Rejoice! The Lord Is Near!

by Father Stephen Cotter, CH (CPT), USA

The Third Sunday of Advent is known throughout the Church as Gaudete Sunday. The theme of Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday comes from our Second Reading from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Philippians: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! … The Lord is near.”

Like Lent, Advent is a penitential season, so the priest normally wears purple vestments. But on Gaudete Sunday, having passed the midway point of Advent, the Church lightens the mood a little, and the priest may wear rose vestments. A rose candle is lit on the Advent wreath. The change in color provides us with encouragement to continue our spiritual preparation, especially through prayer, for the coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ both as a Baby in the Manger and as He returns at His Second Coming at the end of time. The reality is that we need to be prepared for both comings.

So, how can we practically prepare for the coming of our Lord and Savior Who is so very near? Our world does not let us forget that Christmas is coming with all the shopping we most do and all the Christmas parties we most attend. It is, however, important for us to remember that Advent is really a penitential season. We should use this time of the year to truly prepare ourselves for the coming of Christ. One very simple way we can prepare is by beginning each morning before we get out of bed by praying a Hail Mary, a prayer that has its roots in the Birth of Christ. Or why not take some time from the busyness of Christmas preparations to go to Mass during the week? The Soldiers in the picture took time from their training in order to go to Mass. Why not put up a Nativity set at the beginning of Advent and meditate on the fact that our God became one of us to save us from our sins? That is truly something to rejoice in on this Gaudete Sunday!

Father Cotter is an active-duty Army Chaplain currently serving Soldiers and their families at Fort Knox, Kentucky.