An Esoteric Advent: Gaudete Sunday
Dec. 12th, 2021 10:31 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
readoldthings
Gaudete In Domino Semper
Today is the third Sunday in Advent, called "Gaudete Sunday." Gaudete is a Latin word, meaning "Rejoice*;" the Introit for the day begins "Gaudete in domino semper," or "Rejoice in the Lord always."
* (Or, more properly, "Rejoice, ye!"; "Rejoice, all of you"; or, if you happen to be in Pittsburgh, "Rejoice, yinz guys!")
On Gaudete Sunday, the third, rose-colored candle on the Advent Wreath is lit; at the mass, the priest may wear rose-colored vestments. Remember that the violet of the other three candles signifies darkness, sorrow, and repentance. Today the rose candle is lit, as this is also a season of joy.
Readings for Gaudete Sunday
The Epistle for Gaudete Sunday is taken from St. Paul's letter to the Philippians. In keeping with the theme of the day, it reminds us of the constant presence of God:
Brethren: Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice. Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety, but in every prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your petitions be made known to God. And may the peace of God which surpasses all understanding guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus, our Lord.
And the Gospel reading comes from the first chapter of John. In this selection, John the Baptist, who we will meet again soon in our journey through the Christmas season, is being questioned about his identity:
At that time, when the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites to him, to ask him: "Who art thou?" And he confessed and did not deny: and he confessed: "I am not the Christ." And they asked him: "What then? Art thou Elias?" And he said: "I am not." "Art thou the prophet? And he answered: "No." They said therefore unto him: "Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What sayest thou of thyself?" He said: "I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias." And they that were sent were of the Pharisees. And they asked him and said to him: "Why then dost thou baptize, if thou be not Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet?" John answered them, saying: "I baptize with water: but there hath stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not. The same is he that shall come after me, who is preferred before me: the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose." These things were done in Bethania, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
Meditation for Gaudete Sunday
Today in your meditation, consider the various themes drawn from the readings, and the symbolism of the rose candle. In John the Baptist, we see that the current of initiatic power that will be fully manifested in the person of Jesus has persisted all through the times of darkness before his coming. In the letter of St. Paul, as in the introit to mass, we are instructed to rejoice always. In the joyous rose candle, set amidst the penitential purple, we are shown the possibility of dwelling in the spiritual world-- keeping the eye of our souls singular and fixed on the True Light, even as we sojourn in the darkness of the material world.
Happy Gaudete Sunday!
By the way...
I don't write these posts ahead of time, for the most part; if you're seeing something here, you're seeing it the day it was written. This allows me to stay in the energy of whatever ideas I'm working with, but it has the drawback that it's hard to go back and change something if I want to correct course. When this series of posts is published as a book, it will include more details on the Sundays of Advent in particular, with meditations and a ritual of self-initiation at the end.
Click here to support this blog.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-14 12:59 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2021-12-14 01:58 am (UTC)And you're right about the Etsy... I think I'll set up a discount, good through Epiphany (i.e., the day astrologers turn up to worship Jesus.)