Today’s question involves observation and a little bit of Church history. My question is this: why is the third candle of Advent, pink? Why is the candle we lighted today on the Advent wreath, a different color than the ones used for the other three Sundays before Christmas?
And no, Christ the Good Shepherd did not run out of purple candles and had to substitute a pink one! All Catholic Advent wreaths have one pink and three purple candles.
It’s because of the Second Reading we heard today from Saint Paul’s letter to the Philippians. It begins with the instruction: “Brothers and sisters: Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!”
The Latin word for “rejoice” is “gaudete.” And in the early Church, the third Sunday of Advent is known as “Gaudete Sunday.” “Rejoice Sunday.” It’s also necessary for us to recall that the four-week period of Advent is known as “the Little Lent.” The early Church prepared for the celebration of Easter with the six-weeks of Lent: a time of reflection, a time of repentance, a time calling for a change of heart, while waiting for the great celebration of the Resurrection of God with us.
In a similar manner, the Church used Advent as a four-week preparation for Christmas, the great celebration of the Incarnation of God with us: Emmanuel. In our modern world we may have forgotten that Advent is, like Lent, a time for reflection, a time for repentance, a time calling for a change of heart.
We tend to overlook the change in liturgical colors which are to remind us that Advent is a shortened Lent. For, like Lent, we use purple for our vestments and for the decorations in the Church. Except for the third Sunday, when we are reminded by the lighter shade of purple, by the color pink, that even in the midst of our “little Lent,” of our repentance and change of heart, even now, we are also called to “Rejoice.”
And next weekend, we will carry in the fourth candle, another purple one, to remind us that we are still in Advent, still in a time for the preparation of the celebration of the arrival of the Christ-child.
However, as many of us have noted, next Sunday is also December 24th, Christmas eve. And yes, both are days when the Church requires us to attend Mass. Next weekend, the 5:30 mass on Saturday evening as well as the 8:00 am and 10:00 am masses on Sunday morning will celebrate the Fourth and final Sunday of Advent. And yes, you heard me correctly. There will be only two morning masses for the celebration of the fourth Sunday of Advent. On Sunday afternoon we’ll celebrate the first of the Nativity liturgies. And yes, there will be a Midnight Mass, as usual. And yes, the expectation of the Bishop is that each of us will attend two masses: one for the Fourth Sunday of Advent and one for Christmas.
Next weekend, some may say that we have two “obligations” for attendance at mass. Others may view it as having two “opportunities” to celebrate that our Resurrected God and our Incarnated God is with us.
It is because of these “opportunities” that we are able to celebrate Gaudete Sunday, Rejoice Sunday, here in the middle of Advent. We are able to join with the Israelites we heard about in today’s First Reading from the Book of the Prophet Zephaniah: “Shout for joy, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem! … The Lord, your God is in your midst, a mighty savior; he will rejoice over you with gladness, and renew you in his love.”
Yes, today, on this Third Sunday of Advent, we are reminded to look forward to the Joy of Christmas. Some would say the “Joy of the Holiday Season.” Some would say that the entire period from Thanksgiving weekend until Christmas morning is a Season for Joy. But those who celebrate the joy of such a “Holiday Season,” focus on the secular aspects of these weeks – weeks devoted to consuming, of being consumers – of buying presents and expecting presents in return.
However, there are those of us who, instead, celebrate the joy, not of a time of “Happy Holidays,” but rather, a time of “Merry Christmas” – or if you’re English, a “Happy Christmas.” This is the time for the preparation for the coming of the Christ-child into our hearts and homes and for the marvelous Twelve Days of Christmas from December 25th until January 6th, the Epiphany of our Lord. A time not for the secular joy of consuming, but for the divine joy of giving.
We heard about such a joy in our gospel reading today when we listened to the urging of John the Baptist about the coming joy of the arrival of the Messiah. John’s words give us a message to ponder when we consider what the results of being joyful can bring about: When we are filled with divine joy and not secular joy; when we are moved by giving rather than getting, it is then that we – like the crowds who asked him what they can do – it is then that we hear John’s words: “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none. And whoever has food should do likewise.”
And like the tax-collectors who asked what they should do, we can hear and practice John’s reply: “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” We, too, can refrain from defrauding and cheating others. We, too, can become people of integrity and honesty in our dealings with others.
And like the soldiers, the force of authority in the ancient world, like them – we can hear and practice John’s reply: “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages.” We, too, can refrain from being over-bearing and manipulative of those we serve. We, too, can put proper constraints on our aggressive behavior and be satisfied with our lot in life.
When John the Baptist was asked if he were the Messiah, the anointed one, the Christ – it was then that he professed his humility, his humanness as he awaited the coming of the one who would baptize them all “with the Holy Spirit and fire.”
And so, here we are in the middle of Advent, the middle of our waiting for the coming of Christ. Here as we await the celebration of the day when God took on human form to join with us in his kingdom on earth. Here as we await the celebration of the day when humanity will take on a divine form and join with him in the final coming of his kingdom, the final day for us to rejoice and to celebrate Emmanuel: God with Us.
Third Sunday of Advent: December 17, 2006
Zephaniah 3:14-18a; Phillipians 4:4-7; Luke 3:10-18