The Blessed Virgin Mary is the most beloved of all Catholic saints, regarded as higher than the angels, and Queen of heaven and earth. Why do we Catholics honor Mary so much? Are we guilty, as some Protestants claim, of giving her too much devotion and affection? Why do we consider her to be so blessed?
The third Sunday of Advent is known as Gaudete Sunday, after the first word of the Entrance Antiphon for the Mass: “Gaudete in Domino semper… Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed the Lord is near.” This verse is taken from St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians, which is also the second reading for this Sunday.
Advent is a season of waiting, and as we enter the second half of Advent there is a sense that the One we have been waiting for is growing nearer. The third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete (Rejoice) Sunday, takes its name from the first word of the Entrance Antiphon of the Mass: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near (Phil 4:4-5). But what does it mean to say that the Lord is near?
There is something of a debate going on among Catholic liturgical geeks (like me) over whether or not Advent is a penitential season. On the one hand, Canon Law (the law governing the Roman Catholic Church) only says that “penitential days and times in the universal Church are every Friday of the whole year and the season of Lent” (can. 1250). No mention is made of Advent. On the other hand, Advent has a lot in common with the penitential season of Lent. Sacred ministers wear violet color vestments and we don’t sing the Gloria at Mass.
