Today the church celebrates the third Sunday of Advent. In the common parlance of our society, this would be the equivalent of ‘hump Sunday’ for the church during the season of Advent. In other words, we’re closer to the celebration of Christmas than we were when we began the season of Advent. To demonstrate this, the liturgical color of the day and the color of the candle that is lit is Rose, the color of rejoicing. This is also called, in Latin, Gaudete or Rejoice Sunday.

Let us pray. O God who see how your people faithfully await the Feast of the Lord’s Nativity, enable us, we pray, to attain the joys of so great the salvation and to celebrate them always with solemn worship and glad rejoicing. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit. One God forever and ever. Amen.