Advent begins the church year with our happiest season. Hope is alive, anticipation is keen, and the world around us puts on a festival of lights, music, and storytelling.

Are we waiting in joyful hope, or just watching the clock? Patience is one of those virtues that are in short supply in a society in a hurry to get what it wants.

Consider John the Baptist for a moment: What a résumé! Luke alleges that John’s kinship with Jesus is biological. That alone is worth some bragging rights.

As I bounced in the back of a truck along a dirt road into the wilderness, I was indeed going to see people dressed in fine clothing.

"If you have nothing good to say about anybody, come sit next to me" is a delicious twist on an old proverb attributed to Alice Roosevelt Longworth.

As we prepare to celebrate the coming of love, let us acknowledge our failures and ask the Lord for forgiveness.

No believer in Christ, no institution of the church, can avoid this supreme duty: to proclaim Christ to all peoples.

Browse our library for additional Third Sunday of Advent, Cycle A material.