Throughout the Infancy Narrative, we hear almost nothing about the things that Jesus did or said. Most of the time, we learn something about Him from the actions and words of other people and in the few events of the narrative. But from the beginning, at the Annunciation, for example, the angel Gabriel revealed Jesus as the Son of God (Lk. 1:35). At His baptism, a voice from heaven says: This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased. (Lk. 3:22) And in the Gospel v.49, Jesus refers to God as His Father. The finding of the lost Jesus in the Temple is the only event that breaks the silence of Scriptures about the childhood of Jesus. About the mystery of His total consecration to the mission that flows from His divine Sonship. (CCC, 534)

At first glance, we can often find the image of the Blessed Mother, St. Joseph and the Christ Child intimidating — who are we to aspire to that level of discipleship? How could we ever hope to conform ourselves to that mold? Sometimes, it can even be painful — perhaps we hail from a broken family or struggle with a broken relationship within our family, or perhaps we long to be a mother or a father ourselves and that state in life has eluded us.

The last Sunday of Advent Gospel before Christmas describes the scene of the 2nd Joyful Mystery, The Visitation. Elizabeth seeing her cousin, blessed with the gift of knowing Mary’s motherhood of the Son of God: cries in a loud voice: Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. (Lk. 1:41-42) She should not have been able to proclaim this event; because she does not fully comprehend what happened. The Holy Spirit fills Elizabeth’s heart with joy; the nearness of the baby in the womb of Mary made it possible for the child in her womb to leap for joy at the presence of the mother of God.

The third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete Sunday” or the “Sunday of Joy.” The pink candle in the advent wreath is lit today as a symbol of joyful anticipation of the coming of Christ in glory and commemoration of his first coming in Bethlehem on Christmas Day.

Depending on how your mood is today, the words of Paul will hit you differently. “Rejoice always,” he tells us. Well, if your football team is poised to win this weekend or next, maybe you’re really feeling this vibe. But if you’ve got a long slog at work ahead of you this week and a to-do list that only seems to grow and never shrink, it may make you grumble. “Rejoice always? Always? When I’m tired? Cranky? When I’m sick of doing and giving? Thanks, Paul. I’ll be sure to scribble that phrase on a Post-It and stick it to my dashboard for when some entitled punk inevitably cuts me off on tomorrow’s morning commute.”

In Lk. 3: 1-6, we hear of John the Baptist proclaims a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, coming from the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths.” What are the road blocks in our journey to God’s heart?