2550AFC121425 – Glad! ← PODCAST LINK 😀
2025 Advent #3
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Isaiah 35:1-2 – The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad,
the desert shall rejoice and blossom;
like the crocus 2 it shall blossom abundantly,
and rejoice with joy and singing.
The glory of Lebanon shall be given to it,
the majesty of Carmel and Sharon.
They shall see the glory of the Lord,
the majesty of our God.
Psalm 149:6 –
9 He protects the strangers who live in our land;
he helps widows and orphans,
but takes the wicked to their ruin.
James 5:8 – 8 You also must be patient. Strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is near.
Matthew 11:6[i] (GNT) – 6 How happy are those who have no doubts about me!
This coming Sunday, December 14th, the IIIrd Sunday of Advent, is often called “Gaudete Sunday” (gow-DEH-teh). The Introit (Entrance Verse) for Gaudete Sunday is taken from Philippians 4:4,5: “Gaudete in Domino semper” (“Rejoice in the Lord always”). On this Sunday, the Vestments can be rose-colored rather than violet as is usual during a penitential season (Lent and Advent). The rose color reminds us we have passed the midpoint of the season and things are brightening up as is indicated by the first word in the Introit verse which says, “REJOICE!”
That is such a great word – REJOICE. When I hear it I hear it as re-joys as in joys again, and again, and again. One of the best JOY words around is Hallelujah and its alternative Alleluia. We are to be an Alleluia People! What does that word mean? It means GOD BE PRAISED.
Rejoice with one another, Beloved. Praise God with one another. Pray for, with, and about one another. Be kind to one another, and be especially kind to strangers because The Lord does that. Remember what He said “I AM coming tomorrow.” Isn’t that a good enough reason to rejoice? I again want to share with you these biblical terms for REJOICE:
Samah – שָׂמַ֖ח – Jubilant, spontaneous dancing, signing (simhach) – 1 Chronicles 29:9
Alaz – עָלַז – Exult – Burst into leaping with joy – Habakkuk 3:17-18
Nagilah – נָגִ֖ילָה – Let us rejoice – Psalm 118:4Euphraino – εὐφραίνω – To gladden the mind – Revelation 12:12
Kauchaomai – καυχάομαι – Glory in success and boast against – 1 Corinthians 1:30-31
Sunchairo – a συγχαίρω – Rejoicing together, with others – Luke 15:6
Agalliao – ἀγαλλιάω – Rejoice Greatly, to exult; jump for joy – Revelation 19:6-8
Chairo – χαίρω – Rejoicing over experiencing God’s Grace; be glad in the Lord – Luke 15:32
There is so much JOY to be found in The Holy Spirit! We know about the fruit of the Holy Spirit. All of the things mentioned as the fruit of the spirit are things that make us happy. We can find them in Galatians 5:22-23 – The Fruit of the Holy Spirit
Love is service and sacrifice.
Joy is balance at the center of the soul.
Peace is good order.
Patience is the ability to endure whatever comes.
Kindness is attentive regard for the other.
Generosity is the habitual disposition to share.
Gentleness is courageous respect for one another.
Self-Control is a voluntary check on the appetite for success.
We’ve also explored the Gifts of the Holy Spirit (↔ Learning Link)
The Word of Knowledge
The Word of Wisdom
The Gift of Prophecy
The Gift of Faith
The Gifts of Healings
The Working of Miracles
The Discerning of Spirits
The Different Kinds of Tongues
The Interpretation of Tongues
We have this fruit and these gifts to help us learn to be happy – to REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAYS! It’s important to remember what it takes to be happy, to be always ready to rejoice. We just have to remember the six simple rules to be happy: 1. Free your heart from hatred. 2. Free your mind from worries. 3. Live simply. 4. Give more. 5. Expect less. 6. Share the Joy as you pass The Word along. Joy isn’t completely fulfilled until it is shared. We can rejoice alone – and this often happens when rejoicing in the Spirit – but when there is someone to rejoice with us … that really is REJOICING. Now, imagine rejoicing with Jesus – in our houses, in our churches, in our cars, in our hearts – ALL THE TIME!!! l hark back to 1966 to paraphrase “We’re glad to be glad that we’re glad.” Being glad is great! Being glad to be glad is really great! Being glad to be glad that we are glad is phenomenal!! [Kudos to Nehemiah Curtis “Skip” James and Cream [i] ]
In our Key Verse from the Old Testament today, we see a reference to crocuses blooming. Those flowers seem to always be the first ones to poke up their heads through the snow. They are a sign of hope, a sign of new beginnings and they make us happy because we are glad that winter is nearly over. In Isaiah’s description of the desert bursting into bloom, we see resplendent beauty coming into an empty wasteland. The image reminds us how wonderful it feels when Jesus comes into our hearts. It’s like the lyric in the song. Whom all the world cannot contain // Comes I our hearts to dwell. [ii] [There’s a music Link in that endnote.] When Jesus comes into our hearts (↔ Music Link), the ENTIRE TRINITYcomes in! See The Catechism of the Catholic Church §258 (↔ Learning Link) where it describes that when one Person of the Trinity acts, They All act together.
In our Key Verse from Sunday’s Psalm, we see a short list of the persons who had little or no freedoms in Israel. They essentially had no legal standing, and had no one to depend on except themselves. We must recall that resident aliens (גֵּר gēr) – sojourners, a settled outsider living under Israel’s civil jurisdiction – had to conform to many laws, especially civil and criminal ones, with the principle being “one law for the native-born and the stranger” (Exodus 12:49, Leviticus 24:22), requiring them to obey Israel’s statutes and participate in religious life – like festivals and sacrifices – to be fully integrated, i.e., assimilated, though they weren’t full citizens with tribal land inheritance, and yet they did face some specific restrictions on their rights. In this way, sojourners and native-born, full citizens could find gladness in sharing the richnesses of their cultures. Those statutory guardrails helped preserve the peace and promote harmonious living – GLADNESS! This stands in stark contrast to the second phrase in that passage – “but takes the wicked to their ruin.” Here we are again reminded of The Catechism of the Catholic Church §1021-1022 – The Particular Judgment we all face at the moment of our death.
Our Gospel Key Verse says a lot about our F.A.I.T.H. When Jesus comes into our hearts, we have that Light in our souls as floods of joy and gladness roll over our souls like billows on the sea. How happy are those who have no doubts about me! That childlike innocence of faith is the same J.O.Y. we feel when we cry out Μαρανα θα! Μαραν αθα! Maranâ thâ’! Maran ‘athâ’ Abba! Father! Jesus! Spirit! Come! We are GLAD to celebrate your Advent, Emmanuel! That is why many of us – hopefully all of us – can tell the World, “It’s OK to say ‘Merry Christmas’ to me. I am GLAD to hear it.”
What if we don’t feel like rejoicing? What if life is just so hard that all we can do is shout in pain and not shout for joy? How can we change that? How do we start over? No one can go back and make a brand-new start. Anyone can start from now and make a brand-new ending. God didn’t promise days without pain, laughter without sorrow, sun without rain, but He did promise strength for the day, comfort for the tears, and light for the way. There are three things to rejoice about right there that we already have. The cool thing about rejoicing is that whenever we start rejoicing, more rejoicing comes. It’s almost kind of like getting the giggles – it’s hard to stop once we get started.
OK now, let’s go back to our Key Verse from the Letter of James. He cautions us to be patient, but it is an “expectoration” patience. (Yeah, I made up that word.) He exhorts us to fortify our courage by being steadfast in our faith, and fixing our hope on Christ’s return.the spiritual disposition will yield patient endurance for dealing with whatever troubles arise around or within us.
In closing, I want to say a few words about today’s Key Logo. I’ve attributed all the key Logos for this series in Advent to being AI-constructed using MicroSoft CoPilot. Here is how that works: I write up a detailed description of what I want the key to look like and then the CoPilot AI (GPT-5) puts it together according to my instructions. If what comes up does not match my vision of the key, then we “collaborate” of how to amend it. In addition, we collaborate on a summary of the symbolism of the key. Here are my edited excerpts from that descriptive collaboration ~~
Advent Key #3 — Gaudete Sunday
Rejoice, for the Lord is near.
This third key in the Advent series is a celebration of joy breaking into expectation. Rendered in matte rose — the liturgical color of Gaudete Sunday — it stands out from the somber tones of the season, inviting us to pause and rejoice.
- The rose color is for the liturgical meaning of Gaudete Sunday – REJOICE! The Advent Candle for this Sunday is also rose colored and stands for Joy. The previous two violet candles stood for Hope and Peace. The fourth candle will stand for Love, and the Fifth candle, which is white (the baptismal candle), will stand for Jesus.
- The heptagon bow (“handle”) symbolizes the Seven Churches of the Bible Book Revelation, a reminder that joy is communal, not solitary.
- The Roman numeral III anchors the Third Sunday, while subtly echoing the Trinity, whose presence guides the faithful.
- The Gothic façade within the bow evokes the Church: there are three pointed arches – each with a door – for welcome. There is a “rose window” – a stained glass window set in vibrant colors – which signifies God’s perfections and (facing east), as light comes through, signifying God’s Divine Light. There is a cross crowning the structure to remind us that Christ is above all in Heaven, on Earth, and under the Earth.
- There are 7 bits (including the key shoulder) and 7 CUTBEDS. The seven bits along the shank represent the Seven Cardinal Virtues. Here, each rounded nib indicates a mark of Grace shaping the Soul. The cutbeds between the nibs represent the Seven Cardinal Sins. Without the cutbeds, there would be no need for the nibs; then, both sides of the key would be perfect because they would be straight and uncut.
- The three grooves are more than mechanical — they represent the Trinity, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, guiding the key into its lock, ensuring it opens only where true Joy resides, which brings Gladness to the heart.
This is a Master Key in every sense — not just functionally, but theologically. It teaches that rejoicing is not naïve happiness, but truly the deep assurance that Christ, the Key of David, is near to unlock every door. HALLELUJAH! WHAT A SAVIOR! (↔ Music Link)
Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Check out St John Paul II’s Prayer in her honor.
Unless otherwise indicated, all scripture passages are from the New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (NRSVCE) New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993 the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Biblical languages inserts from Bible Hub (Bible Hub: Search, Read, Study the Bible in Many Languages) Visit at http://biblehub.com
Aloha Friday Messages by Charles O. Todd, III is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License
[i] Passages marked (GNT): Good News Translation (GNT) are from the Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition)© 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
[i] See “I’m So Glad” as performed by Cream at Royal Albert Hall in 2005 https://youtu.be/iF-pMingp6A?t=66 (↔ Music Link)
[ii] Gift of Finest Wheat (↔ Music Link)
