GAUDETE SUNDAY: PREPARING THE JOY OF CHRISTMAS WITH ST. JOHN

To-morrow we will resume our attitude of servants mourning for the absence of their Lord and waiting for Him; for every delay, however short, is painful and makes love sad.

“Rejoice in the Lord always!” So rings forth the Introit for this Gaudete Sunday, marking the half way point of Advent. Today, the joyful return of certain outward aspects of the Church’s liturgy provide this brief respite in the preparation for the coming of Christ in two weeks time.

So it is, that even in the relatively short period of Advent, a rest i…