Last Sunday at PSR a group of our adult parishioners were enjoying a cup of coffee and a donut at our Sunday morning café when our PSR principal came walking down the hall with an armful of zip lock bags and a bale of straw. Karen asked us if we could fill the plastic bags with straw for Bambinelli Sunday and with some hesitation they agreed. The task of filling 250 zip lock bags with straw didn’t seem like the most enjoyable way to spend a Sunday morning after church, but we started filling the bags as we laughed and joked with one another.
The straw was going into those little bags slowly but surely as time went by. We were joined by our high school PSR students. Then we were joined by our 6th grade class along with their teachers. The room that started with five people was suddenly shoulder to shoulder with people pitching in to help. We filled those 250 zip lock bags with straw in no time at all.
On this third Sunday of Advent, we celebrate joy! We have so many reasons to be joyful. The PSR students were a source of joy for me that morning because they represented a much bigger picture. I can not count the number of times the good people of our parish have been there for me and my family to share our good times and lift us up in the worst of times. That alone is a reason to be joyful. I believe that most of us can recall a time when someone in our parish family has touched your life in a positive way. We have faced many challenges these past several years, but Jesus has graced us with a multitude of reasons to be joyful. May we continue to give of our time, talent, and treasure with a joyful heart in response to the joy that we receive in our relationship with Jesus Christ.
Advent Blessings,
Deacon John