Third Sunday of Advent

What shall we do?

What shall we do when you’re frustrated and discouraged with horrible news?

That’s how I felt this past week as I’m watching the news and I was constantly bombarded with horrible news: inflation, politics, a new state of emergency declared here in New York State!

Which means beginning on Monday we have to wear our masks in indoor public places including here in church.

Then, worst of all yesterday I woke up to the news of the deadly tornado in Kentucky. By the way let’s offer this mass today for those who died and the first responders who are on the scene right now.

So, what shall we do?

Well this is what I did. I looked for Good News. I got on my computer and googled the keywords, “NEWS – DELIVERING – JOY” and this story wonderful story about a boy named Jesston Oblinski from Edinboro, Pennsylvania was at the top of the results.

What shall we do when you’re turning 5 years old and because of COVID you can’t have a birthday party?

That was little Jesston’s dilemma last year. So, he took matters into his own hands and did something about it.

He asked everybody to send him cards for his birthday. So everybody did and he received hundreds of cards in the mail. He realized how excited it made him feel to get hundreds of cards in the mail for his birthday for his birthday and how happy he felt.

Jessten then decided he wanted others to feel the same kind of happiness. So, he and his mother made cards and letters and delivered them to neighbors.

Now 6 years old he has been delivering homemade parcels of joy to people in Edinboro for the past year and a half. His mom made him a cute little postal service uniform and the local post office gave him a mailbag!

Jesston has been called the “Pipsqueak Mailman.” I would argue that he is also a “Pipsqueak John the Baptist”!

He is preparing the world for the coming of Jesus during a challenging time like the one we’re in right now because of COVID by spreading JOY and GOOD NEWS.

That is what this weekend, The Third Sunday of Advent, is all about. We call this Sunday Gaudete Sunday. Gaudete is Latin for JOY. We wait for Christ to come into this world to bring us JOY and while we wait we must share that JOY with others.

But that’s tough when you feel you’re overwhelmed by horrible news.

I’m willing to bet that most of us, if not all of all us feel at least a little bit worn down by the events of our world and our country. We’re beaten down by the pandemic. Maybe something is going on in our personal lives that’s bringing us down.

What shall we do?

Well, follow the lead of a “Pipsaqueak Mailman” from Edninboro, Pennsylvania and be a John the Baptist today - look for Good News that brings you Joy and then turn around and spread the Good News!

Here is a link to this article about Jesston.

Here is the link to this Sunday's readings.