Mary wanted to understand how she could give birth to the Son of God, but accepting the angel Gabriel’s answer still required great faith. Like children wanting people to sing or dance to whatever tunes they played on their flutes, people criticized John the Baptist and Jesus for ministering in their own ways. God, who never tires, can renew people’s strength. Jesus showed the kind of meekness that means patient endurance; it takes inner strength! Like a good shepherd, the Lord does not abandon one sheep gone astray. During Advent, do we recognize the need for repentance or start Christmas rejoicing early?