Third Sunday of Advent
December 11, 2022
In these days of Advent we prepare ourselves for the incarnation of the Lord, for a celebration of his coming among us as the word made flesh. On this Sunday in particular we “rejoice in the Lord.” “to attain the joys of so great a salvation.”
As our beloved Pope Emeritus once declared, “where is the source of Christian joy to be found if not in the Eucharist, which Christ left us as spiritual food while we are pilgrims on this earth?”
For each time you receive Holy Communion, you receive Christ himself, united to him like branches to a vine, and he remains in you as you remain in him. His love enters into your heart and your life that you might love others as he has first loved you.
Thus, in Holy Communion with the Lord we come to know perfect joy, “the joy of love and the joy to be loved.” As Mother Teresa once wrote: “The coming of Jesus at Bethlehem brought joy to the world and to every human heart. The same Jesus comes again and again in our hearts during Holy Communion. He wants to give the same joy and peace. May his coming this Christmas bring to each one of us that peace and joy that he desires to give. Let us pray much for this grace of peace and joy in our own heart, in our communities, in our Society, and in the Church.”