This week we light the rose coloured candle on the advent wreath. Gaudete Sunday. Rejoice! A time where we are reminded that our faith is not something gloomy and something that we should be ashamed of. It is a faith of joy.

There is also a lot of imagery in our Catholic culture at this time of Mary our mother as the rose.

The responsorial psalm for this week is actually from the New Testament. It is the Magnificat. “My soul doth magnify the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour”.  What a wonderful song of joy. What a beautiful way to explain that joy is not something external from us, but comes from within and changes our whole outlook on life. This piece from scripture has inspired musicians and artists for millennia.

In our video this week,  Fr Marcus Goulding reflects on the connections between holiness, love and joy.

 

Gospel Reading Audio 

 

Reflection by Fr Marcus goulding

 

Click Image to access the reflection sheet

We have provided a number of questions. You don’t need to answer them all. They are just a guide. You can pick as many or as few as you wish. It really depends on the time you have through the week and how much time you wish to spend on each.

Further reading

Here we are listing a number of other resources that you might like to look at. Of course you don’t need to use any at all or even just in Advent! It is for those who wish to delve more deeply into themes or ideas that have been looked into this week.

Scripture
Click here for the other reading from Mass today.
If you would like to look them up in your own Bible they are:
Isiah 61:1-2A, 10-11
Luke 1:46-50, 53-54
1 Thessalonians 5:16-24

Books and Papal Documents
Surprised by Joy – By CS Lewis This is a book which recounts his conversion to Christianity and the integral part that the search for joy played in his finding of God.

Pope Benedict, in a Papal audience in 2012 spoke of the desire for God and how important the experience and encouragement of real joy is in fostering this desire for Him. He also spoke on joy again on the occasion of the 27th World Youth Day in 2012.

Articles/Blog Posts
Fr Marcus in his reflection above mentioned Peter Kreeft on joy. This is an article by him, in which he looks at joy in detail.

On our blog Anna Krohn has been looking at the gifts of the Magi and how the link in to our preparation for Christmas. This week she has looked at Frankincense.

This is a beautiful blog post about joy and how there can be joy even in seasons of sorrow.

This is a post that goes into explanations of Gaudete Sunday , as well as the traditions of Ember Days and the O Antiphons of this time in Advent.

Audio/Video
Below is a podcast on Gaudete Sunday from Bishop Robert Barron – from Word on Fire.

 

Advent Music

Below is a YouTube playlist of music for this week. It is meant to be a tool for prayer, but also can be played through your day to help keep the season in mind. Apologies for any advertisements that may interrupt your listening! [This week there are two versions of ‘Lo How A Rose’. It is a favourite of the person putting the music together, she couldn’t choose which version to put in!]

If you would like to receive these reflections in your inbox for each Sunday of Advent click here.