Happy Pink Candle Sunday!

It's time to kick back and do a little relaxin' in the liturgical calendar. Tomorrow is Gaudete Sunday, "Rejoice Sunday," so named because the first word in the first reading of the Mass (Phil 4:4) is "Rejoice!" The Church in her wisdom gives us these breaks in our penitential seasons, to raise our heads from the bowed positions they should be in. I want to make sure that I notice the change, since my head's been sneaking up from my original Advent goals of prayer and penitence.

Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice!

Lent has its "by week" as well, starting with Laudete Sunday, again from the opening word of the first reading. The verb "Laudare" usually defines the expression or the berbalization of praise from our mouths. The verb "Gaudare" often describes action more than words, appearance more than intention. (We get the word "gaudy" from it, which has declined into a sort of negative way of pointing out the flashy or "loud" aspect of someone or something.)

I like Gaudete better: it sounds "noisier" than Laudete. I'm in the mood for a little noise...

Note that these words, Gaudete and Laudete, are commands. The "te" is a "you" after the imperative form of the verb. "Rejoice, you!"

So, we are commanded to give God praise, and in that, we should be happy and celebrate that we know that we have a God and Creator to praise, and what He's done for us, coming all that way to be born and live among us.

The priest should (although some, sadly, don't) wear rose-colored vestments on Gaudete and Laudete Sundays. Our parish's only set of rose vestments veers, no, crashes heavily into powder room pink and are quite forcefully ugly in pattern, too, so only the bravest priest puts them on, the others opting instead for white or gold.

I hope you all have a little feast in honor of our praise of God, a feast of fellowship or fun or food. I'm making pot roast and having friends over to bake pizzelle cookies for Christmas.