PODCAST | Gaudete Sunday
In this meditation for the Third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday, Fr Javier del Castillo reflects on the profound meaning of this passage from St Paul – “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice” (Philippians 4:4).
“We ought to rejoice. This is something really important, absolutely necessary, to rejoice in the Lord always because the Lord is near.”
“This presence of the Lord is the cause of our joy because it makes us joyful and makes us happy… not only when things are going well… always, no matter what… and then we can radiate our cheerfulness to others… doesn’t matter what’s happening on the outside… what matters is that we be close to our Lord. And only insofar as we let our Lord be close to us can we be truly joyful, cheerful, and can we radiate cheerfulness to others.”
To have this joy and cheerfulness starting this Advent and Christmas we can follow three steps:
1. Prayer
2. Forgiveness
3. Service (Jesus, others and then yourself)
Mary, Cause of Our Joy, pray for us!
Rev. Javier del Castillo
Fr. Javier del Castillo is a priest of the Prelature of Opus Dei. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a Doctorate in Philosophy. He currently carries out his pastoral ministry in New York and is President of the St. Josemaria Institute.
Thank you for the inspiring reflections you,ale available to us. It helps me grow deeper in faith. I have shared your podcasts to several friends. God bless you all.
I have been struggling for years, but since starting to pray and reflect on the works of stjosemaria, now listening to the podcast, I can now leave this earthly world behind as I give myself to the Lord, my own conversion, like Thomas. I had to, for myself, see, feel, smell, and believe to become a witness for Jesus. Thank You