Advent 3: Joy!
Advent 3: Joy
The meeting of Elizabeth and Mary exudes joy (Luke 1:39-55). Mary even proclaims the beautiful words: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”
There is joy we often experience at Christmas time: joy in our stories, our singing, our gift giving and even our eating! All sorts of traditions and interactions that reveal mercy and joy across the generations, just as Mary and Elizabeth meet across the generations to prepare for Jesus’ birth. A reflection based on their encounter of how we open ourselves to the joy God intends this Christmas.
The sermon concludes with a deeper dive too into the reality that family relations are often complex and are in need of mercy.
The photo (which we’ve used before is from Our Lady of Mt. Carmel‘s website.)