The Third Sunday in Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday for Gaudete in Domino semper or Rejoice in the Lord Always, calls us to rejoice at a “higher pitch” since we have now passed the midpoint of Advent. So the priest normally wearing purple vestments now may wear rose colored today and the third candle in the Advent Wreath is also rose colored. The change in color provides us with encouragement to continue our spiritual preparation, and so the Church lightens the mood a little bit. We are now called to a different kind of ‘joy.”

At daily Mass at the Santa Casa Maria in Rome, Pope Francis talked about the difference between happiness and joy: “To be happy is good, yet joy is something more. It’s another thing, something which does not depend on external motivations, or on passing issues: it is more profound. It is a gift.

To be ‘happy at all moments, at all costs,’ can at the end turn into superficiality and shallowness. This leaves us without Christian wisdom, which makes us dumb, naïve, right? All is joy...no. Joy is something else, it is a gift from the Lord.”

Perhaps we can have the same revelation that came up-on Dr. Seuss’ Grinch in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” as he stood atop Mount Crumpit ready to dump the gifts he stole from the homes of Whoville: “And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow stood puzzling and puzzling, ‘How could it be so?’ ‘It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came with-out packages, boxes or bags! And he puzzled three hours, till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas...perhaps...means a little bit more!”

Christ is coming! Prepare the way of the Lord!!!