Joy literally floods the Scripture readings today! Christian Joy can only be felt in the Spirit, for it is the Spirit that brings true Joy into the world. The 'miracle baby' John the Baptist 'leapt for Joy' in his mother's womb when he sensed the nearness of the Messiah - the Saviour of the World! Today he prepares the ordinary Jewish fold, those on the fringes of society - soldiers, tax collectors and others, to respond to the coming of the Lord through a Change in their lifestyle! They will be the ones, who in the Gospel, will respond positively to Jesus - the sinner, the centurion, the widow, the stranger, the prostitute, the blind, the deaf and lame, the poor!! The Church needs to be open to the fact that "goodness" can be found beyond the people of God.

"Lord Jesus come" (Maranatha) is an ancient Christian prayer (1 Cor. 16:22; Rev. 22:20) which Paul uses to encourage the first Christians, a prayer that brings God's peace that surpasses all understanding and beyond the power of the mind to grasp or accomplish. Together let us rejoice, like Mary and Elizabeth and John the Baptist with the simple, the poor and the lowly, and welcome the Lord of the Universe, born for us!