The third candle flame of the Advent wreath lit today symbolizes the Virgin Mary and the good news about the arrival of the Son of God on earth. On this day, Catholics light a pink candle and Protestants light a red candle on the wreath.

Advent is a period of waiting. A few more days, and one of the holiest moments of the year in Christian culture will arrive: the birth of Jesus. "For everything there is an appointed time, and a time for every will under heaven," reads the book of Ecclesiastes. The third Sunday of Advent is the appointed time for the joy that permeated the heart of the Virgin Mary and led the shepherds to the crib in Bethlehem. This is symbolized by the growing candlelight on the Advent wreath, which was still conceived in the dark, but

as the candles are lit one after the other, their light becomes stronger and the light symbolizing the divine presence increases.

The third Sunday of Advent is the Sunday of joy and marks the coming of Jesus, but let's not forget the teaching of János Pilinszky:

"People here are not enough for love. / It is enough to be grateful inwardly / for this and that; in a word, for everything" (János Pilinszky: The man here).

In the period of the Advent weeks, which is already behind us, the people of the Christian cultural circle also remembered the anticipation of the people who lived before the Savior came to the world. The prophet Isaiah also said that

"the people that walk in darkness shall see a great light, and light shall shine upon them that dwell in the land of darkness" (Isaiah 9:1).

However, the evangelist János wrote already looking ahead, towards the flame of the Advent wreath that will flare up in a week:

"Jesus spoke again and said to them: I am the light of the world: whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life" (John 8:12).

Now, on the third Sunday of Advent, we stand between what was written by the prophet Isaiah and the evangelist John, about halfway. We remember the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to baby Jesus so that the prophetic words of Isaiah would be fulfilled.

Today, the Virgin Mary is at the center of events. Let us give the floor to the holy author, the evangelist Luke, who described the events of those days as follows:

"Joseph also went up from Nazareth of Galilee to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David, to be counted together with his betrothed, Mary, who was in a blessed state. And it came to pass that while they were there, the time came for her to give birth, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She swaddled him and laid him in the manger, as there was no room for them in the lodge. Shepherds farmed in that region under the open sky and kept watch over their flocks at night. And the angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and great fear came upon them. And the angel said to them: Do not be afraid, for behold, I announce to you great joy, which will be the joy of the whole people: a savior has been born to you today, who is the Lord Christ, in the city of David. And this will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes in the manger.

And suddenly a multitude of heavenly hosts appeared with the angel, who praised God and said: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, and goodwill toward men. After the angels left them for heaven, the shepherds said to each other: Let's go to Bethlehem and see what happened there, which the Lord revealed to us. So they hurried away and found Mary, Joseph and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw him, they told them all that the angels had preached about this little child, and everyone who heard them was amazed at what the shepherds had told them.”

It was not by chance that the evangelist Lukács described the story of the shepherds in such a large volume. In Eastern culture, the shepherd is the person who lives physically and enthusiastically with the flock, who leads those entrusted to him, and is therefore a valued member of the community.

Jesus himself lived with this image and, referring to himself, said:

“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for his sheep" (John 11). Referring to the evangelist Luke, Pope Francis teaches that the shepherds set off without delay.

According to the teaching of the Bible, it was night when the angel visited, but they immediately perked up, because they knew that important things should not be postponed.

However, the shepherds did something else: they became bearers of the good news. "They said all that the angels had preached concerning this little child."

This is also our task, and it is not a small one. To look for Jesus in the manner of the shepherds of Bethlehem, to go there every day in front of the manger built in our hearts, and to fuse the divine commandment of love indelibly with our souls.

Let's not forget the cautionary words of Endre Ady: "Christmas reggae / If it came true, / True happiness / It would spread to the world."

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