps be the joy of preparing for the arrival of the Christ Child. There is a special joy in such activity. Imagine a most welcome Christmas visit of a beloved relative from afar; all must be ready. The house must be clean, the crystal immaculate, the china sparking – everything. Apply that each to ourself, our soul, our innermost self. Getting rid of the nonsense – the stuff which clogs things up for no good reason – and clean the inner crystal and gold, the inner soul, the real me. The thought that I – you – we are doing all that brings with it a joy which is palpable. It is the “I can’t wait” moment we felt as a child, especially when allied to the major effort to bring ourselves into a state of grace ready for the arrival of the author of all joy. What a welcoming person each of us will be. It is a golden opportunity once more to restart anew. Under the loving eye of the Father, let us ask the Holy Spirit of God to infuse us with the energy, the strength, the excitement to be completely ready for The Day.

The Blessed Trinity with Saints, Durante Alberti 1581, The Venerable English College, Rome, Italy.

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