"Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!"

"Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!" These opening words from the Prophet Zephaniah in the first reading remind us of why this coming Sunday is named Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is a Latin word that means "Rejoice." As we have been in the season of Advent, the readings of the first two weeks spoke, first, of the end times and then of John the Baptist's message of repentance. This week, the message becomes much more about expectation and joyful hope!

In the Gospel, we are told that, after hearing John's preaching, "the people were filled with expectation" and wondered if John might be the Christ. John, of course, tells them "one mightier than I is coming," pointing them toward Jesus with hope in his heart. The reading ends with Luke telling us: "Exhorting them in many other ways, [John] preached good news to the people."

And that is what this season and, especially, this Sunday is all about! We are filled with joy and with hope because, unlike John, we know the rest of the story. This week is when we begin to actively rejoice in anticipation of our liturgical celebration of Christ's first coming on Christmas, the ultimate good news of the Incarnation. The prayers of the Church very specifically begin to recall it and the Gospel readings are all leading up to it. And even the color we will wear at Mass on Sunday, the rose colored vestment, is meant to fill us with joy

So rejoice, have hope, and proclaim the good news that our God, who is love, became a man and lived among us, and our great celebration of that mystery is almost here! 

Want to prepare your heart and mind for Sunday's Mass? Click here to find the readings.