In this passage, Joseph is defined as an “upright man.” He was reluctant to take Mary and the child into his home not because he believed his wife to be an adulteress, but because he considered himself upright. The Gospel overturns this mentality, typical of religious people of all times, namely: to consider God’s gift… Read more »
John the Baptist, the greatest of the prophets, has doubts and asks: “Are you the one who is to come?” John, a man of the Old Testament, was formed in that school in which God is not only the God of the living, but also of the dead, in the sense that he can also… Read more »
John the Baptist, the point of transition from the Old to the New Testaments, from religion to faith, invites us to welcome that love which has now become a Presence alongside us, because love–a gift–can only be received. It is not something to be understood, studied or learned. It is a presence to be welcomed… Read more »
They did not know…. Life is a practice of attention. The drama is to live unconsciously–passively, routinely–in such a way that inattentiveness becomes the principal feature of one’s existence. In the end, the “flood”–biological death–will touch everyone and will submerge those who always lived as though dead because while death cannot touch the living, it… Read more »
Race Along the Paths of the World Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste (Lk. 1:39). Perhaps you too have found yourself racing to joyously welcome a special person without thinking about the obstacles in your way. The heart does not stop when faced with possible bottlenecks and steep ascents… Read more »
GIVE THE BEST OF YOURSELF Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none (Lk. 3:11). Perhaps you too have tried to find the nicest gift possible for a person who is particularly close to your heart: a special, unique, original gift–in short, one that is worthy of the situation and… Read more »
Perhaps you too are searching for the profound meaning of history, of the events that you are living, of the persons you meet, of the paths you are following, of the emotions you feel, of the contradictions you endure, of the future you dream about. The Gospel of this Second Sunday of Advent offers us …
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Perhaps you too have gone through times when you have felt heavy-hearted, weighed down by sadness, pain or disappointment, or else tossed about by worry, fatigue or the lack of profound relationships that give meaning and a future to life. When one’s heart is weighed down, it hurts! If we are heavy-hearted, then we are…
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Becoming Small so as To Welcome God’s Greatness The next step on our journey toward Christmas is to enter the mystery of “smallness”–a paradox because only those who are small are able to welcome the greatness of God. The Eternal One makes himself small: he whom the whole universe cannot contain takes on flesh and… Read more »
Allowing His Mystery To Shine Through Having reached the halfway point on our journey toward Christmas, we now celebrate the day on which we view every event from the perspective of joy. But if hope does not shine through that joy, then it is sterile folly. “Rejoice!” This exhortation is an important part of the… Read more »
