Saturday, December 13, 2014

Third Sunday in Advent - December 14, 2014

First things first, let’s get the terminology correct. The vestments I wear on the Third Sunday of Advent are not “pink.” If you look at the instructions for today’s liturgy, it clearly tells us that we have the option of wearing “rose” colored vestments for the Third Sunday of Advent. That’s “rose,” as opposed to “pink.” And that means that the candle we light on the Advent wreath today is “rose.”

Actually, I don’t particularly care if you call my chasuble pink. I have often joked about the term, however, since I grew up in an age when men didn’t wear pink. I remember when my father gave one of his favorite sport shirts to the St. Vincent de Paul Society. When I asked why, he answer, “Before I had my cataract surgery, I didn’t know the shirt was pink.”

The rose color of today’s liturgy is a reminder that this is the Latin name for the Third Sunday of Advent was always “Gaudete” Sunday. (That’s pronounced gow-DAY-tay.) Gaudete is the Latin word meaning, “Rejoice.” It is a reminder that our time of waiting for the coming of the Lord is coming closer to its fulfillment. We brighten things up a bit from the darker color of purple to the somewhat brighter shade of rose. That helps show our joy as we anticipate the coming of Christ.

I have had a few CCD students over the years who have asked me why the rose candle is on the Third Sunday. Shouldn’t it be on the Fourth Sunday of Advent, when we are closer to Christmas? While I understand that point, I find it fitting to have Gaudete Sunday on the Third Sunday. We are filled with the joy of Christ’s coming, but we also have to go back to the purple of preparation. Yes, Christ has come for our salvation, as we will celebrate at Christmas. But we still await His Second Coming at the end of all time. So we live in a world that is infused with the grace of Christ, but we also live in a world that is still subject to sin and strife. It can be hard to experience joy in those circumstances. Yet joy is not an emotion. We often use the word to refer to a stronger brand of happiness. I may say that I am “happy” if the Pirates win a game from the Cubs in the middle of May, but I will be “joyful” the Pirates win the World Series. As the Church uses the terms, happiness is an emotion. It is something we feel, and such feelings can be lost if we catch a cold or have a bad day. Joy, on the other hand, is an attitude. When that attitude is at the front of our minds, we experience it as happiness. But when we struggle, we can still rely on joy as a source of strength. It is the promise that Christ is coming and that His victory is certain.

As Advent proceeds apace, Gaudete Sunday is a chance for us to look forward with joyful confidence to the coming of Christ. When we hear the difficulties and struggles in the news or in our own lives, we ask God to help us remain joyful. May this be a day of joy to each of us. And please remember that it will be much easier for me to be joyful if you don’t tease me about wearing pink vestments. They’re really “rose.”

                                                                                        Father H