Dear Christ Our King and Savior Parish Family,
We have passed the half-way point of our Advent journey. How is it going for you? How are you doing with filling up the valleys and lowering the mountains, preparing the way of the Lord? It’s never too late to start in earnest.
This third week of Advent is called “Gaudete” Sunday...coming from the Latin verb in the 2nd person plural imperative: “Rejoice, all y’all!” It is a mandate to rejoice that comes from the Entrance Antiphon for the third Sunday of Advent, which reads: “Rejoice in the Lord always; I say it again, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near” (Philippians 4:4-5). If you open your missalette to the prayers and readings for this Mass, those will be the first words you see.
We also lit the rose candle in the Advent wreath and the priest typically vests in a rose-colored vestment this week. Why rose? I’m glad you asked!
The spirit of the Advent season is one of penance and preparation, symbolized by the color violet. The spirit of the Christmas season is joy, glory, and majesty, symbolized by the color white. Three weeks into our journey, with Christmas just over a week away, the joy, glory, and majesty of the birth of Christ are beginning to overwhelm the sentiments of penance and preparation. The white overwhelms the purple. Mix together two measures of white paint with one measure of violet paint...what do you have? Rose!
The Church can no longer hold back the joy of her heart as the birth of Christ the Savior approaches. The Church must rejoice!
So friends, this week I invite you to take St. Paul’s words to heart...start rejoicing if you haven’t already! Our Lord comes to win the victory of our salvation, conquering all human brokenness through sacrificial love. He was born a babe to show you how worth it you are!
Spend a moment each day this week simply praising God. Tell God what’s good. Tell him how grateful you are. Tell him you long for him, for the fulfillment of his promises, that you love him. In a word, Rejoice!
Peace in Christ,
Fr. Michael
