This weekend marks the Third Sunday of Advent. We call this Sunday “Gaudete” Sunday because today’s Mass begins with the opening antiphon, “Gaudete in Domino semper” (“Rejoice in the Lord always”). Today we light the rose candle of the Advent wreath. That brings to three the number of candles that will be lit during our celebration of the Eucharist. Why do we rejoice, you might ask? Do you have a few hours…I can make a list for you!!! Briefly, we rejoice because: we are getting closer to celebrating the day of Christ’s birth…we recognize His daily presence in our midst (YES!!!)…and we wait for his return in glory. That’s enough to keep us rejoicing for the rest of our lives!!! Christian joy does not come from the absence of sorrow, pain or trouble, but from an awareness of the presence of Christ within our souls. In the Holy Gospel today, John the Baptist explains the secret of Christian joy as “wholehearted commitment to God’s way by doing His will.” If this is true (and I think it is), then a sad Christian is a contradiction in terms. According to John the Baptist, happiness comes from living the Gospel faithfully every day…specifically by sharing goodness with others and sharing our blessings with them…every chance we get. John the Baptist’s call to repentance is a call to joy and restoration. Did you know that “Repentance” means a “change in the purpose and direction of our lives.” Filled with joyful expectation that the Messiah was near, the people asked John, “What should we do (to change the direction and purpose of our lives)?” He told them to act with justice, charity and honesty, letting their lives reflect this transformation. For us, that transformation occurs when Christ is allowed to enter our hearts. When this change takes place in our hearts, it will be reflected in the way we live our lives. In the second chapter of C.S. Lewis’ book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, little Lucy stumbles through the back of a wardrobe into the imaginary country of Narnia. Although it is summer in England (where the wardrobe sits), it is winter in Narnia. Shivering in the cold, Lucy soon meets a faun, Mr. Tumnus, who tells her what wintertime is like in Narnia. The wintertime is perpetual, says Mr. Tumnus, and is the result of someone called the White Witch. “It’s she who makes it always winter (here),” Tumnus says, “Always winter and never Christmas; think of that!” What a right-on description of a world without Christ: “Always winter and never Christmas . . .” No thanks! Gospel Homework for Advent: Keep Christ in Christmas.