Of joy at the arrival of life
Sometimes what is obvious seems so far away and what is familiar seems so strange. We have been familiar with the anticipation of Advent and the splendor of Christmas since our earliest childhood.
Is it the disappointments caused by expectations that are too high, or is it the annual hectic pace and commercial superficiality that sometimes want to spoil one of the most beautiful Christian festivals?
No matter how far we may be from the original joy of the birth of Jesus the first witnesses in Bethlehem, it is worthwhile for us to return to our origins - not only to those of our childhood, but to the manger of the child in which God himself for became visible and tangible to us. It is worth it for us to make our way to Bethlehem again, not because of the past itself, but for the sake of its still unredeemed future.
The secret of anticipation
The cheerfulness of Advent and the hopeful joy of Christmas are among my earliest and most joyful experiences with the brightness of the Gospel.
It is the secret of confident, certain anticipation. It is the surprise that we experience true and fulfilling life as a gift.
Happy is the one who remembers the future
and finds his way back to the cheerfulness of those who hope,
who know the most beautiful thing is still ahead of them.
With warm greetings and wishes for an expectant and hopeful time!