“As bishop, Cardinal Martini was also able to cross the paths of manyother men and women through his preaching the Word of God, a task he wasvery fond of. Among his many sermons and lectures, the ones thatparticularly stand out are those he prepared for the feasts dedicated tothe manifestation of Christ, especially Christmas and the Epiphany.Going through the numerous sermons that Cardinal Martini, as Archbishopof Milan, dedicated to Christmas, one is struck by the great timelinessof certain words, no doubt because of their profound truth and for theconsiderable prophetic quality of the preacher himself. But even moreso, it has to do with the recurrence of human history and the fact thathumanity is always the same and, therefore, always in need of the samething: that God may come to each one of us, in tenderness.Carlo M. Martini;