Gaudete

“Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, Gaudete!”

This incipit (the opening line) of the introit, the short piece of musical prayer the Church gives for the beginning of the Mass, translates to English as “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice.” That is where we get the name for this Sunday of the Liturgical Year: Gaudete Sunday. This day is one of only two days in the entire Liturgical Year that the vestments for the Mass may be of rose color; the other day is Laetare Sunday in Lent.

The full text of the Introit comes from Philippians 4:4–6 and Psalm 85:1 and reads: “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your forbearance be known to all, for the Lord is near at hand; have no anxiety about anything, but in all things, by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God. Lord, you have blessed your land; you have turned away the captivity of Jacob.” This text, and the other texts in this mass especially, hints at the closeness of the coming of the Lord and the excitement we have for that day!

For example, the first reading is Isaiah 35:1- 6a, 10, which, of course, was written before Christ’s birth. It opens with a prophecy that the desert region will rejoice and sing and bloom with abundant flowers. The reason is: “They will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.” It then contains an exhortation of strength and courage and explains the reason why: Here is your God; he comes with vindication; with divine recompense, he comes to save you. It then contains the significant statement: Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing. And it concludes: Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee.

Gaudete, translated to English as rejoice, is an expression of Christian expectant joy. Joy is different from happiness, as it keeps in mind the good that the Lord has given and promises to continue to give, even in the midst of struggles and hurt. Saint Thomas Aquinas described the difference between joy and happiness: Happiness is the final end of man, eternal contemplation of God, which is an act of the intellect. Joy, however, is not a virtue but an effect of the virtue of charity, which is full if its object is eternal and the greatest, i.e., God. Joy admits no sorrow, for it is not an act of the sensitive faculties, but supernatural joy, which is spoken of on Gaudete Sunday and in the Gospels, is an act of the intellectual appetite known as the will.

We can think of the line “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light”, and the readings and prayers of Gaudete Sunday speak to this expectant joy for the coming messiah amidst the gloom of their struggle. As Pope Francis has said, instead of fretting about "all [you] still haven’t" done to prepare for Christmas, people should "think of all the good things life has given you."