To love is a virtue, to be loved is joy.

Roman Rite

Third Sunday of Advent - Year A - "Gaudete" Sunday, December 14, 2025

Is 35.1-6.8.10; Ps 146; Jas 5: 7-10; Mt 11.2-11

The Sunday of Joy

Ambrosian Rite

5th Sunday of Advent

Mi 5.1. Ml 3.1-5a.6-7b; Gal 3.23-28; Jn 1.6-8.15-18

John the Baptist, the Witness of Truth and Love.

 

1) The joy of a near meeting.

      On this third Sunday, also called Sunday of Joy and hope for the imminent coming of the Redeemer, the liturgy invites us to rejoice because the prophecies are coming true: the Messiah who is about to be born is truly the announced Son of God. Christmas is near and Christ, source of love and joy, is born to save us and make us live in truth, love and peace.

      The "gospel", that is the "good and happy news", is an announcement of joy for all the people. The Church is not a refuge for sad people; the Church is the house of joy because it is the house of charity. Even those who are sad find in it joy, true joy, the joy of being loved.

      Pope Francis writes in Evangelii Gaudium: " The joy of the gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness. With Christ joy is constantly born anew.

      The great danger in today’s world, pervaded by consumerism, is the desolation and anguish born of a complacent yet covetous heart, the feverish pursuit of frivolous pleasures, and a blunted conscience. Whenever our interior life becomes caught up in its own interests and concerns, there is no longer room for others, no place for the poor. God’s voice is no longer heard, the quiet joy of his love is no longer felt, and the desire to do good fades. This is a very real danger for believers too. Many fall prey to it, and end up resentful, angry and listless. That is no way to live a dignified and fulfilled life".

      Of course, that of the Gospel is not just any joy. The joy of the gospel finds its reason in knowing that we are welcomed and loved by God. As the prophet Isaiah reminds us today, God is the one who comes to save us and gives help especially to those who are loss of heart. His coming among us strengthens, gives courage, makes exult and bloom the desert and the steppe that is our life when it becomes arid. This true joy also remains during trials because it is not a superficial joy but descends into the depths of the person who entrusts himself to God and trusts in Him. True joy does not come from things, from having. No! It is born from the encounter and the relationship with others; it is born from feeling accepted, understood and loved and from accepting, understanding and loving. This not for the sake of a moment, but because the other is a person. "Joy comes from the gratuitousness of an encounter" (Pope Francis)

 

 

2)The joy of the gift of charity

 

      The aim of Advent is to prepare the Christians for Christmas because Jesus comes where He is waited, desired and loved.

      This waiting that must be lived with” vigilance” and” discernment” (see the previous Sundays of Advent) and must be done with” joy” because it is the coming of the God of Everlasting Joy, is imminent.

      With Christmas approaching, this Sunday’s liturgy invites us to joy. The images and the descriptions of the first reading engage all (and us as well) in the waiting for something beautiful done by the Lord, who is the leading character and intervenes in history to become the Way that his people can and must follow to return home.

      God never leaves us alone, delivers us from fear, anxiety and doubts, enters our history, comes to our home carrying peace and becomes safe journey for our steps. Men’s life is healed by Him: the blinds see, the mutes speak, the desert blooms and “the road will be called holy” (see the first reading Is 35:8).

      In this we find the key to understand Christmas: Christmas is hope and joy. Imitate our children who wait for the gifts with joyful hope. They are the symbol of the waiting that is satisfied and fills with joy: it is the joy that comes from the knowledge to be loved because Christ is given to us.

     This gift allows us to understanding that joy is not just human and terrestrial, it is a spiritual one as we are remembered by the antiphony of the Introit of today’s liturgy: Gaudete in Domino (let’s rejoice in the Lord). If we rejoice in the Lord, we’ll find true joy. There is a spiritual joy that has as object not the love for created things, but for God. This spiritual joy comes not from us, but from the Holy Spirit. This level of joy is a supernatural one, deep and lasting. Spiritual joy depends on God’s love and divine charity. This kind of joy is not fragile like human joy, but it is strong, sure, always reliable and steadfast.

     The liturgy of the 3^rd Sunday of Advent in the Roman Rite offers us the possibility to experiment supernatural joy. How? Saint Paul says: “Rejoice in the Lord because the Lord is near.” As we experiment joy when we are with the loved one, we can rejoice now because in two week’s time the “beloved of my heart” will come, as the spouse in the Song of Songs proclaims. He will exit as bridegroom from the thalamus, the bridal chamber, and will come to live among us. 

     There is another reason for spiritual joy: our participation to divine goodness. No participation would be possible if God did not take the initiative building a bridge to fill the abyss that separates man from God.  In the Incarnation, the Son of God took upon our human nature to allow us to participate in his life of divine charity, now and forever.  This is the reason for the greatest joy: the Beloved of our heart is near; he comes to live with us and allows us to be with him now and for eternity.

     It is beautiful indeed when there is human joy, but sometimes it is accompanied by sadness too. Lord’s joy lasts forever.

 

 

2)Precursor and martyr of Joy

 

      True joy, the one of the hearts, and the one which lasts forever is the encounter with the Lord. John the Baptist has come to the complete and everlasting encounter with the Lord through the great love of martyrdom. For this reason, the liturgy of the 3rd Sunday of Advent proposes the figure and the example of the Precursor of Love. 

      When Jesus went on the banks of the Jordan River to be baptized, this man who had voluntarily exiled himself to the desert where he could hear the Voice of the Word, recognized Him and said: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.” He was full of joy because his Friend had arrived. In prison, the involuntary desert where he has been confined, John wants to know if Jesus is the long-awaited Friend and asks his disciple to enquire by Christ: “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Jesus says to them in reply “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blinds regain their sight, the lames walk, 
lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” And the Baptist, the one wo in his mother’s womb had jumped with joy for the presence of Jesus in Mary’s womb, the one who went ahead (Precursor) of Christ to prepare the road for the Way, didn’t take offense at Him, accepted martyrdom and became the first martyr(= the first witness) of the charity of the Redeemer. As in the reading from Isaiah, Jesus talks about something that is happening or has already happened: the blinds that see, the mutes that speak and the sick people that are healed are the sign that the kingdom of God is already among us and not something that has still to come. It is a fact that is present. In the darkness of a prison John the Baptist saw the Light, and his death was the dramatic crevice through which he could come into Light.

       We are called to participate to this event with the perseverance that comforts the heart. In the second reading taken from Saint James’ letter, we found the invitation to be of the same mood as the farmer who doesn’t look at what he is doing but why he does it. The farmer is confident that the seed that has been buried and looked after with perseverance will bear fruit when the time comes. We too must wait for the right time and take care with the perspective of a good greater but not immediate and get ready for it.

       In his prison John the Baptist got a proof of faith that purified him and took him closer to God’s heart. Inspired by God, he had announced the coming of the Messiah. The Messiah had indeed come into the world. However, God had reserved a space for novelty and freedom that John did not know; in fact, the Messiah was not precisely as John was expecting. That is why John asks, “Are you the one who is coming, or should we wait for someone else?”. Jesus’ answer creates a new space for John’s faith “the poor have the good news proclaimed to them and blessed be the one who takes no offense at me.” John did not take offense at him but bent his head, gave it up because God’s thoughts are not man’s thoughts (“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways” Isaiah 55:8), and believed.

       Those who start their journey in search of God are in for some surprise: God will never be as they expect him to be. This is the reason why God can be met only in the humility of faith, letting us to be guided by Him along roads that we cannot imagine. This was for John and this is for us. He was a martyr who lived in joy because he was sure of the presence of the Redeemer in his and his people’s life.

      The consecrated Virgins - through their vocation to virginity - are called to a martyrdom (testimony) that is like the one of the Precursor who knew how to become small to let Christ grow (see Jh 3; 30). Their complete belonging to Christ through undivided love testifies that life is happy and fecund (see Rite of the Consecration of the Virgins) when all our being, body and soul, is at the service of the love that nothing wants for him and that donates all in joy. With spousal attitude they remain caste beside Christ and with him they live the passion to attract to the truth their brothers and sisters in humanity.

 

 

 

Spiritual Reading                                                    Saint Thomas of Aquinas                                        Summa Theologica part II-II Question # 28                                                Whether joy is affected in us by charity?   Ojection 1: It would seem that joy is not effected in us by charity. For the absence of what we love causes sorrow rather than joy. But God, Whom we love by charity, is absent from us, so long as we are in this state of life, since "while we are in the body, we are absent from the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:6). Therefore charity causes sorrow in us rather than joy. Objection 2: Further, it is chiefly through charity that we merit happiness. Now mourning, which pertains to sorrow, is reckoned among those things whereby we merit happiness, according to Mat. 5:5: "Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted." Therefore sorrow, rather than joy, is an effect of charity. Objection 3: Further, charity is a virtue distinct from hope, as shown. Now joy is the effect of hope, according to Rom. 12:12: "Rejoicing in hope." Therefore, it is not the effect of charity. On the contrary, It is written (Rom. 5:5): "The charity of God is poured forth in our hearts by the Holy Ghost, Who is given to us." But joy is caused in us by the Holy Ghost according to Rom. 14:17: "The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but justice and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost." Therefore, charity is a cause of joy. I answer that, As stated above, when we were treating of the passions, joy and sorrow proceed from love, but in contrary ways. For joy is caused by love, either through the presence of the thing loved, or because the proper good of the thing loved exists and endures in it; and the latter is the case chiefly in the love of benevolence, whereby a man rejoices in the well-being of his friend, though he be absent. On the other hand sorrow arises from love, either through the absence of the thing loved, or because the loved object to which we wish well, is deprived of its good or afflicted with some evil. Now charity is love of God, Whose good is unchangeable, since He is His goodness, and from the very fact that He is loved, He is in those who love Him by His most excellent effect, according to 1 Jn.4:16: "He that abideth in charity, abideth in God, and God in him." Therefore, spiritual joy, which is about God, is caused by charity. Reply to Objection 1: So long as we are in the body, we are said to be "absent from the Lord," in comparison with that presence whereby He is present to some by the vision of "sight"; wherefore the Apostle goes on to say (2 Cor. 5:6): "For we walk by faith and not by sight." Nevertheless, even in this life, He is present to those who love Him, by the indwelling of His grace. Reply to Objection 2: The mourning that merits happiness, is about those things that are contrary to happiness. Wherefore it amounts to the same that charity causes this mourning, and this spiritual joy about God, since to rejoice in a certain good amount to the same as to grieve for things that are contrary to it. Reply to Objection 3: There can be spiritual joy about God in two ways. First, when we rejoice in the Divine good considered in itself; secondly, when we rejoice in the Divine good as participated by us. The former joy is the better, and proceeds from charity chiefly: while the latter joy proceeds from hope also, whereby we look forward to enjoy the Divine good, although this enjoyment itself, whether perfect or imperfect, is obtained according to the measure of one's charity.

 

 

Aimer c’est une vertu, être aimés c’est le bonheur

Rite romain :

 3^ème dimanche de l’Avent : Année A – Dimanche du « Gaudete » , 14 décembre 2025

Is. 35,1-6.8.10 ; Jc. 5,7-10 ; Mt 11,2-11

Dimanche de la joie

Rite ambrosien : 5^ème dimanche de l’Avent

Ml 5,1. Ml 3,1-5a.6-7b ; Gal. 3,23-28 ; Jn 1,6-8.15-18

Jean-Baptiste, témoin de la vérité et de l’amour

 

1) La joie d'une rencontre proche.

En ce troisième dimanche,  appelé aussi dimanche de la joie et de l'espérance pour la venue imminente du Rédempteur, la liturgie nous invite à nous réjouir, car les prophéties sont en train de se réaliser: le Messie qui va naître est, vraiment le Fils de Dieu annoncé. Noël approche et le Christ, source d'amour et de joie, est va naitre pour nous sauver et nous faire vivre dans la vérité, dans l'amour et dans la paix.

L '"évangile", c'est-à-dire la "bonne et heureuse nouvelle", est une annonce de joie pour tout le monde et l'Église n'est pas un refuge pour des gens tristes. L'Église est la maison de la joie parce qu'elle est la maison de la charité. Et même ceux qui sont tristes y trouvent la joie, la vraie joie, la joie d'être aimé.

Le pape François écrit dans Evangelii Gaudium: «La joie de l'Évangile remplit le cœur et toute la vie de ceux qui rencontrent Jésus. Ceux qui se laissent sauver par lui sont libérés du péché, de la tristesse, du vide intérieur, de l'isolement. Avec Jésus-Christ, la joie naît et renaît toujours.

Le grand risque du monde actuel, avec son offre de consommation multiple et oppressante, est une tristesse individualiste qui jaillit du cœur confortable et avare, de la recherche malade des plaisirs superficiels, de la conscience isolée. Lorsque la vie intérieure se ferme dans ses propres intérêts, il n'y a plus de place pour les autres, les pauvres n'entrent plus, la voix de Dieu n'est plus entendue, la douce joie de son amour n'est plus appréciée, l'enthousiasme de fais le bien. Même les croyants courent ce risque. Beaucoup y tombent et deviennent des gens irrités, mécontents et sans vie ".

Bien sûr, celle de l'Évangile n'est pas n'importe quelle joie. La joie de l'Évangile trouve sa raison de le fait de faire experience que nous sommes accueillis et aimés par Dieu.

Comme le prophète Isaïe nous le rappelle aujourd'hui, Dieu est celui qui vient nous sauver, et il aide surtout ceux qui ont perdu leur cœur. Sa venue parmi nous nous donne rend forts, nous rend stable, nous donne du courage, nous fait rèjouir  et fait fleurir le désert et la steppe, c'est-à-dire notre vie quand elle devient aride. Et cette vraie joie reste aussi dans l'épreuve, car ce n'est pas une joie superficielle, mais elle descend dans les profondeurs de la personne qui se confie à Dieu et qui se confie en Lui. La vraie joie ne vient pas des choses, de l'avoir. D'une part, elle nait de la rencontre, de la relation avec les autres, nait de notre experience d'être accepté, compris, aimé et accepté. D'autre part, elle nait quand nous comprenons et aimons compris et aimé,  et ce pas pour un instant, mais parce que l'au

 

            2) La joie du don de charité

L’Avent a pour but de préparer les chrétiens, à Noël, parce que le Christ vient là où il est attendu, désiré et aimé.
Cette attente, qu’il faut vivre avec « vigilance » et « discernement » (cf. les précédents dimanches de l’Avent), doit se faire « dans la « joie » parce que la venue du Dieu de la joie qui ne finit jamais est imminente.

Alors que la fête de Noël approche, la liturgie de la messe de ce dimanche nous invite à la joie : dans la première lecture, les images et les descriptions entraînent toute chose et tout le monde – y compris nous-mêmes – dans l’attente de quelque chose de beau de la part du Seigneur qui en est le protagoniste et qui intervient dans l’histoire pour devenir lui-même la route que son peuple peut et doit parcourir pour rentrer chez lui.

Dieu ne nous laisse jamais seuls, il nous libère de nos peurs, de nos angoisses, de nos doutes, il entre dans notre histoire, il vient chez nous, en apportant la paix et en se faisant chemin sûr sous nos pas. Par lui, la vie des hommes est guérie : les aveugles voient, les sourds entendent, les muets parlent, le désert refleurit et ce chemin, « on l’appellera la voie sacrée » (cf. Première lecture, Is. 35,8).

Nous avons là la clé de lecture de Noël : Noël est espérance et joie. Suivons l’exemple de nos enfants qui attendent les cadeaux dans une joyeuse espérance : ils sont le symbole de l’attente, qui est satisfaite, qui remplit de joie : c’est la joie qui vient de l’expérience d’être aimé, parce que Jésus nous est donné.

Ce don de l’autre monde nous fait comprendre que la joie chrétienne n’est pas seulement humaine, terrestre : elle est spirituelle, comme nous le rappelle le début de l’antienne de l’Introït de ce dimanche : Gaudete in Domino (Réjouissez-vous dans le Seigneur). Si nous nous réjouissons dans le Seigneur, nous trouverons la vraie joie. Il existe donc une joie spirituelle qui a pour objet l’amour non pas des choses créées, mais de Dieu. Cette joie spirituelle ne vient pas de nous, mais de l’Esprit-Saint. À ce niveau, la joie est surnaturelle, profonde, durable. La joie spirituelle dépend de l’amour de Dieu, de la charité divine. Cette joie-là n’est pas fragile comme la joie humaine ; elle est forte, certaine, toujours fiable, inébranlable. 

En ce troisième dimanche de l’Avent « romain », la liturgie nous offre la possibilité de faire l’expérience de la joie surnaturelle. Comment cela ? Saint Paul dit : « Réjouissez-vous dans le Seigneur car il est proche ». De même que nous éprouvons de la joie lorsque nous nous trouvons en présence de la personne aimée, ainsi nous avons de quoi nous réjouir, précisément parce que, dans deux semaines, « le bien-aimé de notre cœur » viendra, comme le dit l’épouse du Cantique des cantiques. Il sortira comme l’époux de son enclos, de la chambre nuptiale et viendra habiter au milieu de nous.  

Il y a un autre motif à la joie spirituelle : c’est notre participation à la bonté de Dieu. Mais aucune participation à Dieu ne serait possible si Dieu lui-même n’en avait pris l’initiative en bâtissant un pont pour combler l’abîme qui sépare l’homme de Dieu. Dans l’Incarnation, le Fils de Dieu a pris sur lui notre nature humaine, précisément pour nous donner la possibilité de participer à sa vie de charité divine, maintenant et à jamais. Voilà le motif de la plus grande joie qui soit : le bien-aimé de notre cœur est proche : il vient pour rester avec nous pour toujours et nous permet de demeurer avec lui, maintenant et à jamais.

La joie humaine est vraiment très belle, mais très souvent elle est mêlée à de la tristesse. La joie dans le Seigneur, elle, ne diminue jamais.

 

3) Le précurseur et martyr de la joie

La joie véritable, celle du cœur, celle qui dure toujours, est la rencontre avec le Seigneur. Jean-Baptiste est parvenu à la rencontre pleine et définitive avec le Seigneur, à travers le grand amour du martyre. C’est pourquoi le troisième dimanche de l’Avent nous propose la figure et l’exemple du précurseur de l’amour.

Lorsque Jésus est allé sur les bords du Jourdain pour se faire baptiser, cet homme qui s’était retiré volontairement dans le désert, où il était la voix de la Parole, a reconnu Jésus et a dit de lui : « Voici l’Agneau de Dieu, qui enlève le péché du monde ». Et il a certainement été joyeux, parce que l’Ami était là. Mais une fois en prison, ce désert où il avait été mis malgré lui, Jean veut savoir si Jésus est l’Ami tant attendu et il demande à ses disciples d’interroger le Christ : « Es-tu celui qui doit venir ou devons-nous en attendre un autre ? » Jésus leur répondit : « Allez rapporter à Jean ce que vous entendez et voyez : les aveugles voient et les boiteux marchent, les lépreux sont purifiés et les sourds entendent, les morts ressuscitent et la Bonne nouvelle est annoncée aux pauvres ; et heureux celui qui ne trébuchera pas à cause de moi ! ». Et le Baptiste, lui qui, dans l’obscurité du sein de sa mère Elisabeth, avait tressailli de joie en présence de Jésus dans le sein de Marie, lui qui courait devant le Christ (Précurseur signifie « celui qui court en avant ») pour préparer la route de la Voie, ne s’est pas scandalisé, mais il a accepté le martyre en devenant le protomartyr (c’est-à-dire le premier témoin) de la charité du Sauveur. Comme Isaïe autrefois, dans la première lecture, Jésus dit que quelque chose est déjà en train de se produire ou est déjà arrivé : les aveugles qui retrouvent la vue, les muets qui parlent, les malades qui sont guéris sont le signe que le Royaume de Dieu est déjà présent au milieu de nous, que ce n’est pas quelque chose qui doit encore advenir. C’est un fait présent. Dans l’obscurité d’une prison, le Baptiste a entrevu la lumière et sa mort a été la fissure dramatique qui l’a fait entrer dans la lumière.

Et nous sommes appelés à participer à cet événement, avec la constance qui réconforte le cœur. La seconde lecture, de la Lettre de saint Jacques, est une invitation à se mettre dans l’état d’esprit de l’agriculteur, qui ne regarde pas ce qu’il est en train de faire, mais le but dans lequel il travaille. Ce paysan a confiance que la semence qu’il a été mise en terre et dont on s’occupe avec constance, donnera son fruit en temps voulu. Nous aussi, nous devons savoir attendre le bon moment, nous devons savoir attendre et prendre soin des choses dans la perspective d’un bien plus grand, mais non immédiat, auquel nous devons nous préparer. 

Dans sa prison, Jean le Baptiste a eu une épreuve de foi qui l’a purifié et l’a rapproché davantage encore du cœur de Dieu. En effet, inspiré par Dieu, Jean avait annoncé la venue du Messie. Le Messie était réellement venu dans le monde. Mais comme toujours, Dieu s’était réservé un espace de nouveauté et de liberté que Jean ne connaissait pas : « la Bonne nouvelle est annoncée aux pauvres ; et heureux celui qui ne trébuchera pas à cause de moi ! ». Jean n’a pas trébuché, mais il a incliné la tête, il a renoncé à sa tête parce que les pensées de Dieu ne sont pas celles de l’homme (« Vos pensées ne sont pas mes pensées, et mes voies ne sont pas vos voies » (Is. 55,8), et il a cru.

Celui qui se met en chemin à la recherche de Dieu doit toujours s’attendre à quelque surprise : Dieu ne sera jamais comme nous nous y attendons ; c’est pourquoi on ne rencontre Dieu que dans l’humilité de la foi, en se laissant conduire par lui sur des voies que nous ne pouvons imaginer. Il en a été ainsi pour Jean, il en est de même pour chacun de nous. Il a été martyr et il a vécu dans la joie, parce qu’il était certain de la présence du Sauveur dans sa vie et dans celle de son peuple.

Les vierges consacrées sont appelées, à travers leur vocation à la virginité, à un martyre (c’est-à-dire un témoignage) semblable à celui du Précurseur, qui a su diminuer pour laisser grandir le Christ (cf. Jn 3,30). Leur appartenance totale au Christ à travers un amour indivisible témoigne que la vie est joyeuse et féconde (cf. Rite de la consécration des vierges, n.36 : Envoi), lorsque tout notre être, âme et corps, est au service de l’amour qui ne veut rien pour soi et qui donne tout dans la joie. Dans une attitude sponsale, elles restent chastement auprès du Christ et elles partagent avec lui la passion d’attirer à la vérité leurs frères et sœurs en humanité.

Lecture spirituelle

 Saint Thomas d’Aquin

Somme théologique IIa-IIae

Question 28. 

La joie

Il faut maintenant étudier les effets qui découlent de l'acte principal de la charité, qui est la dilection : d'abord les effets intérieurs, qui sont la joie (Q. 28), la paix (Q. 29) et la miséricorde (Q. 30), ensuite les effets extérieurs (Q. 31-33)

 

ARTICLE 1: La joie est-elle un effet de la charité? 

Objections:

1. Il ne semble pas, car l'absence de ce qu'on aime produit de la tristesse plutôt que de la joie. Mais Dieu, que nous aimons par la charité, est loin de nous, tant que nous sommes en cette vie. Comme dit S. Paul (2 Co 5, 6): " Aussi longtemps que nous sommes dans notre corps, nous sommes loin du Seigneur. " Donc la charité produit en nous de la tristesse plutôt que de la joie. 

2. C'est surtout par la charité que nous méritons la béatitude. Mais parmi ce qui nous obtient ce résultat, on doit compter les larmes, selon cette parole en S. Matthieu (5, 5): Bienheureux ceux qui pleurent, car ils seront consolés. " Or les larmes expriment la tristesse. Celle-ci est donc plus que la joie un effet de la charité. 

3. La charité, on l'a montré, est une vertu distincte de l'espérance. Or c'est de cette vertu que procède la joie selon S. Paul (Rm 12, 12): " Soyez joyeux dans l'espérance. " La joie n'est donc pas un effet de la charité. 

En sens contraire, pour S. Paul (Rm 5, 5), " l'amour de Dieu a été répandu dans nos cœurs par l'Esprit Saint qui nous a été donné ". Or la joie est produite en nous par cet Esprit, selon une autre parole de l'Apôtre (Rm 14, 17): " Le règne de Dieu n'est pas affaire de nourriture et de boisson, il est justice, paix et joie dans l'Esprit. " Par conséquent la charité aussi est cause de joie. 

Réponse: 

Comme nous l'avons dit en traitant des passions, et la joie et la tristesse procèdent de l'amour, mais pour des motifs opposés. La joie est causée par l'amour, ou bien parce que celui que nous aimons est présent, ou bien encore parce que lui-même est en possession de son bien propre, et le conserve. Ce second motif concerne surtout l'amour de bienveillance qui nous rend joyeux du bien-être de notre ami, même en son absence. - A l'opposé, l'amour engendre la tristesse, soit parce que celui qu'on aime est absent, soit encore parce que celui à qui nous voulons du bien est privé de son bien ou accablé de quelque mal. 

Or, par la charité, c'est Dieu qu'on aime, Dieu dont le bien est immuable, puisqu'il est en personne son propre bien. Et du seul fait qu’il est aimé, il est dans celui qu'il aime par le plus noble de ses effets, selon la parole de S. Jean (1 Jn 4, 16): " Celui qui demeure dans la charité, demeure en Dieu, et Dieu demeure en lui. " C'est pourquoi la joie spirituelle qui vient de Dieu est causée par la charité. 

Solutions:

1. Aussi longtemps que nous habitons ce corps, on dit que nous sommes loin du Seigneur, si l'on nous compare à ceux qui sont en sa présence et jouissent ainsi de sa vision; car, déclare également S. Paul au même endroit, " nous cheminons dans la foi et non dans la claire vision ". Mais Dieu, même en cette vie, est présent à ceux qui l'aiment, par la grâce qui le fait habiter en eux. 

2. Les larmes qui méritent la béatitude viennent de ce qui s'oppose à celle-ci. C'est donc pour la même raison que ces larmes et la joie spirituelle de Dieu proviennent de la charité; car c'est pour une même raison qu'on se réjouit d'un bien, et qu'on s'attriste de ce qui s'y oppose. 

3. La joie spirituelle qui a Dieu pour objet peut avoir deux formes, suivant qu'on se réjouit du bien divin en lui-même, ou de ce même bien pour autant qu'on y participe. La première de ces joies est la meilleure et a sa source primordiale dans la charité; mais une seconde joie provient aussi de l'espérance, par laquelle nous attendons de jouir du bien divin. Toutefois, même cette jouissance parfaite ou imparfaite ne sera obtenue qu'à proportion de notre charité. 

 

Amare è una virtù, essere amati è la felicità

Rito Romano

3ª Domenica di Avvento  –  Anno A –  Domenica “Gaudete”, 14 dicembre 2025

Is 35,1-6.8.10; Gc 5,7-10; Mt 11,2-11

La domenica della Gioia

Rito Ambrosiano

5ª Domenica di Avvento

MI 5,1. Ml 3,1-5a.6-7b; Gal 3,23-28; Gv 1,6-8.15-18

Giovanni Battista, il Testimone della Verità e dell’Amore.

 

1) La gioia di un incontro vicino.

In questa terza domenica, detta anche domenica della Gioia e della speranza per l'imminente venuta del Redentore, la liturgia ci invita a rallegrarci, perché le profezie si stanno avverando: il Messia che sta per nascere è veramente il Figlio di Dio annunciato. Il Natale è vicino e Cristo, sorgente di amore e di gioia, nasce per salvarci e farci vivere nella verità, nell'amore e nella pace.

Il "vangelo", cioè "buona e lieta notizia", è un annuncio di gioia per tutto il popolo; la Chiesa non è un rifugio per gente triste, la Chiesa è la casa della gioia perchè la casa della carità. E anche coloro che sono tristi trovano in essa la gioia, la vera gioia, la gioia di essere amati.

Scrive papa Francesco nell'Evangelii Gaudium: "La gioia del Vangelo riempie il cuore e la vita intera di coloro che si incontrano con Gesù. Coloro che si lasciano salvare da Lui sono liberati dal peccato, dalla tristezza, dal vuoto interiore, dall'isolamento. Con Gesù Cristo sempre nasce e rinasce la gioia.

Il grande rischio del mondo attuale, con la sua molteplice ed opprimente offerta di consumo, è una tristezza individualista che scaturisce dal cuore comodo e avaro, dalla ricerca malata di piaceri superficiali, dalla coscienza isolata. Quando la vita interiore si chiude nei propri interessi non vi è più spazio per gli altri, non entrano più i poveri, non si ascolta più la voce di Dio, non si gode più della dolce gioia del suo amore, non palpita l'entusiasmo di fare il bene. Anche i credenti corrono questo rischio. Molti vi cadono e si trasformano in persone risentite, scontente, senza vita".

Certo, quella del Vangelo non è una gioia qualsiasi. La gioia del vangelo trova la sua ragione nel sapersi accolti e amati da Dio. Come ci ricorda oggi il profeta Isaia, Dio è colui che viene a salvarci, e presta soccorso specialmente agli smarriti di cuore. La sua venuta in mezzo a noi irrobustisce, rende saldi, dona coraggio, fa esultare e fiorire il deserto e la steppa, cioè la nostra vita quando diventa arida. E questa gioia vera rimane anche nella prova, perché non è una gioia superficiale, ma scende nel profondo della persona che si affida a Dio e confida in Lui.La vera gioia non viene dalle cose, dall’avere, no! Nasce dall’incontro, dalla relazione con gli altri, nasce dal sentirsi accettati, compresi, amati e dall’accettare, dal comprendere e dall’amare; e questo non per l’interesse di un momento, ma perché l’altro, l’altra è una persona. "La gioia nasce dalla gratuità di un incontro” (Papa Francesco)

 

2)      La gioia del dono di carità.

Lo scopo dell’Avvento è di preparare noi cristiani al Natale, perché Cristo viene dove è atteso, desiderato e amato.

            Questa attesa, che va vissuta con “vigilanza” e“discernimento” (cfr le precedenti domeniche di Avvento),  deve essere nella “gioia”, perché la venuta del Dio della Gioia che non finisce mai è imminente.

            Quando la festa del Natale si fa più vicina, la Liturgia della Messa di questa domenica ci offre un invito alla gioia: nella prima lettura, le immagini e le descrizioni coinvolgono tutto e tutti -noi compresi- nell’attesa di qualcosa di bello da parte del Signore, che ne è protagonista e che interviene nella storia per farsi Strada, che il Suo popolo può e deve percorrere per tornare a casa.

            Dio non ci lascia mai soli, ci libera da paure, ansie, dubbi, entra nella nostra storia, viene in casa nostra, portando pace e divenendo cammino sicuro ai nostri passi.  La vita degli uomini è da lui guarita: i ciechi vedono, i sordi odono, i muti parlano, il deserto fiorisce e la strada si chiamerà via santa (cfr prima lettura: Is. 35, 8).

            In questo troviamo la chiave di lettura del Natale: il Natale è speranza e gioia. Prendiamo esempio dai nostri bambini che attendono i doni con gioiosa speranza: sono il simbolo dell’attesa, che viene soddisfatta, che riempie di gioia: la gioia che viene dall’esperienza di essere amati, perché ci è donato Gesù.

            Questo dono dell’altro mondo, ci fa capire che la gioia cristiana non è solo umana, terrestre: è spirituale, come ci ricorda già l’inizio della antifona dell’Introito di questa Domenica: Gaudete in Domino (=Gioite nel Signore). Se ci rallegriamo nel Signore, troveremo la vera gioia. Esiste una gioia spirituale, dunque, che ha come oggetto l’amore non di cose create, ma di Dio.  Questa gioia spirituale viene non da noi stessi, ma dallo Spirito Santo.  La gioia a questo livello è soprannaturale, profonda, duratura. La gioia spirituale dipende dall’amore di Dio, dalla carità divina.  Questo tipo di gioia non è fragile come la gioia umana, ma forte, sicura, sempre affidabile, incrollabile.

            Oggi, terza Domenica di Avvento “romano”, la liturgia ci offre la possibilità di sperimentare la gioia soprannaturale. In che senso? San Paolo dice: “Gioite nel Signore, perché il Signore è vicino”.  Come sperimentiamo la gioia quando ci troviamo alla presenza della persona amata, così abbiamo di che gioire, proprio perché fra due settimane verrà “l’amato del mio cuore”, come dice la sposa nel Cantico dei Cantici. Lui uscirà come sposo dal talamo, dalla stanza nuziale e verrà per abitare in mezzo a noi.

            C’è un altro motivo per la gioia spirituale: la nostra partecipazione alla bontà divina. Ma nessuna partecipazione in Dio sarebbe mai possibile, se Dio stesso non avesse preso l’iniziativa, costruendo un ponte per colmare l’abisso che separa l’uomo da Dio.  Nell’Incarnazione, il Figlio di Dio ha preso su di sé la nostra natura umana, proprio per darci la possibilità di partecipare alla sua vita di carità divina, ora e per sempre. Ecco il motivo per la più grande gioia possibile: l’Amato del nostro cuore è vicino: viene per stare con noi sempre e ci permette di stare con lui, ora e sempre.

            Quando c’è la gioia umana è davvero molto bella, ma molto spesso è mescolata con la tristezza.  La gioia nel Signore, invece, non viene mai meno.

           

3) Il Precursore e martire della Gioia.

La gioia vera, quella del cuore, quella che dura sempre è l’incontro con il Signore. Giovanni Battista è arrivato all’incontro pieno e definitivo con il Signore, attraverso l’amore grande del martirio. Per questo la III domenica di Avvento ci propone la figura e l’esempio del Precursore dell’Amore.

            Quando Gesù andò sulle rive del Giordano per farsi battezzare, quest’uomo che si era ritirato volontariamente nel deserto, da dove era la Voce della Parola, riconobbe Cristo e di Lui disse: “Ecco l’Agnello di Dio, che toglie i peccati del mondo”. E, certamente fu pieno di gioia, perché l’Amico era arrivato. Ora, in prigione, involontario deserto dove era stato messo, Giovanni vuole sapere se Gesù è l’Amico tanto atteso e chiede ai suoi discepoli di domandare a Cristo: «Sei tu colui che deve venire o dobbiamo aspettare un altro?». E Gesù rispose loro: «Andate e riferite a Giovanni ciò che udite e vedete: I ciechi riacquistano la vista, gli zoppi camminano, i lebbrosi sono purificati, i sordi odono, i morti risuscitano, ai poveri è annunciato il Vangelo. E beato è colui che non trova in me motivo di scandalo!». E il Battista,  colui che nell’oscurità del grembo di sua madre Elisabetta aveva sussultato di gioia alla presenza di Gesù nel grembo di Maria, colui che correva davanti (Precursore = colui che corre davanti) a Cristo per preparare la strada alla Via, non si scandalizzò, anzi accettò il martirio e divenne il protomartire (= il primo testimone) della carità del Salvatore. Come già Isaia nella prima lettura Gesù dice che qualcosa sta già capitando oppure è già successo: i ciechi che riacquistano la vista, i muti che parlano, i malati che sono risanati sono il segno che il regno di Dio è già presente in mezzo a noi, non è qualcosa che deve ancora venire. E’ un fatto presente. Nell’oscurità di un carcere il Battista intravide la Luce e la morte fu la drammatica fessura per entrare nella Luce.

            Questo fatto noi sia chiamati a parteciparvi con la costanza che conforta il cuore. Nella II lettura presa dalla lettera di san Giacomo c’è l’invito a mettersi nello stato d’animo dell’agricoltore, che non guarda a quello che sta facendo, ma al fine per cui sta lavorando. Questo contadino ha fiducia che il seme, che è stato messo sottoterra ed è curato con costanza, darà il suo frutto a tempo debito. Anche noi dobbiamo saper aspettare il tempo giusto, dobbiamo saper attendere e curare con la prospettiva di un bene più grande ma non immediato e prepararci per quello.

            Giovanni il Battista nel carcere ebbe una prova di fede che lo purificò e lo avvicinò ancora di più al cuore di Dio. Infatti, ispirato da Dio, Giovanni aveva annunciato la venuta del Messia. Il Messia davvero era venuto nel mondo. Però Dio, come sempre, si era riservato uno spazio di novità e di libertà che Giovanni non conosceva: il Messia, infatti, non era esattamente come Giovanni l’attendeva. Per questo Giovanni gli chiede: “Sei tu colui che deve venire o dobbiamo attenderne un altro?” La risposta di Gesù crea un nuovo spazio per la fede di Giovanni: “… ai poveri è annunziata la buona novella e beato colui che non si scandalizza di me”. Giovanni non si scandalizzò, ma piegò la testa, rinunciò alla sua testa perché i pensieri di Dio non sono i pensieri dell’uomo (cfr “I miei pensieri non sono i vostri pensieri, le vostre vie non sono le mie vie” (Is 55,8), e credette.

            Chi si mette in cammino alla ricerca di Dio, si aspetti sempre qualche sorpresa: Dio non sarà mai come noi l’aspettiamo; per questo motivo Dio si incontra solo nell’umiltà della fede, lasciandosi condurre da Lui per strade che noi non possiamo immaginare. Così fu per Giovanni, così è per tutti noi. Egli fu un martire che visse nella gioia, perché certo della presenza del Salvatore nella vita sua e del suo popolo.

            Le vergini consacrate sono chiamate – mediante la vocazione alla verginità – ad un martirio (= testimonianza) analogo a quello del Precursore, che seppe diminuire per far crescere Cristo (cfr Gv 3, 30). La loro appartenenza totale a Cristo mediante un amore indiviso testimonia che la vita è gioiosa e feconda (cfr Rito della consacrazione della Vergini, n. 36: Invio), quando tutto il nostro essere, anima e corpo, è a servizio dell’amore che nulla vuole per sé e che tutto dona nella gioia. Esse con atteggiamento sponsale stanno castamente accanto a Cristo con lui vivono la passione di attirare alla verità i fratelli e sorelle in umanità.

 

 

LETTURA SPIRITUALE

San Tommaso d’Aquino

SOMMA TEOLOGICA PARTE II-II

Questione 28

LA GIOIA

 

“Passiamo a considerare gli effetti che accompagnano l’atto principale della carità, che è l’amore. In primo luogo gli effetti interiori; in secondo luogo quelli esteriori [q. 31]. Sul primo tema dobbiamo considerare tre argomenti: primo, la gioia; secondo, la pace [q. 29]; terzo, la misericordia [q. 30]. Sul primo argomento si pongono quattro quesiti: 1. Se la gioia sia un effetto della carità; 2. Se questa gioia sia compatibile con la tristezza; 3. Se questa gioia sia piena; 4. Se sia una virtù. 

Articolo 1:Se la gioia sia in noi un effetto della carità 

Sembra che la gioia non sia in noi un effetto della carità. Infatti: 1. Dall’assenza dell’oggetto amato segue più la tristezza che la gioia. Ora, finché siamo in questa vita Dio, che è l’oggetto della nostra carità, è assente, secondo le parole di S. Paolo [2 Cor 5, 6]: “Finché abitiamo nel corpo siamo in esilio lontano dal Signore”.Quindi in noi la carità produce più tristezza che gioia.2. La carità è la causa principale per cui meritiamo la beatitudine. Ma tra le cose con cui meritiamo la beatitudine troviamo il pianto, che accompagna la tristezza [Mt 5, 4]: “Beati quelli che piangono, perché saranno consolati”.Quindi è più effetto della carità la tristezza che la gioia.3. La carità, come si è visto [q. 17, a. 6], è una virtù distinta dalla speranza.Ma la gioia è causata dalla speranza, secondo l’espressione di S. Paolo [Rm 12, 12]: “Lieti nella speranza”.Perciò essa non è causata dalla carità. 

In contrario: Come dice S. Paolo [Rm 5, 5], “l’amore di Dio è stato riversato nei nostri cuori per mezzo dello Spirito Santo che ci è stato dato”.Ma la gioia è causata in noi dallo Spirito Santo, come dice lo stesso Apostolo [Rm 14, 17]: “Il regno di Dio non è questione di cibo o di bevanda, ma è giustizia, pace e gioia nello Spirito Santo”. Quindi anche la carità è causa di gioia. 

Rispondo: Come si è visto nel trattato sulle passioni [I-II, q. 25, a. 3; q. 26, a. 1, ad 2; q. 28, a. 5, ad ob.], dall’amore nascono sia la gioia che il dolore o tristezza, ma in maniera diversa. Infatti dall’amore viene causata la gioia o per la presenza del bene amato, o anche perché la stessa persona amata possiede e conserva il proprio bene. E questo secondo aspetto appartiene specialmente all’amore di benevolenza, che ci fa godere della prosperità dell’amico, anche se assente. Al contrario invece dall’amore segue la tristezza o per l’assenza di ciò che si ama, o perché la persona di cui vogliamo il bene viene privata dei suoi beni, o è oppressa da un male. Ora, la carità è l’amore di Dio, il cui bene è immutabile, essendo egli la stessa bontà. E inoltre, per il fatto stesso che è amato, Dio si trova in chi lo ama col più nobile dei suoi effetti, secondo le parole di S. Giovanni [1 Gv 4, 16]: “Chi sta nell’amore dimora in Dio, e Dio dimora in lui”. Quindi la gioia spirituale, che ha Dio per oggetto, è causata dalla carità. 

Soluzione delle difficoltà: 1. Si dice che siamo in esilio lontano dal Signore mentre siamo nel corpo in rapporto alla presenza con la quale Dio si mostra ad alcuni nella visione immediata. Infatti l’Apostolo [v. 7] aggiunge: “Noi camminiamo nella fede e non ancora in visione”. Ma egli è presente anche in questa vita a coloro che lo amano mediante l’inabitazione della grazia. 2. Il pianto che merita la beatitudine ha per oggetto ciò che contrasta con essa.Per cui si deve a uno stesso motivo che dalla carità nasca tale pianto e insieme la gioia spirituale di Dio: poiché il godere di un dato bene e il rattristarsi dei mali contrari procedono da uno stesso motivo.3. Di Dio si può godere spiritualmente in due modi: primo, in quanto godiamo del bene divino considerato in se stesso; secondo, in quanto godiamo del bene divino in quanto è partecipato da noi.Ora, il primo tipo di gioia è più perfetto, e deriva principalmente dalla carità.Il secondo invece deriva dalla speranza, con la quale aspettiamo la fruizione del bene divino.Tuttavia anche la stessa fruizione, sia perfetta che imperfetta, viene conseguita in base alla grandezza della carità. 

 

 

Hoping with St. John the Baptist and the Virgin Mary

Roman Rite 

2nd Sunday of Advent - Year A – December 7, 2025 

Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 71; Romans 15:4-9; Matthew 3:1-12 

 

Solemnity of Mary Immaculate, December 8, 2025

Gen. 3:9-15, 20; Psalm 97; Eph. 1:3-6, 11-12; Luke 1:26-38 

 

Ambrosian Rite

4th Sunday of Advent 

Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 71; Hebrews 10:5-9a; Matthew 21:1-9

 The Entry of the Messiah

 

 

1) God speaks to the heart with a message of hope.

       For a week we have entered Advent, time of openness to God's future, time of preparation for Holy Christmas.  On that day He, the Lord, who is the absolute novelty, came to dwell among us to renew us. The liturgy of Advent echoes a message charged with hope, which invites us to look up to the ultimate horizon, but at the same time to recognize in the present the signs of Emmanuel, the God-with-us. On this 2nd Sunday of Advent, the Word of God makes us a proclamation of deliverance: "Comfort, comfort my people – says the prophet on behalf of God–. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and proclaim to her that her service has ended" (Is 40:1-2). This is what the Lord wants to do in Advent: speak to the heart of his People and, through him, to all humanity, to proclaim salvation. Today the voice of the Church is raised: “In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord” (Is 40, 3). The Church stands as a sentinel on the high mountain of faith and announces: “Here is your God! Here comes with power the Lord God”

 (Is 40: 10, 11).
      This proclamation of the Prophet Isaiah is realized in Jesus Christ. He, with his preaching and then with his death and resurrection, brought the ancient promises to fruition, revealing a deeper and more universal perspective. It ushered in an exodus that was no longer merely earthly, historical and, as such, provisional, but radical and definitive: the passage from the kingdom of evil to the kingdom of God, from the dominion of sin and death to that of love and life. Therefore, Christian hope goes beyond the legitimate expectation of social and political liberation because what Jesus began is a new humanity, which comes “from God”, but at the same time sprouts in this land of ours, to the extent that it allows itself to be fertilized by the Spirit of the Lord. It is therefore a question of entering fully into the logic of faith: believing in God, in his plan of salvation, and at the same time committing oneself to the construction of his Kingdom. Justice and peace, in fact, are God's gift, but they require men and women who are "good land," ready to welcome the good seed of his Word.

      The first fruit of this new humanity is Jesus, Son of God and Mary. She, the Virgin Mother, is the “way” that God himself prepared to come into the world. With all her humility, Mary walks at the head of the new Israel in the exodus from all exile, from all oppression, from all moral and material slavery towards “the new heavens and the new earth, in which righteousness dwells” (2 Pt 3:13). Tomorrow, let us entrust her maternal intercession, let us entrust the expectation of peace and salvation of the men of our time.

 

2) Mary's beauty gives flesh to Beauty.

      Tomorrow, December 8th, we will celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception which pushes us to contemplate the beauty of the Virgin Mary, Tota Pulchra, the one all physically and spiritually beautiful because all pure since her conception. The Immaculate Conception of Mary is the inner aspect of the virginal conception of Christ. The virginal conception of Jesus finds its meaning and origin in the Immaculate Conception

- which is the total consecration of Mary's being to Jesus

- which is the kingdom of Jesus in Mary from the first instant of her existence

- which is purity of her soul and her virginal flesh which became the cradle of the Incarnate Word.

This purity, which is transparency of all her being, infinite freedom and offering, makes Mary the cradle not only of the Son of God but of all humanity. Mary's motherhood flourishes from her virginal immaculate "yes" to the angel that brought her the announcement and will flourish from her "yes" to Christ who from the Cross announces to her that we are her children.

Our Lady is the first fruit of the Redemption, the first Christian, the most perfect, the Mother of the Church, and the mother of humanity. Her purity is not only physical, but also the stripping of the self, the liberation from the possessive selfish ego. Through the gaze of Mary, we look at people with a pure eye. Love takes on another dimension and radiates divine tenderness.

 

 

2)     Encountering John to encounter Jesus

 

       Thanks to the liturgy of the Roman Rite for the 2nd Sunday of Advent and to the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we are called to meet two people that played a role in the preparation for the encounter of the Lord with humanity, the Virgin Mary and John the Baptist.

       The last Prophet of the Old Testament went to preach into the desert from where his voice called the Jews to penance. Let us meet him in the silence of our heart to receive the announcement of the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. For us too he “foresees” the coming of the Messiah scolding us sinners who, despite all, go to him. Let us recognize that the exterior cleansing done by the Baptist is almost the beginning of the interior purification.

       The preaching of this magnetic and gruff person charmed many, even if he behaved in an unseductive way because he dressed poorly and spoke harshly. Despite that, to his contemporaries he appeared as the last hope for a desperate people. Many understood the truth of his duty that was to “prepare the way of the Lord” announcing his imminent coming. He presented himself as the Voice speaking in the desert dressed in unrefined garments and with a leather belt around his waist. But he was not inviting men to be ascetic like him. To prepare the way of the Lord is something else. This is what John the Baptist was saying: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand... And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones. Even now the axe lies at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down. “To meet and to imitate him means to have pure eyes just like his, and to be able to say with him and like him “This is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”.

       There are two things that John says and that must be done urgently: to convert and not to remain in the illusory certitude of a belonging in which we stay with humility and constant conversion. To convert is a word that demands change of behavior and mind.

       It is not only a change of the moral behavior, but it is also an intellectual change, I dare say, a theological one because it implies a new way of thinking of God.

       Conversion is not an exterior or partial change but a reorientation of the entire human being. It is a real transition from selfishness to love, from the defense of oneself to the donation of oneself. It is a passage so groundbreaking that it is incompatible with the old structures (mental, religious and social) in the same way in which the new wine cannot be put in the old caskets.

        Evangelic conversion is also religiosity: it is not by confronting himself that man discovers the measure and the direction of his change, but in the reference to the project of God. The first move is not the one of man towards God, but the one of God towards man; it is the move of grace that makes possible the change of man and offers the example of it.

        Finally, we must understand the profound humanity of evangelic conversion: to convert means to return home; it is a recovery of humanity and a regaining of identity. By converting, man is not lost but is found and is freed from the alienations that destroy him.

 The two first lectures of today’s liturgy in the Roman Rite offer two concrete indications for conversion, the necessary step to prepare oneself for the coming of the Lord: 1. to be poor 2. to be welcoming. Isaiah (first reading) prophesizes a new germ of humanity that “Not by appearance shall judge, nor by hearsay shall he decide, but shall judge the poor with justice, and decide aright for the land’s afflicted” (Is 1:3-4) and Saint Paul invites “Welcome one another, then, as Christ welcomed you” (Rm 15:17)

 

3)     Encountering Mary to meet her Son

The person who made germinate the new humanity and welcomes us as Christ did is the Virgin Mary whom we celebrate with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception to celebrate the divine salvation that had been given to us. 

What does “Conceived without sin” mean?  Mary is the one who has welcomed the Gift from Heaven, the Son of God, with complete and unlimited readiness, openness, and an availability that is without limits and without conditions. Mary’s “yes” has been freely and unconditionally said by an unblemished young woman to the unblemished God. 

 It is imperative to answer also to another question “What is original sin?”[1] It is the moral deficiency of every man that is born as a member of humanity. Every one of us is aware of this deficiency and often we say” It is human to make mistakes” and “We cannot do more than that, I do what I can.” Saying so, we feel and desire to be able to do more and to be more. If we look at Mary, we can see that this desire is not a utopia.

 It is true; she is the “All Holy,” the “Full of Grace.” In an exceptional way she is not involved in the shade of sin because she must conceive, give birth and educate the child that has the burden to take away the sin from the world.  She is the “Door to Heaven.” In the heart of Advent and in faith, Mary makes herself the door through which the Word enters the world and then she is united to Christ, Door that let us, repented sinners, enter Heaven.

 Let us love Mary of Nazareth, first fruit of the Christian virginity. By a singular privilege and her faithfulness to God's call Mary, humble and poor, became the virgin mother of the Son of God. In that, let the consecrated Virgins be of example to us. During the Rite of Consecration, the Bishop says” You have renounced marriage for the sake of Christ. Your motherhood will be a motherhood of the spirit” cooperating with love to the evangelization of man and to his promotion.

 For the consecrated virgin, as Saint Leandro of Seville says, Christ is all, “spouse, brother, friend, part of the inheritance, prize, God and Lord” (Regula Sancti Leandri, Introduction). This is what the consecrated virgin reminds and teaches us in her daily life, with a lifestyle of humility, charity, service, joyful availability and tireless love for the glory of the Father and the salvation of the entire humanity.

 

 

                                                                     Patristic Reading

                                                       Commentary on Isaiah by Eusebius of Caesarea

                                                    (Chapter. 40: pages 24, 366-367)

                                                        The voice in the wilderness

 

"The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight the paths of our God." The prophecy makes clear that it is to be fulfilled, not in Jerusalem but in the wilderness: it is there that the glory of the Lord is to appear, and God’s salvation is to be made known to all mankind. It was in the wilderness that God’s saving presence was proclaimed by John the Baptist, and there that God’s salvation was seen. The words of this prophecy were fulfilled when Christ and his glory were made manifest to all: after his baptism the heavens opened, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove rested on him, and the Father’s voice was heard, bearing witness to the Son: "This is my beloved Son, listen to him." The prophecy meant that God was to come to a deserted place, inaccessible from the beginning. None of the pagans had any knowledge of God, since his holy servants and prophets were kept from approaching them. The voice commands that a way be prepared for the Word of God: the rough and trackless ground is to be made level, so that our God may find a highway when he comes. "Prepare the way of the Lord": the way is the preaching of the Gospel, the new message of consolation, ready to bring to all mankind the knowledge of God’s saving power. "Climb on a high mountain, bearer of good news to Zion. Lift up your voice in strength, bearer of good news to Jerusalem." These words harmonise very well with the meaning of what has gone before. They refer opportunely to the evangelists and proclaim the coming of God to men, after speaking of the voice crying in the wilderness. Mention of the evangelists suitably follows the prophecy on John the Baptist. What does Zion mean if not the city previously called Jerusalem? This is the mountain referred to in that passage from Scripture: Here is mount Zion, where you dwelt. The Apostle says: You have come to mount Zion. Does not this refer to the company of the apostles, chosen from the former people of the circumcision? This is the Zion, the Jerusalem, that received God’s salvation. It stands aloft on the mountain of God, that is, it is raised high on the only-begotten Word of God. It is commanded to climb the high mountain and announce the word of salvation. Who is the bearer of the good news but the company of the evangelists? What does it mean to bear the good news but to preach to all nations, but first of all to the cities of Judah, the coming of Christ on earth?

 

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[1] The Catechism of the Catholic Church define the original sin at #397 “Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God's command. This is what man's first sin consisted of^.  All subsequent sin would be disobedience toward God and lack of trust in his goodness”. Then at #404-405 teaches “How did the sin of Adam become the sin of all his descendants? The whole human race is in Adam "as one body of one man". By this "unity of the human race" all men are implicated in Adam's sin, as all are implicated in Christ's justice. Still, the transmission of original sin is a mystery that we cannot fully understand. But we do know by Revelation that Adam had received original holiness and justice not for himself alone, but for all human nature. By yielding to the tempter, Adam and Eve committed a personal sin, but this sin affected the human nature that they would then transmit in a fallen state. It is a sin which will be transmitted by propagation to all mankind, that is, by the transmission of a human nature deprived of original holiness and justice. And that is why original sin is called "sin" only in an analogical sense: it is a sin "contracted" and not "committed" - a state and not an act.”