Many find it strange when they see the priest coming out to celebrate mass wearing a rose-coloured chasuble, since the colour is used only twice a year: once during Advent and once during Lent. Liturgically, the colour rose is a colour that communicates a sense of joy and hope. In Advent this colour is used on the Third Sunday which we call ‘Gaudete’. This word means ‘joy’. At the beginning of Advent, the prayers during Mass refer to the Lord who is coming, but from the Third Sunday onwards, the liturgical prayers focus on the fact that the Lord’s coming is near.
The theme of joy and the name ‘Gaudete’ given to the Third Sunday of Advent come from the words of the entrance antiphon: “Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, Gaudete. Dominus enim prope est.” In English this translates to “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.” The words of this antiphon are taken from the letter of St Paul to the Philippians (4:4). In fact, in the Second Reading of the Third Sunday of Advent St Paul tells us: “Rejoice always,pray constantly,give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thess 5:16-18). May we truly seek that joy which comes from choosing God’s will and that of Jesus Christ in everything!