On the Third Sunday of Advent, bring the Christ Child from your Nativity or scene and priests will bless it during the Mass.

The blessing of the “Bambinelli” [Baby Jesus figurines] as they are called in Rome, reminds us that the crib is a school of life where we can learn the secret of true joy. This does not consist in having many things but in feeling loved by the Lord, in giving oneself as a gift for others and in loving one another. Our Lady and St Joseph do not seem to be a very fortunate family; their first child was born amid great hardship; yet they are full of deep joy, because they love each and they are certain that God, who made himself present in the little Jesus, is at work in their story.