Ave Maria Meditations
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say, rejoice!” (Phil 4:4)
This is also the joy of advent, and that of every day: Jesus is very near us. He is near every day. And Saint Paul gives us the key to understanding the origin of any unhappiness we may feel: it comes to my putting a distance between ourselves and God, through our sins, through tepidity.
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you.” (Lk 1:28). It is the nearness of God which makes the Virgin rejoice. And the nearness of the Messiah will make the unborn Baptist show forth his joy in the womb of Elizabeth… Joy is to possess Jesus; unhappiness is to lose Him.
Let us get ready for Christmas by being close to our Lady. Let us try, as well, to get ready for the holy season by encouraging an atmosphere of Christian peace where we live and work, and by doing all we can in small ways to bring pleasure and affection to those around us.
People need to be convinced that Christ has really been born in Bethlehem, and few things are more convincing than the habitual happiness of the Christian, even in the midst of pain and contradictions. Our Lady knew many such contradictions when she came to Bethlehem tired out and after such a long journey, and unable to find a place to fit for the birth of her Son. But these problems did not cause her to lose her joy when God became man and dwelt among us.
From “In Conversation with God”
