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The Third Sunday of Advent
Seeking joy...
Oh how I want to shout for joy and sing joyfully. I genuinely do want to be glad, free from anxiety and not discouraged, just as the first two readings of the day invite us to, but it is difficult this Advent. After wrestling with all the reasons not to be joyful, it became apparent that if there were to be any joy, it would result from a decision to seek it. It was not just going to happen.
My mother often used the Italian phrase “fate coraggio,” which means “have courage.” She had it inscribed on my brother's gravestone, a time that required great courage from her. She also had a phase that, in our youth, was not appreciated by my five siblings or me. That phrase was, “Life is what you make it.” Today, we understand what she meant about living with courage and making a good life. Were she here today, she would have encouraged us to embrace the joy of the season despite worries and fears.
This past week, I participated in faith-sharing groups focused on Advent. During the gatherings, the focus moved from the joyful anticipation of Advent to worrying about friends and others in groups that stand to be targeted and marginalized in the coming months and years. There were no answers to how we might be agents of change except to commit to living more lovingly with the world—those we cherish and those we cannot understand.
In this week’s reflections offered through Richard Rohr’s Center for Action and Contemplation, Victoria Loorz says, “ I offer…a relevant metaphor for our time, yet rooted in a forgotten tradition: Christ as Conversation. Imagine how different life would be right now if Christianity could become a place for sacred conversation: a place to explore possibilities, express doubts, disagree, and encourage voices on the edges.”
Victoria Loorz's words offer ideas for being agents of change. She calls us to have the courage to start a conversation with our family, friends, pastors, or within our other circles of influence.
If crystal balls were real, we might know that while there will be challenges, things will be fine. All will work out. We will return to a society of civility and working for the common good. However, there are no crystal balls, so it is up to us to discern where God is calling us at this time of deep polarization and fear for so many.
Sometimes it takes courage to seek joy and it certainly takes faith. In these final days of Advent let us find and create joy. Light the lights, decorate the trees, bake the cookies and play the music of the season. As John the Baptist says in today's gospel, "One mightier than I is coming," and in the end, that is what we are celebrating.
Joy is often spontaneous but also sometimes a choice. In these final days of Advent, let us pray to find ways to live joyfully.
Peace,
Anne
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