Zephaniah 3.14-18/ Isaiah12.2,4,5,6/ Philippians 4.4-7/ Luke 3:10-18
We are now on the third Sunday of Advent. Let us all together acknowledge the guidance of the Holy Spirit for enabling us to reach today`s Sunday of Joy during Advent Season. We lit the third candle that symbolizes the joy of Christians despite many realities in the world. We are to celebrate, again, in just more than a week time the birth of Jesus in the world and in our hearts. Perhaps, this Sunday`s readings have simple advice/s for us. A joyful Christian knows how to smile despite life`s difficulties. We can talk about family relationships, unemployment, health, and interestingly maybe about situations and things we think are missing in our lives that are causing us not to be joyful. However, even if one of us cannot manage to smile and cannot be joyful, Christmas day will definitely come, and people will surely celebrate.
We still have the message of John the Baptist about sharing. It is love/generosity to help others in need, John the Baptist says. Be honest and just too, and be satisfied with what we have, he (John) adds. Indeed, joyful Christian is generous/loving.
We still have about more than a week remaining to prepare. We still have something to reflect about the story of Mary & Elizabeth. We may wonder if there is such a thing as “sad Christian.” If one of us considers oneself as one, he/she must urgently re-Christianize himself/herself.