5 Things to Know about Celebrating Gaudete Sunday

1. Gaudete is Latin for “Rejoice!” It is based on the entrance antiphon for the day from Philippians 4:4-5, “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say Rejoice!”

2. On this day, we look ahead anxiously to the great feast of Christmas and increase our prayers and penance.  And if you haven’t been keeping up your prayers and penance at all here are some ways to get something out of the last week or Advent!

3. Advent used to be a 40-day season of penance much like Lent. It started November 12 just after the feast day of St. Martin of Tours and was known as St. Martin’s Lent. Gaudete’s counterpart in the Lenten season is Laetare Sunday which is the midpoint of Lent.

4. Gaudete Sunday marks a change in the tone of the Advent season from The Lord is Coming to The Lord is Near. The mood is heightened and the color of the shifts from purple to rose.

5. In the domestic church, we light the third candle on the Advent wreath which is the rose-colored candle. This is the weekend that we finally put up the Christmas tree in my house!

Sources:

Jimmy Akin