The Lord Is Nigh: Preparing Our Souls for Christmas | Gaudete Sunday

About this sermon

Christmas is coming — the lights, the trees, the decorations, the gatherings. But amid all the external signs of the season, are we preparing our souls for the coming of Christ? In this powerful Gaudete Sunday sermon, we are reminded that Advent is not merely about outward festivity, but about interior preparation — making our souls a worthy dwelling place for the Christ Child. Drawing from: St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans The Epistle to the Philippians (“Rejoice in the Lord always”) The witness of St. John the Baptist The Church’s ancient Advent liturgy and O Antiphons this homily calls the faithful to: Rise from spiritual sleep Reject anxiety and over-solicitude Embrace prayer, perseverance, and confidence in God Rediscover true Christian joy Prepare for Christmas through humility and grace “He must increase, and I must decrease.” “The Lord is nigh.” Gaudete Sunday reminds us that joy is not opposed to penance — it flows from trust in God and a persevering life of prayer. 📖 Whether you are preparing for Christmas spiritually, struggling with anxiety, or seeking deeper meaning in Advent, this sermon offers timeless Catholic wisdom rooted in Sacred Scripture and Tradition. 00:00 – Signs of Christmas Are Everywhere 01:22 – External vs Interior Preparation 02:06 – “Now Is the Hour to Rise from Sleep” 02:43 – Advent: Preparing the Soul for Christ 03:00 – St. John the Baptist: The Model of Advent 03:45 – “He Must Increase, I Must Decrease” 04:08 – Gaudete Sunday: Rejoice in the Lord Always 05:10 – The Lord Is Near to Every Soul 06:01 – Meaning of Rose Vestments and Advent Joy 06:32 – Christian Joy vs Anxiety 07:31 – Prayer as the Key to True Joy 08:38 – Persevering Prayer and Trust in God 09:17 – Final Exhortation: Rejoice, The Lord Is Nigh https://sensusfidelium.com/meditations/st-alphonsus/meditations-for-every-day-of-advent/ For more from this parish please visit https://www.institute-christ-king.org/wausau-sermons & please remember to say 3 Hail Marys for the priest 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Support Catholic Businesses here - https://sensusfidelium.com/catholic-businesses/ Sensus Fidelium Press - https://sensusfideliumpress.com/ Sensus Fidelium Apps - https://sensusfidelium.tv/ Support Sensus Fidelium - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴 Follow the Institute of Christ the King on... Facebook: facebook.com/ICKSP Twitter: twitter.com/ICKSP Instagram: instagram.com/ICKSP 🙏🏻PLEASE HELP OUR CHANNEL GROW 🙏🏻 ▶️ 1. Become a Channel Patron: https://www.patreon.com/SensusFidelium ▶️ 2. Visit the website https://www.sensusfidelium.us for Gueranger, Saint of the Day, Apologetics, Meditation by the Saints, Scripture Study and more. ▶️ 3. Subscribe to Other Video Platforms 🔴 SpiritusTV - https://spiritustv.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 BitChute --- https://www.bitchute.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium/ 🔴 Rumble --- https://rumble.com/c/c-298311 🔴 My Catholic Tube - https://mycatholictube.com/videos/sensus-fidelium-channel/ 🔴 LBRY.tv --- https://lbry.tv/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 ODYSEE - https://odysee.com/@SensusFidelium:c 🔴 UGETube - https://videos.utahgunexchange.com/@Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 BrandNewTube - https://brandnewtube.com/@SensusFidelium 🔴 GabTV - https://tv.gab.com/channel/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 GloriaTV - https://gloria.tv/Sensus%20Fidelium 🔴 Brighteon - https://www.brighteon.com/channels/sensusfidelium ▶️ 4. Paypal, Bitcoin, Anedot, Stripe, Square & PO Box donations - https://sensusfidelium.com/donate-support/ ▶️ 5. YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 Please "Like" our videos so that Youtube shares it to others by clicking the "Like" thumbs-up under the video = 👍🏻 ▶️ 6. Please share this video 📲, and help others find Christ inside the Catholic Church! Please share this video on Facebook and Twitter using the share button. ▶️ 7. Follow on Social Media: 🔴 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SensusFidelium/ 🔴 Twitter: https://https://twitter.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 YouTube: Click Subscribe, then Click "Notification Bell" = 🔔 🔴 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Sensusfidelium/posts 🔴 SP3RN: https://www.sp3rn.com/community/pages/14-sensus-fidelium 🔴 GAB: https://gab.com/Sensus_Fidelium 🔴 Bastyon: https://bastyon.com/sensusfidelium 🔴 GETTR: https://gettr.com/user/sensus_fidelium 🔴 INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/sensusfidelium/ 🔴 Telegram: https//t.me/RealSensusFidelium ▶️ 8. Follow on iTunes: 🔴 https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/sensus-fidelium-catholic-podcast/id1477010758 #GaudeteSunday #Advent #CatholicSermon #PreparingForChristmas #TheLordIsNigh #CatholicFaith #ChristianJoy #TraditionalCatholic #CatholicHomily #AdventSeason #PrayerAndTrust #StJohnTheBaptist

Topics

• Christmas