Friends, today is Gaudete Sunday. It is a command to rejoice, for Jesus has made us rich through his entrance into poverty. We are reminded both by Pope Francis and the Gospel reading that we must reach out to those on the periphery, suffering from poverty—whether economic, political, or existential—just as Christ has done for us. Our sin caves us in our ourselves, but through Christ, we are liberated to reach out in love to God and our neighbor. We can rejoice because the Messiah has come to wrap us in a mantle of justice and a robe of salvation.