Gaudete!

The more I study Gregorian chant, the more I comes to realize how integral it is to the Church’s liturgy. Taking nothing away from the talent and beauty of the great composes of sacred polyphony (Palestrina and the like), the stark reality is that the Church’s liturgy both formed and was organically formed by sacred chant. The two grew quite literally in tandem. Consequently, there are liturgical celebrations that are musically joined not only by lyrical similarities of their chants but also by melodic similarities. While the words can (or rather should) be preserved in different musical settings, any departure from the chant necessarily loses the similarities that reach the ears of the congregation. For instance, the Introit for the third Sunday of Advent is written in the same mode as the Introit for the Mass of Saint John the Baptist (June 24th), and hence will have the same basic “sound” to the ears of those in attendance. For those who were at Mass this morning, the connection between today’s readings and John the Baptist are obvious.

Beyond these intricate connections, however, there are even more basic things revealed by the chants, particularly the propers. For instance, today is one of two days during the liturgical year that we see the priests and deacons vested in rose. The other occurs during the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Both Sundays mark turning points in our expectation of and preparation for coming events: today marks a turning point of our Advent preparation for the coming of the Christ Child, and the Fourth Sunday of Lent marks a turning point in our preparation for the Resurrection of the Lord.

It may or may not have been mentioned during this morning’s homily in your parish, but the Church calls today Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is the Latin word for Rejoice, and indeed the Church calls us to rejoice over the coming birth of Jesus. The Sunday of Lent is termed Laetare Sunday. Laetare is another Latin word for Rejoice, and the Church is calling her people, in the middle of their penance, to rejoice over the conquering of sin accomplished in the Paschal Mystery.

The two terms themselves beg the question: Why two terms? In other words, from where do the phrases Gaudete Sunday and Laetare Sunday come? The answer is found in the Gregorian Propers.

The first line of the Introit for the Third Sunday of Advent is “Gaudete in Domino semper; iterum dico, gaudete!” or “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!”

The first line of the Introit for the Fourth Sunday of Advent is “Laetare Ierusalem: et conventum facite omnes qui diligitis eamI” or “Rejoice Jerusalem; and gather round, all you her love her.”

Because very few parishes hear the propers anymore, the vast majority of people are not aware of the origin of the names Gaudete and Laetare Sunday. This is yet another example of how the Gregorian propers are an integral part of the Church’s Liturgy, and one of many reasons why the Church must emphasize, in continuity with Vatican II and its liturgical patrimony, the preference the Propers enjoy over the more common hymns, particularly for the more important liturgical celebrations.


To help you celebrate this joyful Sunday, here is a stellar recording of this morning's Introit chant: