Homily

Today is the last Sunday of Advent. We are at the vigil of Christmas. Advent has reminded us that we are waiting, that someone is coming to free us from slavery. The disciples of the Lord are not lost in uncertainty; they do not wander without direction; they do not live for the day, as often happens, following the laws of their own satisfaction and interests. Our life does not end with us! In Advent we rediscover the meaning of waiting, the meaning of the joy of having someone come to visit us. We are freed from the pessimism that keeps us constantly looking to the past and from the harsh realism of those who are without hope. The Lord is coming! Let us welcome him. He is coming to our side and he will never leave us alone again. Last Sunday’s liturgy urged us to be joyful, not to let our arms fall to our sides. The Lord is coming; he is tearing open the heavens and coming down. He chooses the weakness of a woman; he reveals himself in the weakness of a child. But he is the one who changes people’s hearts and changes the world, because he can make new what is old and generate new life.
Today the Mother of Jesus comes to us. Just as she went to visit Elizabeth, she has come here, in our midst. But she still has a little way to come, perhaps the most tiring and the most difficult part of her journey: she has to enter into our hearts. Will we let her climb over the mountains of indifference and selfishness that rise up inside us? Will we let her cross over the chasms of hatred and enmity that we have dug in our souls? Will we open a path for her through the poisonous and bitter weeds that make our hearts unfeeling, our thoughts wicked, and our behaviour violent? Blessed are we if we listen to her greeting. The same thing that happened to Elizabeth will happen to us, "When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the child leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and exclaimed with a loud cry, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb.’" We repeat these words every time we recite the Hail Mary. But we can give them their true meaning today if we let that greeting touch our hearts and let Mary and her tender way of waiting for Jesus move us.
She is truly "blessed" among us all, because she "believed that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her by the Lord." This first beatitude that we read about in the Gospel is the reason for our faith and the source of our joy, even if it sometimes leads to sacrifice. This is how Mary prepared herself for Christmas: first she welcomed the words of the angel. We could say she listened to the Gospel. A new life began for Mary when she listened. She decided to do everything the angel told her, even at the price of being misunderstood, criticized, or possibly rejected by Joseph. And having learned from the angel that her cousin Elizabeth was pregnant, she left Nazareth to go help her, undertaking a long journey. She did not stay at home to prepare for Christmas; she went to see an elderly woman who needed help. That is how to make space for the Lord – a young woman visits an elderly woman. Our hearts will grow if we stop thinking about ourselves all the time. Our thoughts will become tenderer if we draw near to those who need help; our actions will become sweeter if we stand beside the poor, the weak, the sick and if we learn how to love them. Love is a great school for life. This is how Mary prepared herself for Christmas, by listening to the Gospel, guarding it, and putting it into practice. And today she is coming among us to tell us about and, more importantly, to involve us in her waiting for her Son. And together with her we can say: "My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour, for he has looked with favour on the lowliness of his servant. Surely, from now on all generations will call me blessed"