Rejoice in the Lord, again I say rejoice! This third Sunday of Advent is traditionally called Gaudete Sunday – a rejoicing reflected in rose vestments and the choice of Scriptures.

We are more than halfway through our season of vigilant preparation and persevering prayer, as we ready ourselves to both celebrate the coming of Christ in history and look forward to his return in glory.

For Christians, this theme of rejoicing lies at the heart of our faith. Even if we are struggling with life’s great issues, we are still called to be people of joy and to be ready to share that joy with others.

So what does this spiritual or holy joy look like? Clearly, it is not the same as pleasure or human satisfaction – these are emotions that are short-lived and derived from the external, they are what we perceive and experience.

Spiritual joy arises from our interior life – our relationship with the divine. Like a well bubbling up from the depths of the earth, spiritual joy wells up even in the midst of life’s struggles and becomes the hallmark of the true Christian.

Rejoice in the Lord, again I say rejoice!
This is an imperative and a commandment. He talks about the perpetual state of joy rooted in spiritual life.

Do not worry about anything, do not be anxious!
We tend to be anxious about the things that we think about frequently. Now this Greek word merimnaō is closely related to the verb for “to remember.” We worry because we remember. Jesus uses the same verb with the story about Martha and Mary: Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, one thing is needful (Mt 10:41).

Jesus does not rebuke her for serving but for being anxious. Her mind is distracted and troubled by things which she must do. She’s taking her focus away from Christ. Listening to Jesus is the one thing necessary. The Lord teaches us to judge wisely the earthly things and to love the things of heaven.

Antidote for anxiety is prayer with thanksgiving. It’s very fascinating to note that the word thanksgiving here is eucharistia. So Eucharistic prayer is the answer to anxiety. Bringing everything we struggle with, everything we deal with, all the difficulties of this life… bringing them to God in prayer through eucharistia.

St.Theresa of Avila: “Let nothing trouble you / Let nothing frighten you /Everything passes /God never changes / Patience/ Obtains all / Whoever has God / Wants for nothing/ God alone is enough. Everything passes.”

The coming of Jesus is a cause for joy, because on that final day, as the book of Revelation says — whatever pain, whatever suffering, whatever sin, whatever evil there might be in this world, Christ is going to make all things new.

And that is a reason for joy, and that is a reason for thanksgiving.

(Fr. Michał Pająk, OMI, Dec. 15, 2024)