Dear Parishioners,

Most of us go through our lives in some kind of darkness. Some are crippled with jealousy or possessiveness. Some nurse deep anger. In some of us, our hidden stress manifests itself in physical diseases. Others are constantly worried that even the small aches and pains they suffer are going to be fatal. Many of us are driven to pessimism and feelings of hopelessness, because we see disaster looming everywhere. At this time of year (life), our days are shorter and our nights are longer and we feel that sunshine is beyond our experience.

This week, the Gospel speaks about joy, which seemed "an impossible joy" for Mary and Elizabeth. The joy begins here with two great women in impossible circumstances. One was barren and past child bearing years. God provides a child despite her age and physical condition. The child would be the last prophet, heralding the fulfillment of God's promise to send the Messiah. The other was a virgin and yet God conceived in her a child without the help of a man. And the child would be the foundation of a new covenant, the Messiah that God had long ago promised.

Both pregnancies were impossible. They were miraculous and were part of God's gift of salvation. God's gifts brought, among many other emotions, joy to their recipients. The joyful movement or 'leaping' of the baby in Elizabeth's womb stands out in the Gospel reading. God is making clear here that it is God who brings new things into the world. God loved the world so much that the world could experience Jesus: Jesus is indeed the promised Messiah, who brings joy to the world.

Joy is a gift of God: It is, according to Scripture, a fruit of the Spirit. Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, was filled with joy. The child, John, was miraculously filled with joy. Mary rejoiced at what God was doing and said, "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior." The joy is something that God brings about in the lives of those who are open, available and obedient to God. In the words of St. Augustine "Without God, human cannot and without human, God will not."

Joy is usually accompanied by challenges: Joy never reaches us completely unadulterated. It is always mixed with adversity, struggle, and difficulty. To truly understand joy one has to understand sorrow. That's true here, too. Mary certainly knew the joy of being used by God. But she also knew, more than likely, a degree of social stigma. Yet she willingly followed God's call and was obedient to God. Sometimes God calls us to do things that we never would imagine would bring joy into our lives. To know joy we too have to be willing to sacrifice, obey and submit ourselves to God as Mary did.

Joy is something we share: Neither Mary nor Elizabeth could contain the joy they felt. Both had to share it with one another. And ultimately they would have to share it with the world. The same is true of us. The joy we know is a joy we share. In fact, much of the buying and selling that occurs at Christmas time fosters gift-giving (the giving tree, dinner box, etc.), good works, joy and the affirmation of family ties. The spirit of sharing doubles our joy.

I hope our joy is deeper than the joy we know with family and friends. And if this seems impossible, just remember the words of Angel Gabriel to Mary: "For nothing will be impossible with God." And that is my prayer for all of us this Christmas: that we will all know an impossible joy, which only God can bring.

God bless us all!

Father Lawrence