Mary, Our Lady of Advent,
Lady of the Empty Arms,
Lady of visible and exhausting pregnancy,
How much we want you to walk with us.
How much we need from you, woman of the people,
as you travel hastily and joyfully to serve Elizabeth,
despite your heavy and fatiguing belly.
Between the two you weave hopes and dreams.
Mary, Our Lady of Advent,
Lady of the Empty Arms,
we too are pregnant
with hopes and dreams.
We dream that the song of the birds
Will never again be disturbed by the sound of bullets.
We dream of our children without fear,
singing to the fruit of your womb already so close.
We dream of the children of the world
sleeping peacefully to the lullaby of a Christmas carol.
We dream that our old people will die calmly and in peace
Whispering a prayer.
We dream that one day
we will be able to have dreams and utopias and hopes again.
Mary, Our Lady of Advent,
the one with the empty arms,
visit us as you did your cousin.
Riding your little burro, come, hurry!
Our hearts are hollow and cold mangers
That wait for your Son to be born.
Come, Lady, with your cries of labor,
to warm our hearts,
to continue weaving hopes with us,
as you did with Elizabeth.
Only this way, in the middle of the night
illuminated by your arms now full
and because of your nursing breasts,
we can dream again…
we can shout: It’s Christmas!
