14 December. 3rd Sunday of Advent. A  Fr Pius began his homily. “This 3rd Sunday of Advent is usually an occasion for joy, which does come in a variety of forms. We have just celebrated the feast of St Lucy, maybe not a very great or important saint, but surely healing the blind and the broken-hearted, as described by the prophet Isaiah, are Good News and an occasion for rejoicing. Do people with disabilities and their families who are responsible to care for them look for healing and change, or for better things, for strength to cope with the reality, and acceptance with compassionate love?  At this time of good will can we be more conscious and supportive of the needs of such families and so bring joy to them and to ourselves too. Remember that far too many accidents happen around this time, leaving many people permanently disabled.  God forbid that any of us should be the cause of that.  

Reflect, share, scripture:   Jesus said, “go back and tell John what you see, the blind see again and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear and the dead are raised to life and the Good News is proclaimed to the poor; and happy is the man who does not lose faith in me. Matt 11:3-4    Pope Francis: The larger family should provide love and support to teenage mothers, children without parents, persons with disabilities needing particular affection and closeness, young people struggling with addiction , the unmarried, separated or widowed who are alone and the elders and infirm who lack the support of their children. This wider family can help to make up for the shortcomings of parents and provide wholesome love and family stability to cases where parents prove to be incapable of this. AL 197. Jubilee:  The Christian community should be at the forefront in pointing out the need for a social covenant to support and foster hope, working for a future filled with the laughter of babies and children, in order to fill the empty cradles in so many parts of our world. All of us, however, need to recover the joy of living, since men and women, created in the image and likeness of God (cf. Gen 1:26), cannot rest content with getting along one day at a time, settling for the here and now and seeking fulfilment in material realities alone. SNC 9.  Act and Pray for action on each one’s part to search for the joy of living in our day to day lives.