Sunday 20 December 2020 - Fourth Sunday of Advent - Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 1, 28-36 - Behold the handmaid of the Lord; let all things be done to me according to your word.

Christmas Day is near, to celebrate the coming of the Son of God among us. Today's Gospel speaks to us of the announcement made by the angel to Mary, revealing the mystery of the Incarnation. We have often heard it, especially during the commemoration or celebration of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Church. God sent an angel, a messenger to reveal something important to this young woman who was chosen to be the mother of his Son, to give him a human body. We too are messengers, like the angel, since our baptism, what have we done with this message? Have we transmitted it faithfully, have we omitted it or distorted it? So it is not right, as a Christian, to stand idly by, it is not right to be a simple Christian, but you have to be a committed Christian, living out your baptism: it is about bringing people to Jesus or bringing Jesus to people. This is our mission.

God comes into our lives, not to upset our plans but rather to perfect them. We must therefore adjust our desires, our ambitions to God's will and not the other way around, as if we wanted to force God's will to follow ours. In this regard, the Blessed Virgin Mary is a model for us: she said "yes" to God, even if the path she has to take is difficult. Our "yes" should not be a punctual consent but a firm and persistent "yes", often renewed. This "yes" is the same as our "Amen" in communicating, so that the One we receive may become flesh. Christmas is so close, does our "yes" go to God or to someone or something else, obstructing the passage to God. It is God himself who will come among us, so He should be at the centre of our concerns and our hearts. Saying "yes" to God is never in vain, it will even make us happier. Yes, although there may be obstacles! Amen.