I did not study a foreign language in high school, so I only know a few non-English words. Feliz Navidad. Ciao. Merci. Weiner Schnitzel. One Latin word I do know is gaudete, which means rejoice. Today we celebrate Gaudete Sunday, the third week of Advent. The pink candle in the Advent wreath is lighted as a sign of joy. Today’s readings are full of reminders about being joyful: from Isaiah “I rejoice heartily in the Lord” and from Luke who details Mary’s Magnificat “My spirit rejoices in God my Savior.” Sometimes we need these reminders because it’s easy to rejoice when things are going well, but what about when we are ill or lonely, when we lose a loved one or our job, when bills are past due?
 
In the book The Hiding Place, Corrie ten Boom tells of being held in a Nazi concentration camp and recounts how her sister rejoiced and was thankful for head lice!  Because the guards didn’t want to get too close to   the lice and fleas, that left the prisoners free to meet and pray with each other. Wow, that is really maxing out Paul’s instruction in 1Thessalonians 5:16-18: “Rejoice always…In all circumstances give thanks to God.”
 
How can we improve in the joyful and thankful department during the last two weeks of Advent? Maybe losing the “why me” attitude and replacing it with “why not me?” Or finding blessings, no matter how small, in each day as we continue to wait. Have a joyful week.