Bogota (Colombia), Sr. Ana Francisca Vergara Abril, December 15, 2024.- This Advent let us make our way with the images that the psalms of the four Sundays offer us.
Is 12:2-6
He is my God and my Savior:
I will trust and not be afraid,
For the Lord is my strength and my help,
He is my salvation.
And you will draw water with joy
from the fountain of salvation.
Give thanks to the Lord,
call on his name
tell the nations of his deeds
proclaim that his name is exalted.
Sing praises to the Lord who has done great deeds,
Proclaim them to all the earth;
Shout for joy, O inhabitants of Zion:
For great in the midst of you is the Holy One of Israel.
Salvation! It is the name of our God. It is the translation of the name of Jesus, of Yeoshua: the Lord saves. A Savior is the one we look to in the critical moments of our existence and of our people; a Savior is the one who is present in the moment when everything becomes dark and confused. A Savior is the one we trust, the one we call upon because he works for us.
This third Sunday of Advent, called the Sunday of Gaudete or Laetare, of Joy, invites us to rejoice because this long-awaited Savior is already at work for us. He is our strength and our power. Believers are people who manifest the joy of believing; the joy and happiness of being Christians is expressed in the way we live and position ourselves in the world with reasonable optimism. That is to say, without denying reality, which can often be terrible, the Christian discovers in it the presence of God the Savior, because hope and confidence inhabit it.
We do not deny the harsh reality of our people, but we hope in the Lord because we know that his actions are tangible and that he uses many details to tell us: Do not be afraid, I am here to save you!
Let us ask ourselves: Do I discover the Lord's salvation in events? Do I rejoice in God, my Savior?
Blessed is the week of Christian joy.