Today is third Sunday of Advent, a day traditionally known as “Gaudete Sunday” in the Catholic Church. The word, “gaudete” means “rejoice” in Latin. This morning many of us at my parish watched on Zoom as one of our priests lit the rose-colored candle surrounding the Advent wreath. I didn’t set out to illustrate today’s theme of rejoicing or joy by wearing my Santa sweatshirt. I actually was playing the role of a Santa’s Helper and decided to dress the part. But I saw how joy play out in a lovely way. You see after the virtual Mass I was helping to distribute Christmas cheer in the form of gift cards from some very generous friends to community members many of whom were already struggling to make ends meet before the pandemic made life even more challenging. While mask wearing made it impossible to see smiles today, I can tell you that I heard the smiles in people’s voices. It definitely brightened up what had been a rather gray and stormy day. #findingjoyduringalockdown #SantasHelper #SelfPortraitSundays #iPadPro #ApplePencil #Procreate https://www.instagram.com/p/CIw2mXhHNTs/?igshid=q063gjknriru