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Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Gaudete Sunday takes its name from the Entrance Antiphon for this Sunday’s Mass: Gaudete in Domino semper "Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near."

In a world so torn apart by war and conflict, we may find it difficult to rejoice. Refugees continue to travel across countries, seeking places of safety. Closer to home, so many are living with stress, challenges, and sadness.

Yet, we listen to the call to rejoice and to the readings of this Sunday’s Mass. Zephaniah rejoices at the victory that God brings to the people. St Paul, writing to the Philippians, calls them to joy on account of the nearness of the Lord and tells us not to worry, but to pray - and to pray with thanksgiving in our hearts.

Isaiah, from which the text for this Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm is taken, focuses our joy in the fact of our salvation. This is where our joy lies; God has sent His Son, the Word made Flesh, to be our salvation. Our joy in our salvation overcomes all worries, concerns and anxieties. We are called to trust in God who saves us.

The lesson of trust can be a hard one to learn - so many of us live with experiences where trust on the human level has been damaged, yet our trust in God takes place at a different level - a deeper level - where the virtue of the most profound joy in all that God does for us is seen in His Son. With it comes a peace which the world cannot give, a joy and peace that cannot be taken from us.

The expectancy that we see in those who listened to John the Baptist is ours. We wait - as we hear at every Mass - with joyful hope at the coming of our saviour Jesus Christ.

Let us prepare, to celebrate His birth in trust, joy, and peace, and be ready to welcome Him when he comes again. Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say, rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.

With every blessing,

+Richard

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