Today we celebrate the 3rd Sunday of Advent which is also known as Gaudete Sunday. This word for “rejoice” is taken from today’s introit from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Philippians which states: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.”
As we embark upon this 3rd Sunday of Advent we must realize that we are drawing close to our celebration of Christmas. Next week we will celebrate the 4th Sunday of Advent and then will quickly turn around to celebrate Christmas. This means that next weekend will be a very busy weekend because we will have the obligation to attend Mass twice over the period of three days.
Gaudete Sunday serves as this reminder that our celebration is quickly coming. It serves as an encouragement to not lose sight of the days which lie ahead, but rather to continue to trudge forward where we will have the opportunity to rejoice for all eternity with Jesus Christ and all the angels and saints of Heaven.
In our Gospel we again encounter Saint John the Baptist. In it priests and Levites were sent to interrogate him concerning who he is. He answers that he is not the Christ, Elijah, nor a prophet. Rather he is “the voice of one crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord.” His response reflects the fact that the Messiah is the one who is coming and thus we must prepare our life in order to receive Him.
We must allow ourselves to be lifted up to this cry made by Saint John the Baptist. We must heed the fact that “the Lord is near.” Elevating ourself to such a reality will give us every reason to “rejoice.” If we fail to harken to this message made by Saint John the Baptist or listen to this invitation extended to us by Saint Paul we will fail to “rejoice” because we have placed our attention on that which is passing away.
The world in which we live is surrounded by so much horrendous news. It is easy to let these voices prevail and thus we begin to lose sight of our reason to rejoice. It is easy to get caught up in the busyness of the world and thus make excuses to why one cannot fulfill their obligation to attend Mass and thus begin to lose sight of our reason to rejoice. It is easy to get caught up in the blindness of sin and thus over time lose our reason to rejoice.
We must rejoice in the here and now and if we are to do this we must make straight the way of the Lord. If we are to rejoice we must be willing to spend time with Him in prayer. If we are to rejoice we must make use of the Sacrament of Confession. If we are to rejoice we must assist at the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. If we are to rejoice we must grow in the virtue of charity by how we treat those whom we encounter. If we are to rejoice we must draw close to Jesus Christ because this is the only way to banish sin and despair from our life.
