A Place to Be BornExemplo

### COME, ALL, CELEBRATE! “There were, in that same region, shepherds who lived in the fields and guarded their flocks during the night watches. And an angel of the Lord descended where they were, and the glory of the Lord shone all around them; and they were filled with great fear. The angel, however, said to them: — Don't be afraid! I am here to bring you good news of great joy, which will be for all the people: for today, in the city of David, the Savior is born to them, who is Christ the Lord.”  (Luke 2.8-11) Did you know that the word “gospel” (from the latin evangelium, and the greek euaggélion) means “good news” or “good news”? So it is! When the shepherds received the illustrious visit of the angel of the Lord, that was exactly what they received: the best and most joyful news. The news that, finally, salvation had come through Jesus. Over time the word “gospel” also acquired two more meanings: 1. The set of teachings of Jesus and 2. The first 4 books of the New Testament. Regardless of these other meanings, we cannot forget the main meaning, which is why we celebrate Christmas and decided to be adoring servants and disciples of Jesus: his coming was and is the best news we have ever received! Now reflect a little bit. Have we been preaching the Gospel of Christ with all this enthusiasm and fervor? Could it be that the good news of Jesus' coming has led us to walk long distances, break down social and relational barriers in order to bring this news to those who need it? Deepening the reflection even further, is what we announced has really been good news, or just a compendium of oddities and human customs? Thinking about these things, I remembered the first verses of the Gospel of Mark, which say, "The good news that speaks about Jesus Christ, Son of God, began to be given as the prophet Isaiah had written." (Mark 1.1,2) Mark begins his book by introducing Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist, who preached the gospel like this: “—Repent of your sins and be baptized, and God will forgive you.[...]—After someone who is more important than me comes, and I don't deserve the honor of bending down and untying the straps of his sandals. I baptize you with water, but he will baptize you with the Holy Ghost. (Mark 1.4b; 7,8) Later, John the Baptist met Jesus and, completely ecstatic, exclaimed, "I'm the one who needs to be baptized by you, and you want me to baptize you?" (Matthew 13:14b) As you are with your family celebrating the Christmas dinner, remember the profound message brought by angels to shepherds. This message continues to be announced, no longer by angels, but by us. May we have the same angelic joy in announcing, with the right to a great chorus and all, the reason for our faith, our life and song: Jesus, the best news of all!