The third Sunday of advent is generally known as “Gaudete” Sunday, which means, “Rejoice.”The Liturgy of today is therefore an anticipation of the joy we will experience on Christmas day. This joy is symbolically represented by the rose/pink candle. The candle is called the Shepherd’s Candle because it stands for the joy of the Shepherds which means that Christ also came for the humble and less-important people like them. The readings express the joy of having a redeemer who will liberate and restore His people to salvation. The prophet Isaiah in the first reading urges us to rejoice and be joyful because God himself is coming to save his people. After the judgment described in Isaiah 34 where “Yahweh’s sword is filled with blood” and will effect “a great slaughter in the land of Edom” (Is 34:6) and “a day of vengeance” (34:8). God in chapter 35 will bring a beautiful restoration that “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the lily it shall blossom abundantly and rejoice with joy and singing” (Is 35:1). This is exactly what the liturgy of today calls us to do, to rejoice because our Savior is coming. He is coming with bountiful gifts and he is known to be the ideal Father Christmas. He calls us to rejoice because when he comes, “The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy” (35:5-6). This poetic language could reflect God’s concern for physical infirmities. It could be a metaphor for the people of God generally. It could be an eschatological (end of time) character, portraying the beauty that we can expect with God in heaven.
