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This Sunday is Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin imperative for: “Rejoice!” (The imperative voice is equivalent to a command. Do it!) In the Second Reading, Saint Paul writes—from prison: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!” (Philippians 4:4).
Have you ever wondered why Paul choose to “say it again”? Well, if we look around—and maybe look at ourselves too, we will see that joy isn’t the dominant mood. And it should be for us Christians since we profess to have the greatest reason of all to rejoice. We sing, “Joy to the world, the Lord is come!” His name is Emmanuel, which means God-with-us.
LET US PRAY: Good and gracious God, we thank you for the gift of your Son, Jesus. He has revealed your great love for us and has bought us our salvation. Help us to rejoice in his gift and to keep this joy always in our hearts. Give us an abundance of joy so that we may share it with others—during this season of joy and beyond. Amen.
Image credit: PHILIP János (CC0 1.0) via Wikimedia Commons