How long the Israelites waited for the Messiah! Then, when He came and the promises began to be fulfilled, they did not recognise Him. What a tragedy! Now the believing Jews are still waiting for Him… They are also waiting for the coming of the Prophet Elijah, who is to precede the Messiah. But he too has already come: “If you will believe me, he is the Elijah who was to return”, says Jesus, referring to John the Baptist (Mt 11:14).
We Christians can live in the undeserved grace of having known the Messiah. So what are we waiting for now? We are waiting for the Feast of His Birth! Again and again, year after year, because the celebration of this event should deepen our love for Jesus and always remind us anew: The Lord is here! He has come into the world!
Precisely in the darkness of these times, we should trust even more in the grace of the Lord and cling even more closely to Him, for the denser the darkness, the brighter His light shines.
Jesus is the hope of the world and He calls us to a conversion of our lives. No matter how much the powers of darkness try to enslave people and offer us a false freedom, a single smile of the Child of Bethlehem will unmask them. They do not know that only the Son gives us true freedom (Jn 8:36), and that those who cling to Him can never be defeated.
Herod is also attentive and will look for the newborn with the intention of killing Him. He feels his reign threatened by the “new king” Who is born (Mt 2:1-8.16). The spirit that moves him fears the Child and His Mother. He would like to annihilate every trace; every trace that speaks of God; everything that bears witness to His glory.
But let us respond to Him as He deserves… Let us bow our knee to the Child, the Saviour of this world, and ask Him to establish His gentle dominion. Let us not set our focus on coming catastrophes; but let us wait for the Lord, Who will return at the End Times. Let us wait for God’s intervention, to drive away the present darkness. Let us wait for the triumph of the Virgin Mary, who will crush the head of the serpent (Gen 3:15).
However, waiting is not a merely passive attitude, as if there is nothing we can do on our part. Let us take the Rosary in our hands and recite it; with the “Jesus prayer”, let us model our hearts after His; let us receive the holy sacraments; let us trust in the Omnipotence of our Father and in the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Let us deepen our conversion and proclaim the Gospel in every possible way.
Such a waiting will please the Lord: trusting in Him, working in His vineyard, resisting the powers of darkness and remaining faithful to Him.
The Lord is near! This very Night will be the time… Heaven opens its doors wide to announce the glorious message of the Birth of Christ. At the manger, let us prepare ourselves and gather strength for the service we are to render in the army of the Lamb in the coming year.