There’s a lot of joy and rejoicing going on in the Gospel of Luke. The angel’s announcement of the coming birth of John the Baptist to his father Zechariah included the words: “You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.”

It’s pretty much impossible not to talk about Christmas at this point. Tomorrow evening begins the cycle of liturgies celebrating the day we’ve eagerly anticipated. For two weeks Jesus has been absent from the gospel stories, as if waiting in the wings to make a grand entrance at the close of the season.

A DAY or so after my mother died, my sister- and brother-in-law appeared at my door with a pecan pie. For the next couple of hours, we sat in the kitchen, ate pie, drank tea, and shared memories of our mothers. I was genuinely moved and grateful for their thoughtfulness (pecan pie is a favorite), kindness, and gift of time.

To purify and free our hearts, we turn to God’s mercy.

In the Gospel of Luke the Holy Spirit seems to be filling people all over the place. At the announcement of the coming of Jesus, the angel Gabriel told Mary, “The holy Spirit will come upon you.”

Most of our lives are made up not of big, dramatic events but little, ordinary ones-many of which seem hard to connect to faith. The things of everyday life, though, can lead you to holiness if you do them with an awareness of the presence of God.

Elizabeth was the first to hear the voice but her son John was the first to feel the effects of grace. —Saint Ambrose of Milan (340-397)