Third Sunday in Advent: Joy

This message invites us into a profound shift in understanding the gifts of Advent—hope, peace, and joy—not as burdens we must manufacture within ourselves, but as divine gifts given from outside of us. We're reminded that Advent is traditionally a penitential season of preparation, a darker time that makes Christmas morning sweeter. The pink candle on the third Sunday represents a unique moment of joy breaking through the somber reflection. The beautiful account of Mary visiting Elizabeth reveals something transformative: when Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, she immediately recognized Mary's child as her Lord, and even John the Baptist leaped for joy in the womb. The crucial question emerges—how did they know? How did they experience this joy? Not through their own effort or determination, but because the Holy Spirit gave it to them. We often exhaust ourselves trying to conjure up hope during hardship, manufacture peace amid chaos, or force joy when our hearts are heavy. We tell ourselves 'I need to have more hope' or 'this will be a Christmas of peace,' only to feel like failures when circumstances don't change. But this message liberates us from that burden. Joy, hope, and peace aren't achievements we earn or emotions we generate—they're gifts Christ gives us from the outside in. Like children simply receiving presents, we're called to receive what God offers rather than striving to create it ourselves.