3rd Week of Advent: Halfway Out of the Dark

Last updated on: December 14, 2014 at 9:46 pm by Monique Ocampo

3rd Week of Advent: Halfway Out of the Dark 2014-12-14T21:46:04-05:00 Monique Ocampo

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

One of my favorite movies to watch this time of year is It’s a Wonderful Life. But I’ll tell you a secret: I really cringe at the part where George Bailey sees what his life would be like if he was never born. Not only because I find the fact that Mary’s worst case scenario is that she’s an old maid, but because I tend to get uncomfortable at the sight of angst. I know that conflict is what drives a story, but something I don’t like is a story that drags out the drama at the expense of everyone acting completely out of character or not communicating like actual people. Think of the contrived drama of soap operas.

Thankfully, Advent knows how to pace things when it comes to anticipation. In the third week of Advent, the color of the candle is rose instead of purple to represent joy. In fact, the word “Gaudete” as this Sunday is called means “Rejoicing.” To quote one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes, Gaudete Sunday represents the Catholic Church saying “We’re halfway out of the dark.”

Yep. We’re halfway there. Living on a prayer. But it’s a little different from the halfway point of Lent. If the halfway point of Lent is like the halfway point of a long journey, the halfway point of Advent is like a little rest stop on a short road trip. (I’m biased because Texas has Buc-ees which is the king of rest stops, but please bear with me!) You drop in, get some food and drinks, freshen up, and get back to your trip.

Some people complain about the fact that Mr. Potter never got his comeuppance at the end of It’s a Wonderful Life. But I like the fact that the movie ends with that loose end dangling because there’s still a sense of hope that things will turn around. George Bailey learns that he made a difference and learns his own worth in the world. The police drop the charges and there will probably be a more proper investigation later on. Mr. Potter may not get his comeuppance in the movie, but I like to think that he will eventually. The point of the ending is that George Bailey is halfway out of the dark. And in this third week of Advent, we cross over that same halfway point.

Uncategorized

Previous Post

December 13, 2014

Top 13 Reasons I Love Taylor Swift

Next Post

December 16, 2014 My Year In Photos: July

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category A Night at the Movies Apologetics Asperger's Syndrome autism Being Catholic Books Buffy the Vampire Slayer Faith Fandoms Heart of Mary Women's Fellowship Interviews Lent Music Personal Life Poetry Prayer Radiance and Grace Reflections Relationships Religion Saints Seven Quick Takes Social Media Taylor Swift Television The Soapbox True Love Tuesday Uncategorized Women of Christ Wednesday writing Young Adult Issues

Select a Month February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz