As a bi-vocational priest and chaplain, I encounter countless people each week. One of the things I have noticed in recent years is a growing lack of joy in people's lives. What is joy? Is it a feeling? An attitude? An emotion? Is it something we discover or find in life? Is it temporary or permanent? Is it internal or external? Is it possible that it's all of the above? Today's psalm reveals some answers.

When it was written, things were not going well for Moses. He knew something was missing in the lives of God's people, and he knew what it was: JOY! Moses, being a man of God, knew what to do: He went to the Lord in prayer. He boldly reminded the Lord that He was a God filled with unfailing love for His children. Moses then asked God to show His unfailing love, compassion, and pity. Moses knew only God could restore the joy of their salvation and the blessings that repentance brings.

Friends, we are reminded of that joy in this third week of Advent. Often, hearts once filled with joy are empty because of sin and separation from God. When joy seems to be missing from your heart, take a thorough self-inventory and, if need be, repent. Then seek God's forgiveness and reclaim the fullness of joy in His presence.

Onward And Upward + Fr. Greg