Third Week of Advent, http://www.tribtimes.com
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William Zambrano MD
Dec 14, 2025, 8:22:25 AM (2 days ago) Dec 14
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(Php 4:4) Rejoice in the Lord always: again, I say, rejoice.
VATICAN NEWS: Lord's Day Reflection: Rejoice in the Lord always!
THE CATHOLIC THING: Advent: Turning Point Universe
BOOK EXCERPT: Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy: The Simple Art of Taking Back Your Life by Matthew Kelly
RHODE ISLAND CATHOLIC: The One Reason to Rejoice Always
This weekend the Church will celebrate “Gaudete Sunday.” It’s the Sunday when we light the third candle—the rose one—on our Advent wreaths, signifying that the season is more than half over and that Christmas is fast approaching. On this Third Sunday of Advent the Church tells us to do what St. Paul asks of us in 1 Thessalonians 5. The Church tells us to rejoice. In fact, she not only tells us to do that, she commands us to do it. “Gaudere,” in Latin, is the verb that means “to rejoice,” but “Gaudete” is the imperative plural form of the verb—which means it’s a command. It’s a command that’s being given to each and every one of us and to every person on planet earth.
“REJOICE!”
The problem is there are always reasons we can find not to rejoice. The evil in the world—the murders of innocent people; the rioting; the terrorism; the wars; the greed; the abuse of various kinds—all these things make rejoicing difficult, as do the personal trials and sufferings that we’re forced to deal with on a daily basis.
So, what’s the answer? Is it possible to fulfill that command to rejoice even when bad things are happening in the world and in our own personal lives?
The answer, happily, is yes! Yes, it’s possible to “gaudete”—to rejoice—in times of suffering. Yes, it’s possible to rejoice in times of trial. Yes, it’s possible to rejoice even in the worst of circumstances.
It’s possible because, in the midst of all the reasons—all the many reasons—that each of us has not to rejoice, there is always one reason for us to rejoice.
And that reason is Jesus Christ and what he has done for us.
Here, the distinction needs to be made between “feeling joy” and “rejoicing.” Feeling joy is an emotional response to something that pleases us. Children, for example, will see their presents under the tree on Christmas morning and they will feel joy. That will happen quite naturally. And, if they’ve been particularly good during the previous 12 months, they will feel a lot of joy!
Rejoicing is different. Biblically speaking, rejoicing is not an emotion or an emotional response to something that we find attractive or pleasing. Rejoicing in the Bible is an act of the will. It’s a conscious and deliberate decision: a conscious and deliberate decision to praise and glorify God regardless of what we happen to be dealing with at the present time.
And it’s a decision which is made on the basis of things that we know are true.
None of us always “feels joy.” But even when we’re not feeling joy, we can still make the conscious and deliberate decision to rejoice, based on what we know, by faith, to be true.
And there we have the key to it all. If we want to be able to rejoice on the Third Sunday of Advent, we have to make the effort—the conscious and deliberate effort—to look beyond all the reasons that we have not to rejoice and then focus our attention on those things that our faith tells us are true.
For example …
· We need to focus our attention on the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord.
· We need to focus our attention on the fact that Jesus loves us with an unconditional love even when we fail him.
· We need to focus our attention on the fact that Jesus is with us always and that he will never allow us to be tested beyond our strength.
· We need to focus our attention on the fact that Jesus will always forgive us if we repent—he does so ordinarily in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
· We need to focus our attention on the fact that everything, including our sufferings, will work for our ultimate good if we love the Lord and stay close to him.
If our minds and hearts are focused on truths like these and not on all the reasons we have to be sad and depressed, then we will be able to rejoice—not only on the Third Sunday of Advent but always, as St. Paul says we should.
"Have ANY Catholic Question? Just ask Ron Smith at: hfmin...@roadrunner.com
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THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT, 2025(Php 4:4) Rejoice in the Lord always: again, I say, rejoice.
VATICAN NEWS: Lord's Day Reflection: Rejoice in the Lord always!
THE CATHOLIC THING: Advent: Turning Point Universe
BOOK EXCERPT: Slowing Down to the Speed of Joy: The Simple Art of Taking Back Your Life by Matthew Kelly
RHODE ISLAND CATHOLIC: The One Reason to Rejoice Always
This weekend the Church will celebrate “Gaudete Sunday.” It’s the Sunday when we light the third candle—the rose one—on our Advent wreaths, signifying that the season is more than half over and that Christmas is fast approaching. On this Third Sunday of Advent the Church tells us to do what St. Paul asks of us in 1 Thessalonians 5. The Church tells us to rejoice. In fact, she not only tells us to do that, she commands us to do it. “Gaudere,” in Latin, is the verb that means “to rejoice,” but “Gaudete” is the imperative plural form of the verb—which means it’s a command. It’s a command that’s being given to each and every one of us and to every person on planet earth.
“REJOICE!”
The problem is there are always reasons we can find not to rejoice. The evil in the world—the murders of innocent people; the rioting; the terrorism; the wars; the greed; the abuse of various kinds—all these things make rejoicing difficult, as do the personal trials and sufferings that we’re forced to deal with on a daily basis.
So, what’s the answer? Is it possible to fulfill that command to rejoice even when bad things are happening in the world and in our own personal lives?
The answer, happily, is yes! Yes, it’s possible to “gaudete”—to rejoice—in times of suffering. Yes, it’s possible to rejoice in times of trial. Yes, it’s possible to rejoice even in the worst of circumstances.
It’s possible because, in the midst of all the reasons—all the many reasons—that each of us has not to rejoice, there is always one reason for us to rejoice.
And that reason is Jesus Christ and what he has done for us.
Here, the distinction needs to be made between “feeling joy” and “rejoicing.” Feeling joy is an emotional response to something that pleases us. Children, for example, will see their presents under the tree on Christmas morning and they will feel joy. That will happen quite naturally. And, if they’ve been particularly good during the previous 12 months, they will feel a lot of joy!
Rejoicing is different. Biblically speaking, rejoicing is not an emotion or an emotional response to something that we find attractive or pleasing. Rejoicing in the Bible is an act of the will. It’s a conscious and deliberate decision: a conscious and deliberate decision to praise and glorify God regardless of what we happen to be dealing with at the present time.
And it’s a decision which is made on the basis of things that we know are true.
None of us always “feels joy.” But even when we’re not feeling joy, we can still make the conscious and deliberate decision to rejoice, based on what we know, by faith, to be true.
And there we have the key to it all. If we want to be able to rejoice on the Third Sunday of Advent, we have to make the effort—the conscious and deliberate effort—to look beyond all the reasons that we have not to rejoice and then focus our attention on those things that our faith tells us are true.
For example …
· We need to focus our attention on the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord.
· We need to focus our attention on the fact that Jesus loves us with an unconditional love even when we fail him.
· We need to focus our attention on the fact that Jesus is with us always and that he will never allow us to be tested beyond our strength.
· We need to focus our attention on the fact that Jesus will always forgive us if we repent—he does so ordinarily in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
· We need to focus our attention on the fact that everything, including our sufferings, will work for our ultimate good if we love the Lord and stay close to him.
If our minds and hearts are focused on truths like these and not on all the reasons we have to be sad and depressed, then we will be able to rejoice—not only on the Third Sunday of Advent but always, as St. Paul says we should.
ADVENT RESOURCES
CATHOLIC ANSWERS TRACT: Catholic Answers Guide to Preparing for Christmas
ICBC: Advent Calendar 2025
DYNAMIC CATHOLIC: Best Advent Ever!
CREIGHTON UNIVERSITY'S ONLINE MINISTRIES: Praying Advent and Celebrating Christmas
USCCB: Advent 2025
MY CATHOLIC LIFE: Advent & Christmas Prayers & Reflections
Ladder of Divine Ascent excerpt: Step 5- "On painstaking and true repentance"
31. Before our fall, the demons say that God is a friend of man; but after the fall, that He is inexorable.Prayer request? Send an email to: PrayerR...@aol.com
"Have ANY Catholic Question? Just ask Ron Smith at: hfmin...@roadrunner.com
This month's archive can be found at: http://www.catholicprophecy.info/news2.html.
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