In the Temple in Jerusalem, Jesus was about “my Father’s business” yet he humbly and obediently went back home with them to their family home in Nazareth.

“They worshiped as a family and with their faith community. And they did so faithfully. We can take their example to heart by making Sunday Mass attendance a priority for our families, by making prayer with our family a priority every day, by making sure that we regularly celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation, and by observing in our family life the great feasts. When we, as families, prioritize our Time with God and worship of Him we will be imitating the Holy Family” (catholicsteward.com/holyfamily).

O COME, O COME Emmanuel: We are on our final week of the Journey to Bethlehem. We are in the village of Ein Karem, 5 miles to the west of Jerusalem, the home town of Zechariah and Elizabeth.

When Mary said to the Angel Gabriel at her home in Nazareth “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord! May it be done to me according to your word,” she became the Mother of God, and she immediately dropped everything and went to Ein Karem to visit Elizabeth, who was also expecting. Mary, our Mother, brings Jesus to us.

This is the Third Sunday of Advent, and is also known as GAUDETE Sunday. Rose is the Color of this weekend. Rose and purple are also the colors of our sunrises and sunsets in these shortest days. We are past the half-way point of Advent. We REJOICE in The Lord Jesus! For Jesus IS Coming Soon “Exhorting them in many other ways, John preached good news to the people.” We are over half-way to Bethlehem.

We continue our yearly Advent Pilgrimage to Bethlehem today.

On our journey of hope, we meet John the Baptist and he tells us how to really celebrate to the fullest this first “coming” on the feast of Christmas and how to prepare for the second coming: through sincere repentance.

A voice of one crying out in the desert: “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths.