Peace to everyone,
Today, the 3rd Sunday of Advent, our focus is about “JOY” that celebrates Gaudete Sunday (a Latin word that means REJOICE). We see JOY on Christmas cards, in shopping mall signage, and oversized letters on front lawns, yet if we were asked to define “JOY”, we might be tempted to refer to a dictionary.
Jesus is the reason we “rejoice”. He is the Incarnation of God, the light that came into the world. His light remains with us even today, through the Holy Eucharist (his Real Presence) and through the Church (where he remains with us, his Mystical Body).
As His Church, we await this Light to grow into its fullness when He comes again in his glorious reign.
In today’s message, I offer three brief examples to help us better recognize “JOY” within our own lives, as we patiently wait for Christmas to arrive -- That moment when God, our Savior, enters human history to defeat sin and restore our eternal relationship with God, our Father.
A blessed, and joyous Christmas to all, and a faith-filled New Year in 2020.