A STORY OF ETERNAL LOVE
Peace be to you from the garden beloved by the Lord!
Nine months have passed since the Incarnation of the Word in the purest womb of the young woman of Nazareth, Mary. From Nazareth, passing through Bethlehem, to Jerusalem, a plan, a journey and a mission is accomplished: a story of eternal love: «Here I am – it is written about me in the scroll of the book – I come to do, O God, your will» (Heb 10:7). Today we contemplate, celebrate and give thanks for this mystery, revealed in the Child born in Bethlehem. Let us rejoice at the birth of the Savior, long awaited by humanity, Emmanuel, God with us (cf. Mt 1:23; Is 7:14).
Jesus is God with us and will save us, as it is written. However, telling his story from childhood also means presenting the dark side of this reality: He was born to “save his people from their sins” (Mt 1:21). In other words, the Child is also associated with great bitterness, pain and agony, which he will have to suffer in life to free humanity from all its miseries. Therefore, beloved friends of the Lord, "we consider –says St. Alphonsus Liguori– that everything that Jesus Christ suffered in his Passion, he placed before God, from when He was still in the womb of his Mother, and he accepted everything with love".
He accepted everything with love. We cannot remain insensitive to this entire manifestation of love and goodness. We cannot remain passive, but active, full of love and fervent in our union with Him. His life and example are, now for us, a light when the darkness and gloom of this world seek to cover and destroy all faith, hope and love. Let us remain united to Him, following his footsteps and making God's plan, this story of eternal love, ever stronger and more present in our lives. Let us continue answering the powerful call that is made to us: "Stay here" (Mt 26:38).
We finish a year and begin another. Before the Blessed Sacrament, let us renew our commitment and desire to be with the Lord. He, who is with us, will continue to bless us with His grace, making us sensitive to the voice that invites us to pray and join to His prayer, which, since Gethsemane, He has offered for all humanity. We therefore entrust to the Lord and His Divine Providence all material and spiritual goods, but above all the need for justice and peace. Finally, we entrust all our prayer intentions into the hands of Mary Most Holy, the Mother of the God for whom we live, recognizing that only she can present them worthily to the Lord.
With Christ and with Mary, we say: Behold, I come to do, O God, your will!
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 2026!
Be blessed, from the Garden of the Lord
