Third Sunday in Advent 2023

Think Pink    

The season of Advent is the beginning of the Church’s liturgical year. We see the priest wearing purple vestments. We light the purple candles of the Advent wreath. We hear the readings of the ancient prophets to be alert and to always be ready with enough oil in our lamps to greet the bridegroom when He arrives. Now is the time for us to stop and prepare the way for the coming of our Lord.

Sometimes hearing these readings can cause anxiety and fear in many people. We witness the tornadoes and raging storms that cause much damage and the loss of lives. Let’s face it – hearing today’s news makes us wonder if we are nearing the end of the world. We begin to question and worry – Is this the time for the second coming of Jesus?

But then we reach the third week of Advent and light the pink candle, the priest wears pink vestments and we begin to hear a glimmer of hope in our readings and the Gospel. Amid the despairing conditions of the times, even the prophets spoke about hope to the Israelites. God’s message to His people has always been one of hope. He tells us throughout the ages that He will always be with us – in the good, bad, happy, sad, and depressing times. He is there in our darkest moments to guide and protect us.

My prayer this Advent is that we may always feel the presence of God in our lives. No matter how dark our lives may seem, God is the guiding force, and there is always hope for a better future. May we find the inner strength and courage to find the beauty and goodness of everyone we meet.       

How do we change the things in our lives to help us see the possibilities for changing the world around us? We can start this third week of Advent and – THINK PINK!