Third Sunday of Advent-Gaudete Sunday
April 2, 2025 Column Father De Celles
GAUDETE SUNDAY. Today is “Gaudete Sunday,” or “Rejoice Sunday” (from the first words of the entrance antiphon, “Gaudéte in Dómino semper”— “Rejoice in the Lord always”). This reminds us that Advent is a season of “expectant joy” as our anticipation of the great joy of Christmas builds everyday as we draw closer to it. This is symbolized in the “rose” colored vestments the priests may where today, “rose” being a shade of advent violet that is brighter than the normal violets of Advent, as if the brightness of Christmas joy is shining through the subdued preparation of Advent.
I hope we all experience this building joy during Advent. First and foremost, we should experience this spiritually, in our prayers and meditation on the mystery of Christmas, and in reception of the sacraments. In this regard, I encourage you to go to confession this week—we rejoice because Christ was born to save us from our sins, and he pours out this salvation in this holy sacrament—there’s nothing like the joy experienced in having our sins forgiven. Remember, we have will have 2 priests hearing confessions every evening this week, Monday through Friday. I also encourage you to attend daily Mass: remember this Advent we have an additional Mass every weekday evening at 7pm.
I also encourage you to join us at this Thursday’s (December 19) 7pm Mass which will include my homily on “Peace” (part of my “Advent Series”).
Also, continue your penances this week, especially your extra prayers. Come to Exposition/Adoration, and pray the Rosary, especially as a family. And strive to be heroically kind, patient, forgiving and generous with all you meet.
Decorations. The growing spiritual joy also overflows into our practical lives during this season, and expresses itself in the many of the customs of this season, many of which illustrate how this joy gradually builds as we approach the source of our joy, Christmas. We see this, for example, in how the decoration of our homes get more and more “Christmassy” as the days of Advent pass.
But you don’t see that so much inside our church during Advent. One reason for this is because so many decorations abound outside the church, often lacking any sense of gradualness or progression, that I think it’s important to show a contrast in our liturgies—to remind us that Christ is not here yet, that we are waiting and preparing for Him.
Even so, we do incorporate this progression in the church in several ways, including the Advent wreath, the selection of hymns, and the rose vestments.
And this week we step up the decorations, reminding us that Christmas is so near. “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near” (Num. 24:17).
Happy Pastor. I am a happy Pastor after the great extended weekend we had last week. First on Saturday, with Breakfast with Saint Nicholas, then on Sunday with Lessons and Carols, and finally Monday with the Masses of the Immaculate Conception.
The main reason I’m happy is because there were so many who attended each of these “events.” This was especially the case with Lessons and Carols, where there had to be over 400 people—and they sang! But the numbers were also outstanding for the Holy Day on Monday. Some say it’s too hard to for folks to come to Mass on Sunday and Monday, but you proved them wrong: between the five Masses on Monday I think we had just about as many come as on a Sunday, and I always assume a good number of parishioner’s attend Holy Day Masses at other parishes near their places of work. Finally, there were tons of little kiddies at the Breakfast.
Thanks. Once again, I extend my deepest appreciation to the choir and musicians who worked so hard to provide such a magnificent evening of prayerful song for all of us! Bravo! Thank you Court and Gretta Wheeler for hosting the memorable and delicious reception.
And thanks also to the Knights of Columbus for so successfully and adroitly transforming the “Breakfast with Santa” to “Breakfast with Saint Nicholas.” This year the St. Nicholas came dressed not in his Christmas Eve “Santa” working clothes but in his proper bishop’s regalia, and told the true story of his life as a heroic witness to Christ in the 4th century, and his continuing witness to him as a heavenly example of saintly and generous charity.
SHORT HOMILIES. Did you see this comment by Pope Francis last week?
“At times there are long sermons, twenty minutes, thirty minutes… But, please, preachers must preach an idea, a feeling and a call to action. Beyond eight minutes the preaching starts to fade, it is not understood. And I say this to preachers [applause] – I can see that you like to hear this! At times we see men who, when the sermon starts, go outside to smoke a cigarette and then come back in. Please, the sermon must be an idea, a feeling and a call to action. And it must never exceed ten minutes. This is very important.”
Many people would tend to agree with this rather subjective observation, but I’m afraid don’t. I do agree that some homilies are too long, and that the length of homilies should be carefully considered, taking into account the time, place, and congregation. And they can be “too long” when there is no meaningful content, or simple and useless repetition. But in my opinion, and experience, a good homily needn’t be a short one, and certainly not limited to the arbitrary “ten minutes,” if it is well composed, contains useful content and is given by a reasonably good preacher.
Moreover, it need not be limited to “an idea, a feeling and a call to action.” As the Second Vatican Council taught us: “By means of the homily the mysteries of the faith and the guiding principles of the Christian life are expounded…” I have always tried to take this to heart, and use the homily to explain the faith in all its manifold dimensions—historical, theological, doctrinal, spiritual, practical, etc… After all, the average Catholic is exposed to hours and hours of secular thought and ideology during the week, but for many, the homily is the only exposure to solid Catholic teaching they will receive during that same period. Furthermore, there is so much that Catholics in the pews don’t know, and won’t pursue on their own, that the homily becomes the ideal opportunity to teach and guide my people.
Finally, at least one reporter observed that Pope Francis himself frequently preaches homilies well over 10 minutes in length, as he did in a homily last week, after he gave this advice.
So, I will continue to consider the length of my homilies, including asking myself, “is it really helpful to go this long?” One of the tricks I use for this is to write out almost all my Sunday homilies (so that they are organized, thought out, and limit the possibility for rambling). But I will also allow the Holy Spirit to guide me in my preaching, and speak as long as he asks me to, for the good of your salvation.
Oremus pro invicem. Fr. De Celles