ASK FATHER: What’s the difference between the “rejoice” of “Laetare” Sunday of Lent and “Gaudete” Sunday of Advent?

From a reader…

QUAERITUR

What is the difference between gaudete and laetare? Gaudete seems to be 2nd person plural imperative, while laetare looks like an infinitive. Both mean “rejoice” but is there a subtle theological difference in meaning?

Laetare Sunday in Lent and Gaudete Sunday in Advent function liturgically as measured respites within penitential seasons. Each marks a moment when the Church allows a restrained anticipatory joy to surface within a discipline that remains fundamentally ascetical. The rose vestments, the softening of musical austerity, and the scriptural tone of the Mass all reflect this moderated gladness ordered toward what is approaching, Easter in Lent and the Nativity of the Lord in Advent.

Both Gaudete and Laetare are imperatives. Gaudete is the second person plural imperative of gaudeo. Laetare is the second person singular imperative of laetor, which is a deponent verb and therefore passive in form while active in meaning. The apparent resemblance of laetare to an infinitive is “cosmetic” rather than grammatical. The Latin verb laeto exists, but it is not operative in the Introit. The laetare form belongs to laetor and functions fully as an imperative.

The names of these Sundays derive from the opening word of the Introit antiphon. Gaudete Sunday takes its name from Philippians 4:4, where St. Paul writes, “Gaudete in Domino semper; iterum dico, gaudete … Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.” (Phil 4:4). The Latin corresponds directly to the Greek χαίρετε in the same verse. Laetare Sunday receives its title from Isaiah 66:10, which in the Roman chant tradition opens, “Lætáre, Ierúsalem, et convéntum fácite, omnes qui dilígitis eam … Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her” (Is 66:10). The underlying Hebrew reads, “שִׂמְחוּ אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַם וְגִילוּ בָהּ כָּל־אֹהֲבֶיהָ,” which is rendered accurately as “Rejoice with Jerusalem, and be glad for her, all you who love her”.

The Vulgate text of Isaiah, however, reads, “Laetamini cum Ierusalem, et exultate in ea omnes qui diligitis eam” (Is 66:10). The Introit chant’s Laetare, Ierusalem reflects an older Latin stratum influenced by the Septuagint tradition in use before Jerome’s final Vulgate recension. This feature of the Introit is a small but clear indicator of the antiquity of the Roman chant corpus and its complex textual history.

We find other examples of this in the Roman Church’s chants.  For example, on the Sunday after Easter we sing Quasimodo geniti infantes which is from the Vetus Latina rather than Jerome’s Sicut modo geniti infantes.   At Easter time we sing Sicut cervus desiderat ad fontes which reflects the older, Vetus Latina, whereas Jerome went with Quemadmodum desiderat cervus ad fontes.   That quemadmodum doesn’t exactly flow trippingly, does it.

The point is this: the mens of Roman liturgical use is to preserve.  The Roman Thing… the Romanitas … that is the breath and heartbeat of Roman liturgical use seeks to hand on what it has received.  Only over great spans of time are adjustments made.  Since in this year much attention is given to The Lord of the Rings, recall what Gimli said about the Glittering Caves of Aglarond.  Ut brevis, I’ll write about that in another post.

No substantial semantic distinction separates gaudeo and laetor in this liturgical usage. Classical and ecclesiastical Latin employ both verbs for joy, delight, and gladness, with overlapping ranges of meaning. Any finer distinctions belong more properly to context than to morphology. In Philippians, the Apostle grounds joy in the nearness of the Lord and the peace that follows trustful prayer: “Dominus prope est” (Phil 4:5). In Isaiah, joy arises from restored worship and the abundance that flows from fidelity to the Lord’s covenant, including consolation, nourishment, and peace portrayed in maternal imagery (Is 66:11–13).

The tonal difference between the two Sundays flows from their seasons. Advent’s joy is vigilant and forward-looking, shaped by expectation and proximity. Lent’s joy is restrained and interior, ordered toward endurance and hope in the midst of discipline. These differences arise from biblical context, seasonal theology, and the structure of the Mass itself rather than from the grammatical form of Gaudete or Laetare. The imperatives serve the liturgy by summoning the faithful into a joy that is real, ecclesial, and situated within the Church’s pilgrimage toward her great feasts.