Rejoice Sunday–Third Sunday in Advent
In this time of waiting, watching
The cold December grays
Are decorated with anticipation —
Banquets of glad tidings, the earth miraculously
Greened from watercourses flowing
From the stars. Mary’s sumptuous Magnificat
Followed by rounds of Gaudetes on monks’ lips and
Priests processing in pink colored vestments.
Then comes the Baptizer from the wilderness
With his unshaven voice and
Straight words about repentance
Not rejoicing. That joy cannot be fulfilled yet
This Third Sunday of Advent. All we can do is testify
To the light that is coming in the fullness of time
Which, it seems, drags on and on impatiently shadowed.
One more lonely candle longs to be ransomed on the wreathe.
Philip C.Kolin
December 13, 2011