This season of Advent is known as one of “Joyful expectation.”

In the Church we name the third Sunday of Advent as Gaudete Sunday or “Joyful Sunday” as our waiting for the Savior is almost at an end. 
The joy that we highlight this week is the joy that we experience in knowing God is near.

Although we know this is a joyful season many people struggle to find joy at Christmas. This is because we, as individuals and as a culture, confuse joy with “feeling good”. As a culture we are inundated with ads that encourage us to feel good all the time and amass everything/anything it takes to make our lives happier. The truth the advertisers do not share is, no amount of material items, comforts or conveniences can compensate for a lack of joy people experience at the core of their being,  deep in their soul. The source of our joy is not in what we have, rather it lies in “Emmanuel,” the name which means “God is with us” (Matt. 1:23).

• If we do not allow God to enter our lives we cannot experience the pure joy we receive from being a channel of His peace and love to others.
• If we do not allow God to shape who we are by His teachings of love, we will spend a lifetime searching for the answers that we can only find in our hearts.
• If we do not understand and acknowledge that joy is produced from God’s action in our lives we will never have ordered harmony and joy in our lives.

God’s spirit is always leading us into deeper communion with each other and with Him. His spirit moves us from slavery to freedom, from darkness to light, from unrest to harmony. God is always forming us to become more perfect in love.

When we allow God into our hearts and lives joy is the result!

Know that you are in our prayers in a special way this Advent season…
Andrea, Liza, Marianne and Mary-Jo

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