12/17/2017
The 3rd Sunday of Advent.
Reflection. Deacon Dominic Vu Quang Minh Canada.
Today the Sunday of Rejoicing. We have added the pink Candle of Joy to the candles of Love and Hope bearing witness to the Light of Christ.
Gaudete Sunday receives its name from the translation of the fourth verse of the fourth chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” That verse read in Latin is: “Gaudete in Domino semper.” We may ask why we did not hear that in reading today. The answer is the Philippians reading is used in the C cycle readings, we’ll use it next year. This year, the B cycle, we use the reading from St. Paul’s First Letter to the Thessalonians. We may have noticed it started with the words “Rejoice always,” which is translated in Latin “Semper Gaudete.” Perhaps the tradition did not want us to be confused with "Semper Fidelis” “Always Faithful.” Always faithful would mean one would be always rejoicing.
On this “Gaudete Sunday”. The Prophet Isaiah’ soul fairly sings as he wrote:
“…he has sent me to bring glad tidings to the lowly,
to heal the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives
and release to the prisoners,
to announce a year of favor from the LORD
and a day of vindication by our God.”
His emotion of joy is also captured the Song of the Mary Mother Of God, the Lady of La Vang in St. John Gospel: the Magnificat song as the psalm response today: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”Then St. Paul tells the Thessalonians church to: “Rejoice always.” John prepares the way for the Lord His baptism is symbolic, not sacramental. It is a sign given to stir our hearts to repentance.
John the Baptist shows us the One upon whom the Spirit remains, the One who fulfills the promise we hear in today’s First Reading Jesus’ bath of rebirth and the Spirit opens a fountain that purifies Israel and gives to all a new heart and a new Spirit.
John comes to us in the Advent readings to show us the light that we might believe in the One who comes at Christmas. As we sing in today’s Responsorial Psalm, the Mighty One has come to lift each of us up, to fill our hunger with bread from heaven.
The Gospel of John reminds us that a great light is coming into the world, and it shines first on those of us who already have faith, filling us with the “hope,” “love,” and “Joy” of Jesus Christ even as the three candles.
As light has come to us, our own Baptism calls us to be “Children of the Light” as well. Bringing our own peace and joy in Christ to others, rejoicing as we sacrifice some small part of our own love so that others might find love. The joy of this season for us must be not only in sharing the warmth of family and friends but sharing with those without family and friends. The idea conveyed by St. John the Baptist was not that he alone had heard God’s call but that he was a messenger of one who was to come. His message is our message.
Now: let us accept the challenge of Gaudete Sunday. First, we need to find the joy this season should bring in our own hearts. We need to look past the commercial blitz and the glut of food and gifts to find the joy the manger offers. Once we have been able to find our own joy in the season, let's reach out to others as our gifts allow. If it is merely to put money into the collection plate or the red kettles, let’s do that joyfully, lovingly. If all we can do is pray for others, let us offer those prayers with the hope and joy of Our Lady of La Vang, Mother of Christ whose very soul proclaimed the greatness of the Lord.
let us remember our Motto for the week: “Semper Gaudete.” “Rejoice always,”Amen
