The Third Sunday of Advent: Gaudete Sunday

"Rejoice in the Lord always : and again I say, Rejoice : let your moderation be known unto all people : the Lord is at hand."
(Traditional Introit for the Third Sunday of Advent)

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This Sunday, the Church celebrates Gaudete Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent and the midpoint of the season, when only one Sunday remains before the Eve of the Nativity.

The word gaudete is Latin for "Rejoice," the first word in the Introit for the Third Sunday of Advent. Gaudete sets the tone for our gathering, as we rejoice in the living God who has promised of old to visit and redeem his people.

The image above is of a stunning set of rose vestments, the liturgical color of the day, generously donated by a parishioner last year in honor of a departed loved. 

Why rose for this Sunday?
Rose vestments are worn twice during the liturgical year, first on the Third Sunday of Advent (Gaudete Sunday) and again on the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday), and both occasions gesture toward a joyful “lifting” of the season’s penitential shape. In Advent, violet (or Sarum blue, as we use at Saint Andrew's) marks a season of watchfulness and repentance. On Gaudete Sunday, though, the Church lightens the rigor of its preparation, for the coming of the Lord is at hand and the mood shifts from sober expectation to growing joy.