This Third Week of Advent, known as Gaudete Sunday, we are rejoicing because of the anticipation of the long-awaited Messiah. Advent, a season of preparation, is coming to an end, and Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior will be coming into the world just as the Scriptures foretold. We need to continue to prepare for His arrival in our hearts, minds, and actions.

When everyone seems to be moving forward except you, comparison, envy, and jealousy can creep into our minds and hearts. How do we cope with these very real human experiences without acting on our feelings? 

Francis knew he couldn’t live the way the Lord asked and still remain part of the social structure. The only way he saw to accomplish this other way of living was to commit to a life of voluntary poverty – what he called non-possession. When Francis started his order of brotherhood, he told his brothers: “We do not want to possess anything in this world.”

Joy has an elusive quality about it. Intuitively, we know that there is more to joy than a happy moment in time, but we find it difficult to explain and even more difficult to attain.