This Sunday we celebrate Gaudete Sunday. The colour of the vestments and candle on the Advent wreath change from violet to rose. The Introit (Entrance Antiphon) for the Mass states, “Gaudete in Domino semper” (Rejoice in the Lord always).
On the Third Sunday of Advent we are called to rejoice. In George Frederic Handel’s magnificent Oratorio, Messiah Part One, we hear a soprano singing a verse from the Prophet Isaiah. It is also found in our First Reading. “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.”
During Advent, this Recitative is heard in concert halls around the globe and it offers a message of hope. In a world that seems to be filled with so much sadness we can still find joy. We rejoice because we have a God who helps us to SEE when we are engulfed in darkness; when discouraged, He helps us to HEAR words that offer hope; when we feel paralyzed by fear, He helps us to WALK in faith; when we feel intimidated into silence, He helps us to SPEAK truth to power.
This same message is offered by Jesus to the disciples of John the Baptist in the Gospel. Our God helps us to “be strong and not fear” (First Reading) and this is why we should rejoice always. “Gaudete in Domino semper.”