This is Gaudete Sunday – the 3rd Sunday in Advent.  This Sunday gets its name from the fact that it is a day of celebration, and Gaudete is Latin for rejoice.  The fact that this is the Advent Sunday of unrestrained rejoicing, is marked by – among other things – the rose-colored candle that we lit this morning.  It is not as deep and dark in color as the violet candles that surround it.  But, you may be wondering, “Why are we rejoicing on this Sunday in any way that differs from other Sundays?”  Glad you asked.

For more than the first thousand years of its existence, the Church universal commemorated Advent in much the same way that it commemorates Lent.  That is, it was a season of 40 days (not counting weekends) and the season – just like Lent – was marked by fasting and penitence as everyone repented and prepared for the coming of Jesus – both in the Nativity and through the 2nd[...]