Put On Your Robes of Joy - Gaudete Sunday

Gaudete Sunday – Put on Your Robes of Joy 

 Rise in splendor, shake off your sleep. Put on your robes of Joy, and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord. 

Today we lit the pink candle on our Advent wreath.  There are actually two ‘pink’ Sundays in liturgical year: the third Sunday in Advent and the fourth Sunday in Lent and the reason for these two specific Sundays is similar.     

The third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete” Sunday; which gets its name from the old ‘introit’ which begins with the chanted Latin Words: Gaudete in Domino semper; meaning “Rejoice in the Lord always” taken from Paul’s letter to the Philippians.   

In Lent, the ‘pink’ Sunday is called “Laetare” Sunday; which also takes its name from the Latin introit; Laetare Jerusalem which means “Rejoice Jerusalem”.   

Traditionally, Advent and Lent have both been considered ‘penitential’ seasons and are associated with prayer, fasting and repentance, of which we have heard quite a bit in the readings the last two Sundays. But the liturgical calendar also provides a balance – a reminder that we are indeed created for joy. 

Gaudete Sunday is a time when we begin to sing some joyful hymns and anticipate Christmas. The Lord is very near! It’s a day to remember that it doesn’t all depend on us and thank goodness for that. We have been reminded that we are a people on a journey of faith in a changing world and a church. As our bishop regularly reminds us, we don’t know where we are going. The heavy apocalyptic readings and calls to repentance in the last few weeks have added to the sense of walking in the darkness. But we have also been reminded that there are lights along the way to help us:  just a little bit of light can help us to take the next few steps in front of us.  Our first candle reminded us that we are people of hope: many people will find hope a strange thing in these challenging times, but have our eyes firmly fixed on Jesus the Christ, trusting that he is leading us, even in the darkness.  The second candle is for peace, reminding us that we are to be peacemakers in a world that is s sorely in need of it. Today’s candle as we have already noted, is for joy: inviting us to be joy bringers in a world that has too much sadness. For Jesus liked a good party.  And though there is darkness our world and in ourselves, God comes to show us that in darkness, new life is formed.  

We will not be finished journeying until we reach our eternal home. Until then, we are a people on the move, called constantly to grow and change, to surrender, to leave some things behind, to put down whatever is holding us back from being God’s people, a light in the world. 

And Gaudete Sunday is a reminder that even as we deal with issues and problems, even as we face painful losses, even as we struggle to discern the direction in which we are supposed to go and grow, there is much to be joyful about.  

So, beloved people of God “Rise in Splendor, shake of your sleep and put on your robes of joy”