Can anyone guess what the theme of the third Sunday in Advent is?
Published in Piae Cantiones, a collection of Finnish and Swedish sacred songs, in 1582, Gaudete, Latin for “Rejoice!”, is a sacred Christmas song.
“The Latin text is a typical medieval song of praise, which follows the standard pattern for the time – a uniform series of four-line stanzas, each preceded by a two-line refrain (in the early English carol this was known as the burden). Carols could be on any subject, but typically they were about the Virgin Mary, the Saints or Yuletide themes.” — Wikipedia
The Latin and English versions of the refrain of Gaudete:
| Latin | English |
| Gaudete, gaudete! Christus est natus Ex Maria virgine, gaudete! | Rejoice, rejoice! Christ is born Of the Virgin Mary – Rejoice! |
So, can you guess the theme of the third Sunday in Advent?