3rd Sunday of Advent

Yesterday was the coldest day we've had so far - 8 degrees during the day. Even the locals had their heavy coats, scarves and hats on. I was shivering the whole day through. My small "hot air fan" isn't quite enough to warm up my room.

Anyway the forecast is continuous cold weather this week, the highest is 9 degrees and the lowest will be 7 degrees. Mt. Hermon is snowing now ... heavy snow too. But there's no rain in our parts though. I wonder how the orphans at the St Vincent de Paul convent and in Nablus are doing. I hope they have enough heating. They might need the chemical heating pads you guys brought last year .... hope they're enough.

Talk about warmth: most of you would have put up the Christmas tree by now. It always creates a sense of warmth around the house. Let's go beyond the compulsory (tacky) ornaments and see some symbolic meaning behind each thing: what does the tree represent this Christmas? What do the lights represent? And each of the ornaments - the glass baubles, the ribbons etc.... what do they symbolise? Put your imagination into high gear! Put Christ back into Christmas!

Today being the 3rd Sunday of Advent, we get a rare reading from the prophet Zephaniah (he's read only once every 3 years in Advent). Zephaniah expresses the great expectation of God's coming. The Letter to the Philippians adds the note of joy. The Gospel of Luke speaks about John the Baptist's ministry .... he's the one who opens the road for God's coming as the Messiah.