Dearest brothers and sisters, I am writing to you today, March 25, a day that for the whole Church—and for us in a special way—has a unique flavor. It is the feast of the Annunciation. As I reflected on what to share with you, I picked up again the Gospel of Luke (1:26‑38) and could not help connecting it with our daily lives, with what we experience in our families, at work, and in our local centers. You know, having the grace to travel and encounter so many of our realities around the world, I realize more and more how close Mary’s story in Nazareth is to our own. God did not choose a splendid temple for the most important announcement in history, but the simple home of a village girl. He entered ordinary life, absolute normality. And does He not do the same with us? The Lord does not wait for us to be perfect, to have everything under control, or for conditions to be ideal. He enters our often messy lives—between one rush and another, between concerns for our children or our work—and tells us: “Rejoice, the Lord is with you.” When Mary hears the Angel’s words, she is troubled. She asks questions. “How will this be?” How many times do we ask ourselves the same? How often do we feel small and inadequate before the challenges we face with young people or the difficulties of our communities? And yet, Mary ultimately trusts. She takes a deep breath and says her “Here I am”: “Let it be done to me according to your word.” Brothers and sisters, think about it for a moment: is this not the same “Here I am” we pronounced on the day of our Promise? When, with some emotion and perhaps a trembling voice, we said: “O Father… drawn by your merciful Love, I want to love you in return by doing good,” we did exactly as Mary did. We made room for God so that He could reach others through us. Our Promise is not a piece of paper kept in a drawer, nor a goal achieved once and for all. It is our way of saying “yes” every single morning. When we promise to work for the salvation of the young and to witness the Salesian spirit, we are telling the Lord: “Use my hands, use my heart, use my profession to continue what you began with Don Bosco.” To be Salesian Cooperators means precisely this: to be a welcoming womb in the world. To bring Don Bosco’s style, the joy of the Gospel, and the concreteness of the Preventive System wherever we live. Today I ask you a small favor, as a brother. This evening, when the day quiets down and the house becomes silent, take five minutes. Take out the text of our Promise and read it slowly. Let it resonate within you. Remember the emotion of that day and renew your “yes” with the same freshness and trust. I carry all of you in my heart and in my prayer, remembering the faces and stories I have encountered in my travels. May Mary Help of Christians, who first believed in God’s impossible, take us by the hand and help us be true Salesians in the world. A strong embrace to each of you, Antonio Boccia