Originally Published on OMIWORLD.ORG

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By Alberto GNEMMI, OMI, General Councillor for Europe

In just a few days, the liturgy will usher us into the season of Advent, inviting us to contemplate the mystery of Jesus’ Nativity. Thus, once again, we will be placed before the incredible mystery of the Incarnation: divinity becomes humanity.

This time calls us to reflect on the marvel of the Incarnation: the invisible God becoming visible in the humanity of Jesus of Nazareth. This mystery reminds believers that the God of the Bible is the God of history, who, in Christ, chose to walk alongside humanity, revealing His face and offering us full communion with His divine life, marked by fatherhood. It’s awe-inspiring to think that, two thousand years ago, “One of us was God.” A man among men, yet also Emmanuel, “God with us and for us,” who, through His sacrifice on Golgotha, made us His brothers and sisters—children of the Father.

The Wonder of Faith

How can we not marvel at such a God? Have we, as Christians, lost our capacity for this wonder? Reflecting on the worth that every human being holds in God’s eyes should profoundly move us. The Church Fathers boldly proclaimed, “God became man so that man might become like God.” More than that, so that we could become children of God. In the Incarnate Word, who became “one of us,” we find not only God’s image but His very essence present in our flesh. This is the mystery that faith proclaims with joy—a mystery too profound to remain unspoken.

The Mission of the Church

The Church, through every believer and every community, knows that the truth of the Incarnation cannot be silenced. Every human being has the right to know they belong to a God who is a Father—a God who, through His only Son, made us His children. This is why the Mission of proclaiming the Gospel is at the very heart of the Church’s identity. It is the calling of the baptized. For the Church, the mission to evangelize arises naturally from the beauty of this God—extraordinarily wondrous. Truly astonishing!

This is why Advent is such a beloved season, especially for us Christians.