THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT

READINGS

“Be joyful always; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) This Sunday is the third Sunday of Advent and it is usually referred to as “Rejoice Sunday”, a day that reminds us to be grateful, to be thankful, to be joyful about life, about our blessings, about the goodness of the Lord. Researchers have found that people who focus daily on what they are grateful for, significantly feel better about their lives, are much happier, have increased goodwill towards others, have better hours of sleep at night, feel more refreshed upon awakening, and are more optimistic about the future than those who focus on hassles and resentment. To be thankful, even for little things is an attitude that changes lives. Today is a new day! This is a new Christmas! We can choose to be angry for what we do not have, and for everything that may be going wrong right now, or to be thankful for what we have, speak more favors into our lives, and let God do the rest. Today, eighty six thousand, four hundred seconds have been deposited into our life bank, using some of it to say “Thank your Lord!” may not be a bad idea.