I feel 'heartened'--hopeful. I don't know if 'heartened' is a proper word but it is the opposite of 'disheartened' so to me it means hopeful. With the feeling of heartened, my heart is full of joyful anticipation. Physically, it is almost beating out of my chest. It's like when I look forward to being with my Special One or going to a special event. I felt this way when I went to Midnight Mass in Barcelona several years ago: it was a memorable Mass and the joy of it stays with me to this day.

As I think of the Roman political era in which John the Baptist lived, I am not surprised that he felt a need to go off to the desert and address life with a different perspective. As I think of our US possibly beginning a war with Iraq, This reading invites me to live from a different perspective, an Advent perspective, a longing for peace. The seeds of war must not find root within my heart.

I hear that I, too, am called to testify to the light, "am the voice of one crying out in the desert." And I feel peaceful, because "in my God is the joy of my soul."

I hear: There is much that I cannot see, and the blindness prevents me from participating in the rejoicing.

I heard 'rejoice' in the first three readings and then I heard John baptised in water and I still hear 'rejoice'--rejoicing in baptism which brings us out of the darkness into new life.

Just a reminder...

Movement one: What did I hear?
Movement two: How did I feel?
Movement three: What am I to do?
Movement four: How shall I pray?

Next Sunday, December 15, 2002 is the Third Sunday of Advent

Here are the readings.

The Gospel is John 1:6-8,19-28