L'Evangile dans ma vie/ The Gospel in my life

Texte de l'Évangile

(Mt 2,13-18): 

Après le départ des mages, l'ange du Seigneur apparaît en songe à Joseph et lui dit: «Lève-toi; prends l'enfant et sa mère, et fuis en Égypte. Reste là-bas jusqu'à ce que je t'avertisse, car Hérode va rechercher l'enfant pour le faire périr». Joseph se leva; dans la nuit, il prit l'enfant et sa mère, et se retira en Égypte, où il resta jusqu'à la mort d'Hérode. Ainsi s'accomplit ce que le Seigneur avait dit par le prophète: «D'Égypte, j'ai appelé mon fils».

Alors Hérode, voyant que les mages l'avaient trompé, entra dans une violente fureur. Il envoya tuer tous les enfants de moins de deux ans à Bethléem et dans toute la région, d'après la date qu'il s'était fait préciser par les mages. Alors s'accomplit ce que le Seigneur avait dit par le prophète Jérémie: «Un cri s'élève dans Rama, des pleurs et une longue plainte: c'est Rachel qui pleure ses enfants et ne veut pas qu'on la console, car ils ne sont plus».

L’Application

Mon Dieu, comment pouvez-vous vous permettre tout cela ? Quelle souffrance pour toi, de voir tant de tes enfants périr à cause de la peur et de la bêtise inutiles des hommes ? Malheureusement, tu souffres encore aujourd'hui, à cause de nos silences, à cause de nos peurs et de notre bétis. Le malin provoque dans nos cœurs cette peur de l'autre, peur de la différence, peur du danger, sans pouvoir les vérifier ou les analyser. Libère-nous Seigneur de nos peurs qui nous détruisent injustement, très souvent au nom du bien ou de la sécurité.

Joseph le juste, le père adoptif écoutera ta parole et prendra son enfant, courra vers une autre région, sans faire de mal aux autres. Aide-nous, Seigneur, à t'écouter et à être fidèles à ta parole.

La voie que tu nous proposes est toujours juste et bonne. Heureusement, les Mages ont suivi tes conseils et ont pris un autre chemin. Quitter le chemin connu est un grand risque. Aide-nous, Seigneur, à prendre des risques dans notre vie, avec les étrangers, l'inattendu, etc.

«Se leva; dans la nuit, il prit l'enfant et sa mère, et se retira en Égypte»

Abbé Joan Pere PULIDO i Gutiérrez

(Sant Feliu de Llobregat, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui, nous célébrons la fête des Saints Innocents, martyrs. Plongés dans les célébrations de Noël, nous ne pouvons pas ignorer le message que la liturgie veut nous transmette pour définir, encore plus, la Bonne Nouvelle de la naissance de Jésus, avec deux précisions très claires. Tout d'abord, la prédisposition de saint Joseph à participer dans le dessein créateur et salvifique de Dieu, en acceptant sa volonté. Et puis, le mal, l'injustice que, bien souvent, nous rencontrons dans notre vie, réalisés dans ces enfants innocents morts en martyrs. Tout cela nous demande une attitude et une réponse personnelle et sociale.

Saint Joseph nous offre un témoignage très clair de réponse décidée à l'appel de Dieu. Nous nous identifions à lui quand nous devons prendre des décisions dans les moments difficiles de notre vie et de notre foi: «Joseph se leva; dans la nuit, il prit l'enfant et sa mère, et se retira en Égypte» (Mt 2:14).

Notre foi en Dieu implique notre vie toute entière. Elle fait que nous nous levons, c'est à dire, qu'elle nous rend attentifs aux choses qui se déroulent autour de nous, parce que —souvent— c'est à partir d'elles que Dieu nous parle. Elle nous fait prendre l'Enfant et sa mère, c'est-à-dire que Dieu se rend proche de nous, Il devient notre compagnon de route, renforçant notre foi, notre espérance et notre charité. Et elle nous fait retirer dans la nuit en Égypte, c'est à dire, nous invite à ne pas avoir peur face à notre propre vie, qui souvent, se remplit de nuits difficiles à illuminer.

Aujourd'hui, ces enfants martyrs ont aussi des noms concrets d'enfants, de jeunes gens, de couples, de personnes âgées, d'immigrants, de malades... qui demandent la réponse de notre charité. Ainsi le dit Jean Paul II: «En effet, à notre époque, nombreux sont les besoins qui interpellent la sensibilité chrétienne. C'est l'heure d'une nouvelle imagination de la charité qui se déploierait non seulement à travers les secours prodigués avec efficacité, mais aussi dans la capacité de se faire proche, d'être solidaire de ceux qui souffrent, de manière que le geste d'aide soit ressenti non comme une aumône humiliante, mais comme un partage fraternel».

Que la nouvelle lumière, claire et forte de Dieu devenu Enfant remplisse nos vies et consolide davantage notre foi, notre espérance et notre charité.

Gospel text

(Jn 20:2-8): 

On the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene ran and went to Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we do not know where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw and believed.

The Application

John, who has heard Jesus' prayer, 'may their joy be complete', discovers for himself the joy of the resurrection. Joy is a fruit of faith. He saw and he believed. Seeing and believing are coincidental, because faith is not the fruit of meticulous work, it is essentially a gift from God.  It is God who helps us to see all that is invisible, in the visible elements. One may ask why God did not give this gift to Peter, and why John received a gift. Why did God choose a woman to be the first witness of the resurrection than the disciples he had already chosen and trained?

We have many other questions, which are humanly justifiable. Yet, if we look at the events with the eyes of faith, we can easily discover that the love we have for this God conditions the reception of grace. Everything changes in love and it changes radically in faith. How many times has Jesus revealed the fruit of faith to us, saying, 'your faith has saved you'? If we do not have love and faith, we can never see the invisible truth that is hidden in the visible elements. Everything is received by the one who has faith, because  in faith everything is given.

Action of the day: Do everything in love.

«He saw and believed»

Fr. Manel VALLS i Serra

(Barcelona, Spain)

Today, the liturgy celebrates the festivity of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist. The first day after Christmas, the Church celebrates Saint Stephen's day, the first martyr of the Christian faith. And the following day is the feast of Saint John. Saint John is the one who better and most deeply understood the mystery of the Word Incarnate. John was the very first “theologian” and best example for any other true theologian. Today's proposed fragment of his Gospel helps us to consider Christmas from the perspective of the Lord's Resurrection. Indeed, when John arrived at the empty tomb, “he saw and believed” (Jn 20:8). Trusting the Apostles’ testimony, every Christmas we are stimulated to ‘see’ and ‘believe’, too.

We can also find these same words “see” and “believe” in connection with Jesus' birth, the Verb incarnated. Pushed by his heart's intuition —and we should add, by “grace”— John “sees” beyond what, at that time, his eyes can see. In fact, he believes without “having yet seen” the Christ; and receives the praise of those “who have not seen and have believed.” (Jn 20:29), and that ends chapter twenty of his Gospel.

Peter and John “run” together towards the tomb, but the text says John “ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first” (Jn 20:4). It seems that the desire to be again by the side of the One he loved —Christ— was stronger than that of physically being next to Peter, with whom, however —by waiting for him and allowing him to be the first to enter the tomb— he shows that it is Peter who holds the primacy of the Apostolic College. Yet, it is his ardent heart, full of zeal, John's impassionate love, which impels him to “run” and “outrun”. This is a clear invitation for us to equally live our faith with such a fervent desire to see the Resurrection.

Texte de l'Évangile

(Jn 20,2-8): 

Le premier jour de la semaine, Marie de Magdala court donc trouver Simon-Pierre et l'autre disciple, celui que Jésus aimait, et elle leur dit: «On a enlevé le Seigneur de son tombeau, et nous ne savons pas où on l'a mis». Pierre partit donc avec l'autre disciple pour se rendre au tombeau. Ils couraient tous les deux ensemble, mais l'autre disciple courut plus vite que Pierre et arriva le premier au tombeau. En se penchant, il voit que le linceul est resté là ; cependant il n'entre pas. Simon-Pierre, qui le suivait, arrive à son tour. Il entre dans le tombeau, et il regarde le linceul resté là, et le linge qui avait recouvert la tête, non pas posé avec le linceul, mais roulé à part à sa place. C'est alors qu'entra l'autre disciple, lui qui était arrivé le premier au tombeau. Il vit, et il crut.

L’Application

Jean, qui a entendu la prière de Jésus : " Que leur joie soit complète ", découvre pour lui-même la joie de la résurrection. La joie est un fruit de la foi. Il a vu et il a cru. Voir et croire sont des coïncidences, car la foi n'est pas le fruit d'un travail méticuleux, elle est essentiellement un don de Dieu.  C'est Dieu qui nous aide à voir tout ce qui est invisible, dans les éléments visibles. On peut se demander pourquoi Dieu n'a pas fait ce don à Pierre, et pourquoi Jean a reçu un don. Pourquoi Dieu a-t-il choisi une femme pour être le premier témoin de la résurrection plutôt que les disciples qu'il avait déjà choisis et formés ?

Nous avons beaucoup d'autres questions, qui sont humainement justifiables. Pourtant, si nous regardons les événements avec les yeux de la foi, nous pouvons facilement découvrir que l'amour que nous avons pour ce Dieu conditionne l'accueil de la grâce. Tout change dans l'amour et tout change radicalement dans la foi. Combien de fois Jésus nous a-t-il révélé le fruit de la foi en disant : "Ta foi t'a sauvé" ? Si nous n'avons pas l'amour et la foi, nous ne pourrons jamais voir la vérité invisible qui est cachée dans les éléments visibles. Tout est reçu par celui qui a la foi, car dans la foi tout est donné. 

«Il vit, et il crut»

Abbé Manel VALLS i Serra

(Barcelona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui, la liturgie célèbre la fête de saint Jean, apôtre et évangéliste. Le jour qui suit la Noël, l'Église célèbre la fête du premier martyr de la foi chrétienne, saint Étienne. Et le jour suivant, saint Jean, celui qui pénètre le mieux et le plus profondément le mystère du Verbe incarné, premier théologien et modèle de tout véritable théologien. Le passage de son Évangile qu'on nous propose aujourd'hui nous aide à contempler Noël dans la perspective de la Résurrection du Seigneur. Jean, en effet, arrivé au sépulcre vide, «vit et crut» (Jn 20,8). Confiants dans le témoignage des Apôtres, à chaque Noël, nous nous voyons poussés à “voir” et à “croire”.

L'on peut revivre ces mêmes “voir” et “croire” à propos de la naissance de Jésus, le Verbe incarné. Jean, poussé par les intuitions de son cœur —et, devrions-nous ajouter, par la “grâce”— “voit” au-delà de ce que ses yeux peuvent contempler en ce moment. En réalité, s'il croit, il le fait sans “avoir vu” encore le Christ, ce qui inclut déjà la louange implicite de ceux qui «croiront sans avoir vu» (Jn 20,29), qui culmine dans le vingtième chapitre de son Évangile.

Pierre et Jean “courent” ensemble au sépulcre, mais le texte nous dit que Jean «courut plus vite que Pierre et arriva le premier au tombeau» (Jn 20,4). Comme si Jean était mu davantage par le désir d'être de nouveau aux côtés de Celui qu'il aimait —le Christ— que par le fait de rester aux côtés de Pierre, dont, cependant —par le geste de l'attendre et de le laisser entrer le premier— il reconnaît la primauté dans le Collège des Apôtres. Malgré tout, le cœur ardent de Jean, plein de zèle, regorgeant d'amour, le porte à “courir” et à “s'avancer”, nous invitant clairement à vivre aussi notre foi avec ce désir ardent de rencontrer le Ressuscité.

We enter once again around the manger, but in the Temple, the dwelling place of God, where all are called to be. Jesus invites his parents to come to the demure of the Father. Hannah presented Samuel to God, because this child is a gift from the Lord, and will hand over to God everything that belongs to God. A just and praiseworthy gesture. Mary and Joseph, on the other hand, present the baby Jesus to the Temple, not alone, but with all his family, not as a gift received and given, but as a pilgrimage according to custom. This is how she introduces into the Church of the Lord, the pilgrimage that we must all make, towards the heavenly Jerusalem, the true home of God. We are all pilgrims, walking together, on the path of holiness, recognising that Jesus is our way, our truth and our life. He is our Alpha and Omega.  It is giving oneself, without any reserve, just like prophet Samuel, in his obedience, to the will of his mother. Surrendering ourselves to the divine will is the first lesson of the Holy Family.

The feast of the Holy Family is a Trinitarian feast, for the Holy Family helps us to discover how the Trinity works in our families on earth. God prepared Joseph separately and accompanied him in a way of discretion and silence. In this preparation we don’t find the Spirit of the Lord, having an active role.  However, we know that it was the Spirt which was active here. We are called to see what is invisible in what is visible. Thus, we discover in Mary, another type of preparation. Mary was prepared, even before her birth, with a priestly tradition, parents from the temple.  Three PERSONS, accomplishing a marvellous work, for the human salvation.

Today we see one of the works of this couple, formed in the school of Trinity, a wonder for the whole family and a model to be imitated. This Holy Family, being faithful to the custom of the family, the culture, and the religion, invites us to discover our own cultures, both social and religious, and calls us to introduce the new generation into it. They are with the other members of the family and reveal to us the importance of others in our family building. God, who brings us together, wants our families to imitate this work of the Holy Family. All work in trust.

Although we work in trust, we discover failure, failure in the trust, and the responsibility. In the face of failure, we see no accusation or judgment.  They discover that they committed a great mistake of confirmation and verification, and will correct it immediately and together. They commit themselves and share the suffering together. They seek each and every one, a mission, together, two sides, respecting their individuality which is very complementary. Both of them take a different way, knowing the incertitude before them, but trusting God in everything. In the family we have to grant this space of difference, different way of thinking and doing, with its legitimacy of existence. Unity is not synonymous with uniformity. Each one has its important role.  Separately, they will accomplish a common mission.

In the family we have to grow together. We have the impression that we know our children well. It is Jesus who will make them to understand that he is in his Father's house. In front of our children, unfortunately, parents are always big and know everything. We should believe in the divine mystery, revealing to us, through our children.  We do not have to understand everything, however, we need to believe in God and learn to trust the other. Let our family be a place of contemplation, a space reserved for silence. Mary kept everything in her heart. This place of silence and contemplation helps us to grow in faith, what us just before God. Let us never forget the prayer of the family, where we feel the emancipation of God’s presence. Let our children learn to pray, not only in the church, but in the home, from their parents.

In the family, there is need of the day, to imitate Jesus. Jesus teaches us to listen to the elders in the family. He has chosen to listen to his parents and we need to inculcate in the heart of every children of the day. On this day of the Holy Family, let us pray for divided families, separated families and couples in difficulty. May God bless our families and every member of it. Amen.

We stand before a little child, all powerful God, the Light of the world, the prince of peace, yet he is so little that he paradoxically depends on us for his own security. We rejoice, not because He is all powerful, but rather because God has kept His promise to our Father Abraham. The Word who was God, chose man for his existence. He has chosen us to be part of His divinity.

He kept his promise by taking on our flesh, the flesh of man, a weak and unfaithful man. It was in this weakness that He chose to show us power, the power that God had bestowed on humanity.  It is in the same flesh that He makes us discover that man is not synonymous with weakness. He has chosen our own weakness that we may find the path of faithfulness. It is not my will that your will be done. He will learn it from his own mother, from man, true fidelity. Let it be done for me, according to your will. Faithfulness has brought us this child.

Before this will, nothing was given in detail. Neither Mary nor Joseph knew that this child would not find his place, his rightful place on earth. In the beginning, darkness gave way to light. Today, the darkness has rejected the light. What a change in man's behaviour and what a debasement for a Creator God before this man! God has chosen to bear all things. God bears with us and brings us the Light, the Light of Christ.

Christmas is not only a religious celebration, but also a family celebration. A gathering of its members, simply to be together. A strong and nourishing moment.  We are invited to discover this child in his simplicity. He is not dressed in a luxurious garment, waiting for the heavenly gift. A little child seeks only the presence of his parents, the warmth of his mother. God comes to meet us in this child, like a beggar, seeking this human warmth, seeking our warm presence.

Christmas is a moment of encounter. God comes to visit us so that we accept this Light and make it our own, in our hearts, in our homes and in every human encounter. The Gospel tells us that the world has not recognised him and his own people have not received him. It is true that it is still looking for Him, like the Magi in a palace, like a miracle worker, who will make disappear the killing virus. Let us not look for Him in the palace, nor in the manger, or as a miracle worker but in the heart of every living being, including our own heart. After celebrating the mystery of the Eucharist, let us enter the house, let us meet Him at the table, in the living room, in every conversation, in every exchange we can have with each other. Let us not be satisfied with receiving gifts, but rather let us receive ourselves, in joy and happiness. Let us discover the presence of God in every human encounter.

The Gospel tells us once again that "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory". I have just received a beautiful Christmas message from a friend in Toulouse and would like to share with you, "We live in an 'age of barbed wire and walls', where the value of life visibly loses its meaning from conception until death. Joseph's temptation (to give up easily and quietly) and Mary's fear (of life's unforeseen events) characterise contemporary convictions. In the midst of the "shipwreck of civilisation" and a culture of violence and death, Christmas comes to resurrect the sacredness of life. May the Child of Bethlehem regenerate in us an unwavering devotion to life and inspire our choices to respect it so that we may be responsible ambassadors for life, and may we be witnesses to the divine glory, Amen.

Gospel text

(Lk 1:67-79): 

Zechariah his father, filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied, saying: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; for he has come to his people and set them free. He has raised up for us a mighty Savior, born of the house of his servant David. Through his prophets he promised of old that he would save us from our enemies, from the hands of all who hate us. He promised to show mercy to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant. This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham: to set us free from the hand of our enemies, free to worship him without fear, holy and righteous in his sight all the days of our life. You, my child, shall be called the prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way, to give his people knowledge of salvation by the forgiveness of their sins. In the tender compassion of our God the dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace.”

The Application

Nine months of silence and contemplation allowed Zechariah to give thanks to God in all sincerity and joy. The joy that Jesus passed on to John the Baptist begins to spread throughout the Jerusalem area.  God comes to visit us, Zechariah tells us. How true and necessary it is for man to believe in this statement of Zechariah!

This child will prepare the way for the Lord, thus leading us to Him. He will lead us on the path of peace, especially at this time when we live in the shadow of death. Let us not be afraid and let us be joyful. He is coming  our Saviour.  

Action of the day: Prepare yourself to welcome Christ.

“The dawn from on high shall break upon us, to shine on those who dwell in darkness”

Fr. Ignasi FABREGAT i Torrents

(Terrassa, Barcelona, Spain)

Today, the Gospel gathers Zechariah's song of praise after the birth of his son. In its first part John the Baptist's father thanks God, and in the second, his eyes look forward into the future. He oozes joy and hope on recognizing the salvation’s action of God toward Israel, which culminates in the coming of the Messiah, prepared by his own son John.

We already know that Zechariah had been punished by God because of his skepticism. Now, however, that the divine action has been made real —as he has recovered his ability to speak— says what he before could express only in his heart: “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel” (Lk 1:68). How Many times do we see the dark side of things, negatively, in a pessimistic way! If only we had the supernatural vision of the facts that Zechariah shows in the Benedictus, we would be constantly living in joy and hope.

“The Lord is at hand; the Lord is here”. The forerunner's father is conscious of the fact that the arrival of the Messiah means, above all, light. A light that illuminates those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death. Us! May we realize with full consciousness that Jesus came to illuminate our lives, that he is coming to guide us, to point out the way to go... It would be great if we were to allow Him guide us with His desires; with the hope he has invested in us!

Jesus is the “Lord” (cf. Lk 1:68.76), but he is also the “Savior” (cf. Lk 1:69). These two attributes that Zechariah points to about God, so close to Christmas eve, have always surprised me, because they are precisely the same ones that the Angel of the Lord will assign to Jesus in its announcement to the shepherds and that we will hear touchingly tonight at Midnight Mass. It is God Himself who is born!

Texte de l'Évangile

(Lc 1,67-79): 

Zacharie, son père, fut rempli de l'Esprit Saint et prononça ces paroles prophétiques: «Béni soit le Seigneur, le Dieu d'Israël, parce qu'il a visité son peuple pour accomplir sa libération. Dans la maison de David, son serviteur, il a fait se lever une force qui nous sauve. C'est ce qu'il avait annoncé autrefois par la bouche de ses saints prophètes: le salut qui nous délivre de nos adversaires, des mains de tous nos ennemis. Il a montré sa miséricorde envers nos pères, il s'est rappelé son Alliance sainte: il avait juré à notre père Abraham qu'il nous arracherait aux mains de nos ennemis, et nous donnerait de célébrer sans crainte notre culte devant lui, dans la piété et la justice, tout au long de nos jours. Et toi, petit enfant, on t'appellera prophète du Très-Haut, car tu marcheras devant le Seigneur pour lui préparer le chemin, pour révéler à son peuple qu'il est sauvé, que ses péchés sont pardonnés. Telle est la tendresse du coeur de notre Dieu; grâce à elle, du haut des cieux, un astre est venu nous visiter; il est apparu à ceux qui demeuraient dans les ténèbres et dans l'ombre de la mort, pour guider nos pas sur le chemin de la paix».

L’Application

Neuf mois de silence et de recueillement permettent à Zacharie de rendre grâce à Dieu en toute sincérité et dans la joie. La joie que Jésus a transmise à Jean le Baptiste commence à se répandre dans toute la région de Jérusalem.  Dieu vient nous visiter, nous dit Zacharie. Comme il est vrai et nécessaire que l'homme croie en cette déclaration de Zacharie !

Cet enfant préparera le chemin du Seigneur, nous conduisant ainsi à Lui. Il nous conduira sur le chemin de la paix, surtout en ce moment où nous vivons dans l'ombre de la mort. N'ayons pas peur et soyons joyeux. Il vient notre Sauveur.  

«Un astre est venu nous visiter; il est apparu à ceux qui demeuraient dans les ténèbres»

Abbé Ignasi FABREGAT i Torrents

(Terrassa, Barcelona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui, l'Évangile recueille le chant de louange de Zacharie après la naissance de son fils. Le père de Jean y rend d'abord grâce à Dieu, puis ses yeux se tournent vers le futur. Tout y regorge de joie et d'espérance en reconnaissant l'action salvifique de Dieu envers Israël, qui culmine dans la venue-même de Dieu en notre chair, préparée par le fils de Zacharie.

Nous savons que Zacharie avait été châtié par Dieu à cause de son incrédulité. Mais à présent, quand l'action divine est totalement manifeste dans sa propre chair —puisqu'il recouvre la parole— il proclame ce que jusqu'alors il ne pouvait dire qu'avec le cœur; et il le disait, bien-sûr: «Béni soit le Seigneur, le Dieu d'Israël…» (Lc 1,68). Que de fois nous percevons les choses de manière obscure, négative, pessimiste! Si nous possédions la vision surnaturelle des événements que montre Zacharie dans le Cantique du Benedictus, nous vivrions constamment dans la joie et l'espérance.

«Le Seigneur est proche; le Seigneur est là». Le père du précurseur est conscient que la venue du Messie est, surtout, lumière. Une lumière qui éclaire ceux qui vivent dans l'obscurité, sous les ombres de la mort: nous-mêmes! Ah si nous nous rendions pleinement compte que l'Enfant Jésus vient illuminer nos vies, nous guider, nous montrer le chemin…! Ah si nous nous laissions conduire selon ses voies, par ces espérances qu'Il met en nous!

Jésus est le “Seigneur” (cf. Lc 1,68.76), mais Il est aussi le “Sauveur” (cf. Lc 1,69). Si proches de la nuit de Noël, ces deux confessions (attributions) que Zacharie fait à Dieu, m'ont toujours surpris: ce sont exactement les mêmes que l'Ange du Seigneur attribuera à Jésus lors de l'annonce aux bergers et que nous pourrons écouter avec émotion pendant la Messe de cette même nuit. Car celui qui naît est Dieu!

Gospel text

(Lk 1:57-66): 

When the time arrived for Elizabeth to have her child she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her. When they came on the eighth day to circumcise the child, they were going to call him Zechariah after his father, but his mother said in reply, “No. He will be called John.” But they answered her, “There is no one among your relatives who has this name.” So they made signs, asking his father what he wished him to be called. He asked for a tablet and wrote, “John is his name,” and all were amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened, his tongue freed, and he spoke blessing God. Then fear came upon all their neighbors, and all these matters were discussed throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard these things took them to heart, saying, “What, then, will this child be?” For surely the hand of the Lord was with him.

The Application

The right time has arrived for us today, for the last preparation, just like the preparation that we make before an examination. This time is an intense moment of our spiritual life, because, we are called to prepare something without any clarity of the way Jesus is going to come in this season.

Two days before Christmas, the holy Church invites us to welcome John the Baptist like Prophet Elijah and with him to prepare the way, which will lead us to this surprising God, who has chosen to be born into our humanity.

In these days, I invite you to discover the preparation that God desires of us and to identify our strength and weakness in the Christian life.  So that our strength may be a grace for others and our weakness be an opportunity for us to grow in the Lord. There we will discover the hand of the Lord that teaches us to walk, to walk the right way.

Action of the day: Walk in the divine presence.

“‘What, then, will this child be?’ For surely the hand of the Lord was with him”

Fr. Miquel MASATS i Roca

(Girona, Spain)

Today, in the first reading we read: “Now I am sending my messenger he will prepare the way before me” (Mal 3:1). John the Baptist fulfills Malachi’s prophecy. He is one of the main characters in the liturgy of Advent. He invites us to prepare ourselves with prayer and penance for the arrival of the Lord. As the collect of today's Mass says: “Your Son's birth is near; may the love of He who is the Word made flesh who became man in the Virgin's womb to live among men, welcome us”.

The Precursor's birth speaks of the proximity of Christmas. The Lord is at hand!: let's get ourselves ready! When asked who he was by the priests who had come from Jerusalem, he said: “I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the desert, Make straight the way of the Lord.’” (Jn 1:23).

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me” (Rev 3:20), we read in the Communion antiphone. It is necessary to examine ourselves to see how we are preparing ourselves to receive Jesus this Christmas: God, more than anything, wants to be born in our hearts.

The Precursor's life teaches us the virtues we need to receive Jesus properly; fundamentally, humility of the heart. He acknowledges himself as an instrument of God, to fulfil his vocation, his mission. As Saint Ambrose says: «Do not boast that they call you son of God —let us acknowledge His grace without forgetting our human nature—; do not become proud if you have served well because you have done just what was expected from you. The sun does its job, the moon obeys, and the angels of the Lord do their duty. The instrument chosen by God for serve the Gentiles said: “For I am the least* of the apostles, not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God” (1Cor 15:9)."

We are looking for the glory of God only. The virtue of humility will help us to prepare ourselves for the coming festivities appropriately.

Texte de l'Évangile

(Lc 1,57-66): 

Le temps où Élisabeth devait accoucher arriva, et elle enfanta un fils. Ses voisins et ses parents apprirent que le Seigneur avait fait éclater envers elle sa miséricorde, et ils se réjouirent avec elle. Le huitième jour, ils vinrent pour circoncire l'enfant, et ils l'appelaient Zacharie, du nom de son père. Mais sa mère prit la parole, et dit: «Non, il sera appelé Jean». Ils lui dirent: «Il n'y a dans ta parenté personne qui soit appelé de ce nom». Et ils firent des signes à son père pour savoir comment il voulait qu'on l'appelle. Zacharie demanda des tablettes, et il écrivit: «Jean est son nom». Et tous furent dans l'étonnement. Au même instant, sa bouche s'ouvrit, sa langue se délia, et il parlait, bénissant Dieu. La crainte s'empara de tous les habitants d'alentour, et, dans toutes les montagnes de la Judée, on s'entretenait de toutes ces choses. Tous ceux qui les apprirent les gardèrent dans leur coeur, en disant: «Que sera donc cet enfant?». Et la main du Seigneur était avec lui.

L’Application

Deux jours avant Noël, la sainte Église nous invite à accueillir Jean le Baptiste comme le prophète Élie et à préparer avec lui le chemin qui nous mènera à ce Dieu surprenant qui a choisi de naître dans notre humanité. En ces jours, je vous invite à découvrir la préparation que Dieu attend de nous et à identifier notre force et notre faiblesse dans la vie chrétienne.  Afin que notre force soit une grâce pour les autres et que notre faiblesse soit une occasion pour nous de grandir dans le Seigneur. Nous y découvrirons la main du Seigneur qui nous apprend à marcher, à marcher sur le bon chemin.

«‘Que sera donc cet enfant?’. Et la main du Seigneur était avec lui»

Abbé Miquel MASATS i Roca

(Girona, Espagne)

Aujourd'hui, dans la première lecture nous lisons: «Voici que j'envoie mon messager, et il préparera le chemin devant Moi» (Ml 3,1). La prophétie de Malachie s'accomplit en Jean Baptiste. C'est un des personnages principaux de la liturgie de l'Avent, qui nous invite à nous préparer dans la prière et la pénitence à la venue du Seigneur. Comme la prière collective de la messe d'aujourd'hui: «Accorde-nous tes serviteurs, qui reconnaissons l'approche de la naissance de ton Fils, d'expérimenter la miséricorde du Verbe qui a daigné prendre chair de la Vierge Marie et habiter parmi nous».

La naissance du Précurseur nous parle de la proximité de Noël. Le Seigneur est proche! Préparons-nous!. Quand les prêtres qui vinrent de Jérusalem lui demandèrent qui il était, il répondit: «Je suis la voix de celui qui crie dans le désert: Aplanissez le chemin du Seigneur» (Jn 1,23).

«Voici que je me tiens à la porte et je frappe: si quelqu'un entend ma voix et ouvre la porte, j'entrerai chez lui, je souperai avec lui et lui avec Moi» (Ap 3,20), lit-on dans l'antienne de la communion. Nous devons nous examiner pour voir comment nous sommes en train de nous préparer à recevoir Jésus le jour de Noël: Dieu veut naître surtout dans nos cœurs.

La vie du Précurseur nous enseigne les vertus dont nous avons besoin afin de profiter pleinement de la venue de Jésus, fondamentalement, l'humilité du cœur. Il se reconnaît comme un instrument de Dieu pour accomplir sa vocation, sa mission. Comme le dit Saint Ambroise; «Ne te glorifie pas d'être appelé fils de Dieu —reconnaissons la grâce sans oublier notre nature—; ne t'enorgueillis pas si tu as bien servi, car tu as accompli ton devoir. Le soleil fait son travail, la lune obéit, les anges accomplissent leur mission. L'instrument choisi par le Seigneur pour les gentils dit: ‘Car je suis le moindre des Apôtres, moi qui ne suis pas digne d'être appelé apôtre, parce que j'ai persécuté l'Église de Dieu’ (1Co 15,9)».

Cherchons uniquement la gloire de Dieu. La vertu de l'humilité nous conditionne à nous préparer dûment pour les fêtes qui approchent.

Gospel text

(Lk 1:46-56): 

Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed: the Almighty has done great things for me, and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit. He has cast down the mighty from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.”

Mary remained with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her home.

The Application

Mary's magnificat is a thanksgiving, and she gives thanks to God, not as an individual woman, but as the daughter of a generation and thus she becomes the mother of a new generation. She uses the liturgical song or hymn she has learned to give thanks to her God, the God of history. The one who was saved by her Son, even before being the mother, already shows us a way to become the true sons and daughters of this mother.

The Gospel tells us that she stayed for three months. These three months are important, just as the Ark of the Covenant stayed three months in Jerusalem. These three months represent for me personally the many three that she will undergo throughout her life, such as searching for her son for three days, three days at the tomb, etc. They are represent the accomplishment of divine will, in its perfection. She will take care that remains faithful, come what may. As she finishes her work in her cousin's house, she invites us to be faithful to the mission we have accepted, for it will lead us to the resurrection. There we will find the promise made to Abraham fulfilled in us, poor sinners that we are.

Action of the day: Glorify God at all time.

“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior”

Fr. Francesc PERARNAU i Cañellas

(Girona, Spain)

Today's Gospel presents for our consideration the Magnificat Canticle, with which the Virgin Mary, full of joy, greets Elizabeth, her relative, mother of John the Baptist, in her home. Mary's words remind us of other Biblical canticles and songs She knew quite well and had so often, recited and contemplated. Now. However, those very words, on her lips, have a much deeper meaning: behind them, God's Mother spirit shows through while also evincing the purity of her heart. Every day, at the Liturgy of the Hours, the Church makes these words hers when, with the Vespers, the Church addresses to Heaven the same song with which Mary rejoiced, blessed and thanked God for all His graciousness and sheer kindness.

Mary has benefited of the most extraordinary Grace any woman has ever received or will ever receive: amongst all other women in History, she has been chosen by God, to become the Mother of the Redeemer Messiah, whom Mankind had been awaiting for so many centuries. It is the highest honor ever granted any human person, and She accepts it with total restraint and humility, by realizing it all is Grace and a gift, and her own lowliness before the immensity of God's power and greatness, which has done wonders on Her (cf. Lk 1:49). This is a great lesson of humility for all of us, Adam's sons, and heirs of a human nature deeply stained by Original Sin, which, day after day, would try to drag us down.

We are getting close to the end of Advent, a time of conversion and purification. To day, it is the Virgin Mary who is showing us the best way. Mulling over our Mother's prayer —by wishing to make it ours— will help us to become more humble. Mother Mary will help us if we truly ask her.