# Sharing our joy: the third sunday of advent
*2016-12-10*

> Bill Young reflects on the nature of joy during the third Sunday of Advent, emphasizing the importance of supporting those who feel lonely or lost during the holiday season.

## A message of hope for the lost

I want to start today by responding to a comment from someone calling themselves 'the little drummer.' They wrote, 'I am lost. I have lost my way utterly. Please mercy my God help me now.' To the little drummer, I want to say that we have all been through what you are feeling right now. We all get lost, but hopefully, like the prodigal son, we come back to our Lord and love our Lord Jesus.

What helped me come back was prayer. Prayer is a very powerful thing. Pray daily if you can, or as often as you can, especially if you feel down, lonely, or abandoned. In my early 20s, I felt very lost, but the Lord brought me back. Sometimes we don't even know how it happens, but we return, and what we thought was the worst thing in our lives is gone. Have faith in God; He loves you and knows everything we go through. God carries us even through the tough times. There is no perfect life on the way to heaven; God didn't make it that way, and we don't make it that way for ourselves. But He is there for us in the good times and the bad, whether we are far from Him or close.

## The nature of joyful waiting

Today is the third Sunday of Advent, and our theme is sharing our joy. The scripture tells us: 'Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. The Lord is near' (Philippians 4:4-5). 

Reading from Father Henry J.M. Newnham, we are reminded that this is Gaudete Sunday—the Sunday to rejoice. We are joyful now because we know the Lord will come. Our expectation leads to joy, and that joy creates a desire to give to others. Real joy always wants to be shared; it is in the nature of joy to communicate itself and invite others to take part in the gifts we have received. Advent is indeed a time of joyful waiting and joyful giving.

## Remembering the lonely

While the period before Christmas is marked by a quality of joy that touches almost everyone in society, Advent is also a time of deep loneliness for some. During this season, many people struggle with severe depression or feel the urge to commit suicide. Those with hope feel joy, but those without hope feel more depressed than ever, thrown back into a loneliness of despair.

Even when we are surrounded by a loving and supportive community, we must not forget our lonely moments, because it does not take much for that loneliness to reappear. If we can remember loneliness during our joy, we can better remember joy during our loneliness. This makes us stronger to face our own struggles and better equipped to help others face theirs. Our meditation today is to ask how we might be more attentive to those who are lonely and sad, offering a bit of Christ's joy to them.

## Prayers and intentions

In our daily consecration to Mary, we offer our prayers, actions, and sacrifices for the good of souls and the coming of the kingdom of Jesus. This month, following Pope Francis, I am praying for child soldiers—a heartbreaking reality that still exists in many African countries and around the world. I also pray specifically for my new friend, the little drummer, that he may return to our Lord, and I pray for my son.

I also want to mention a tweet I made regarding some comments about Pope Francis on SNL. I suggested that people try to have a positive look at the Pope and his commitments to stopping hunger, addressing global warming, and ending the use of child soldiers. We believe in the Old Testament and the New Testament, and we believe in the Lord. May all those who may not like us, or who make fun of us, feel the joy of God's love and realize it comes from our Lord Jesus Christ.

*True joy is found not only in our own celebration but in our ability to remember and reach out to those experiencing loneliness and despair.*