Monday, Third Week of Advent:

Gaudéte in Dómino semper: íterum dico, gaudéte.

Dóminus enim prope est.

 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.

Indeed, the Lord is near. (Taken from iBreviary.com)

 The aforementioned is taken from the Introit of the Third Sunday of Advent, also known as Gaudéte Sunday. At Mass yesterday, we saw the priest wearing rose-colored vestments, something that we do not often see in the liturgy. In fact, yesterday was one of only two days in the whole calendar year when rose-colored vestments are used.

Why is this important? Amid the silence and call for repentance during the yearly season of Advent, our rejoicing in the good Lord ought to still permeate our lives. Why? Dóminus enim prope est. Because the Lord is near. Semper. Always.

A question for all of us following Gaudete Sunday is, Do we rejoice amidst our daily lives or give into temptations to be moody, frustrated, or unappreciative? We all know how easy it is to let one inconvenience or seemingly difficult person derail us, no matter how much has been given to us and how tangible the providence of God is. Are we people who bring joy or drain joy?

Even if it may be difficult to realize sometimes, the grace of God overshadows us, to use the language of the Archangel Gabriel at the Annunciation. That we have a bed to wake up in, that we can enter a clean Yale building because facilities staff started work at dawn, that a friend wished us a “good morning,” that there are literally so many Catholic churches within New Haven to pray in, that God has endowed us with Pope Francis and the bishops of the world to confirm us in faith and sound teaching… All of these and so much more reflect the love of God. We owe it to our witness of God in the world and our own inner peace to rejoice in His providence. We maintain the ability to mourn when mourning is called for, but we rejoice knowing that God and truth win at the end.

So, as the glorious feast of Christ’s nativity draws ever closer, let us beg God for the grace of being able to recognize His providence in our lives. Let us rejoice in the incalculable graces that the Incarnation, uniting God’s eternal divine nature with our broken human nature, has brought into the world.

Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever! Amen.