The 3^rd Sunday of Advent is referred to as Gaudete Sunday, as we move closer to Christmas, anticipating the joy and celebration of the birth of Jesus, the new Adam. The readings for this Sunday (Isaiah 61:1-2A, 6-7; Responsorial Psalm – Luke 1:46-50, 53-54, 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24, and John 1:6-8, 19-28) call upon us to embrace and rejoice in the Spirit of the Lord. What does that look like? How do you know when you’re embracing and rejoicing in the Spirit of the Lord?

In the Gospel, John the Baptist is asked by priests and Levites, “Who are you?” (John 1:22). Part of John’s response is, “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, ‘make straight the way of the Lord,’” (John 1:23). Reflecting on John’s response, what do you imagine it was like for him? How would you respond to the question, “Who are you?” In what ways would your response be the same or different depending on who asks the question?

What’s it like to ponder that the same God who created John and inspired his words and actions, desires to do the same for all of us?

Continuing to consider this, in what places or situations do you desire your words and actions to be influenced more by God? What are the places or situations where you experience peace, joy, and a sense that your desire and God’s are united?

Prayer: Gracious and merciful Lord, over the course of the next few weeks, with all the busyness of the Advent and Christmas Season, help us to be open to your inspiration and to cooperate with the glue that is your Grace, so that we might discover that there is joy in each moment.

“Man is born broken; he lives by mending. The grace of God is the glue.” – Eugene O’Neill