2023-12-17 02:00:00
By Central Editorial
December 17, 2023 / 12:01 AM
The Third Sunday of Advent is called “Christmas Sunday.” Rejoice”, or ‘Sunday of Joy’. It is so called because the third week of Advent seems to naturally awaken a feeling of ‘closeness’, that the greatest event is ‘soon’ to happen. It is that experience of ‘little more to go’, by which hearts are encouraged because the greatest distance has already been traveled. And the liturgy reflects this sentiment: the first word said in the introit of the Mass is precisely Rejoicethat is, “Rejoice!”
In the Eucharistic celebration of the day, the priest dresses in a pink chasuble, a sign of joy, and the Church invites the faithful to deepen their desire for conversion, because the Lord is coming and everything must be well arranged. Coincidentally, both in temples and in homes, the third candle of the Advent wreath is lit, the only pink candle.
The color pink – associated with beauty and serene joy – produces a contrast in the liturgy, in which violet (purple) has been predominating as a sign of austerity (an attitude typical of the weeks of preparation for Christmas). The color violet must return for the fourth Sunday of Advent. In that sense, pink could be understood as “already, but not yet”, very conducive to renewing efforts or taking breath on the path of personal conversion.
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