When I was a child I had the reputation among family & friends of always being first to the tree at the break of dawn on Christmas morning. It didn’t matter if I slept furthest from the bedroom door; at the first sound of stirring I was up – walking over beds, brothers, and anything else in my path – to see what awaited me under the tree. At some point, as every child knows, there’s been enough waiting, and it’s time to get on with it!
I feel that way now. We are mid way through Advent, and despite making efforts to minimize my participation in the frenzy of the season, my time and energy have been leveraged, and I want nothing more than to leap ahead to Christmas. But that would be a mistake. Precisely because I have been leveraged, I have loads of spiritual preparation to do before I’m ready to welcome the Christ child in a meaningful way. I need time to pray, time to meditate, time to let the light of Christmas search out, illumine, and challenge the dark corners of my spirit.
This, it occurs to me, is where Gaudete Sunday can help. Gaudete, that traditional Sunday on which we focus on joy, pull out all the stops, and anticipate the angels’ chorus and the shepherds’ heart song. Perhaps a pause in the frantic schedule to anticipate the joy of Christmas can inspire and empower me – and you – to take the time to prepare for Christmas. It would certainly be worth the effort. So I offer a prayer for Gaudete Sunday:
Like children on Christmas Eve we find it hard to contain our excitement; the anticipation of joyful things to come! We peer around the corner of Advent to spy out what awaits us at the end of night; no mere babe wrapped in mother’s arms, but the very Light of day to enlighten our spirits and guide us on our way. So on this day of Gaudete – joy upon joy – we adore you O God, Emmanuel. Amen.
