The Third Sunday in Lent is named Gaudete Sunday, or the Sunday of Rejoicing. Since Christmas is now near, the Church wants the people of God to rejoice. Soon we will be in the presence of the Child Jesus and we will lift our hearts and sing the famous song, "Joy to the World." But in this happy period many people struggle with sadness. Their lives have been affected by events that do not match the beautiful season of Our Lord’s birth. Kate DiCamillo has written a beautiful story about a man with such a life, struggling during the season of the Nativity. She tells the Christian message of loving others when they are in distress in this compassionate picture book entitled "Great Joy."
The week before Christmas, a poor organ grinder and his pet monkey appear on a street corner. In the cold and snow, the organ grinder plays his music while the monkey holds out a cap for tips. No matter what the man plays, there is a continual quality of sadness in the music. Most people hurry by the older, poorly dressed musician. A young girl named Frances and her well dressed mother see the old man and his monkey attempting to earn a few coins on the cold street corner. The child is moved with pity for the poor man’s plight and asks her mother where he sleeps during the night. The mother brushes her daughter’s question aside and says that everyone goes somewhere each night and to not be concerned about it. She needs to hem Frances’ dress for the Christmas play and has little time to worry about organ grinders and monkeys. This dress is for Frances’s role as an angel in the Nativity Play. But Frances is so moved by the plight of the old man that she stays awake all night looking through the snow and cold to see where he goes. Much to her shock, she sees that he is sleeping on the street. As her family is hurrying the next day to get to church for the Christmas play, Frances sees the old man and invites him to the play. The child tells the impoverished musician that she only has one line in the play, but he is welcome to come and hear it. At the church the play begins with the angels walking onto the stage but the beautifully attired Frances looks out in the audience and simply can’t say her one line. As everyone waits breathlessly, the back door opens. A smile then spreads across Frances’s face and she throws open her arms and powerfully shouts her line.
What message does Frances proclaim? Who has walked in the back door? Why is compassion always at the center of the Nativity? Have you ever helped someone desperately in need of help? Why were your actions based on the heart of the Gospel? Finally, how does this little girl bring the message of Christ’s Birth to everyone? To find out, go to the library and check out this touching picture book, "Great Joy" by Kate DiCamillo.
Kate DiCamillo is a compassionate writer with many fine novels to her credit. Her stories are filled with charity and courage, and her characters are memorable. The illustrations are filled with the tenderness a child would feel for the afflicted. They are simply beautiful. When you see Frances announce her line, you will be filled with the spirit of Gaudete Sunday. You too will rejoice!
