Peace in the Risen Lord, Homily, 3rd Sunday of Easter – Cycle B– 4/19/15

The past few years I’ve had the opportunity to see family and friends that I have not seen in years at weddings, funerals, and helping them through illness and other trials.   It was good seeing these friends and family members and catching up with them after many years.  It was like old times and we quickly picked up where we left off years ago.  This was a very joyful experience. 

Unfortunately there were a few people that I did not look forward seeing. For some reason or another there was a rift between us that had not been resolved.   I desired to reconcile, but they were not ready to do so.   I knew it would be very uncomfortable being with them and it made me very anxious. I’m sure that some of you have been in similar situations.  It can be quite stressful.

In today’s Gospel we hear about another encounter of the disciples with

the risen Jesus.  The disciples who met Jesus on the way to Emmaus had returned to Jerusalem.  They were telling the story to the other disciples how they recognized Jesus in the breaking of the bread.  These other disciples were probably hidden away in fear as Jesus had just been killed and they feared for their own lives.

As the two disciples were telling their story, Jesus appears to the other disciples. They were probably a bit anxious to see Jesus, as they did not leave him on good terms. They had abandoned him in the garden of Gethsemane and left him with the guards to be captured, put on trial, tortured, and killed.  They bailed out on Jesus and left him alone.  What they did would be hard for anyone to forgive.  They knew this and may have felt troubled by Jesus appearing to them.  Also, it must have been frightening to hear that someone had risen from the dead and they may have thought he was a ghost. 

Jesus recognizes that the disciples are troubled and speaks these words of comfort to them: “Peace be with you.”  He knows they are troubled and puts them at ease by offering them his peace.   It’s probably not what the disciple’s expected to hear, but what they needed.   To show them that he had is alive and present to them in the flesh Jesus offers them to touch him.  

Jesus then shares a meal of baked fish to establish fellowship and shows that he is truly alive with a glorified immortal body and not a ghost. He reveals to the disciples the meaning of his resurrection by explaining what the Scriptures said that he would suffer, die, and rise from the dead.    Finally the disciples’ get their mission: to preach repentance for forgiveness of sins in Jesus name.  

Jesus’ encounter with the disciples in Jerusalem is a model of our encounter with him each Sunday that we come to Mass.   Each week we come with our own struggles, anxieties, and stresses just like the disciples. 

We have broken relationships that need mending and people unwilling to be mended.   We have money issues trying to make ends meet that seem impossible to overcome. We have worries about our health and our loved ones.   And to add more fuel to the fire we have sinned against God, others, and ourselves.  We, like the disciples, may be troubled, and question whether Jesus will be present to us, and forgive us.

But each week as we come to Mass we can experience the same encounter the disciples did in Jerusalem.  We start off with the priest, in persona Christi, telling us “Peace be with you”. We’re receiving the peace that only Jesus can offer.  Our minds are being opened up to the Scripture, through the readings, proclamation of the Gospel, and preaching to make sense of God’s word in the context of our lives.  We then get the beautiful gift of being communion with the Lord by sharing in the Eucharistic meal where Jesus is truly present to us in the sacrament. Through the Eucharist we are forgiven of our venial sin. When we receive Jesus in the sacrament we are given the gift of becoming what we eat: to become Jesus to others.

Through Christ’s sacrifice we also become adopted sons and daughters of the Father. We are then sent out like the disciples to “Go announce the Gospel of the Lord.”  

As we come to Mass each week we need to keep in mind that Jesus did the ultimate for us by offering his life in sacrifice to forgive each of our own sins, and those of the whole world.  We need to be willing believe he is our Savior, to ask for his forgiveness, and to accept it.  This should fill us with Joy!    If we let our minds be opened up to the true gift of all that is offered in the Mass, and that Jesus is truly present and offers us forgiveness, it should bring us peace to help us through our troubles.  Our troubles may still be there, but with Jesus’ presence through the sacraments and the Body of Christ, we can make it through any challenging time. 

May the peace that Jesus offers provide us opportunities to share this good news of mercy with others so we can carry out Christ’s mission as his disciples.  God bless you.

Homily 3rd Sunday of Lent - Cycle B - Spring-cleaning and cleansing our temples

It looks like winter is finally coming to an end and spring is just around the corner.   After being cooped up in the house for the last few weeks of cold and snow I bet you’re ready for some warmer weather and a change from the drab scenery.   Along with the warmer weather comes everyone’s favorite activity: Spring-cleaning.   It’s time to do some deep cleaning and get rid of the clutter that’s accumulated in the house and garage over the winter, and freshen things up.   It’s amazing after a thorough cleaning how you can see things in a new light.   This season of Lent helps us to clean up and get rid of the clutter in our spiritual lives, so we can get ready for the new season of Easter.

Jesus was doing some clean up today as we hear the Gospel of the cleansing of the temple. He was doing this with an attitude to make a point.  We hear he made a whip out of cords, overturned table of coins, and drove animals out of the temple area.  Why would he do this?  The moneychangers and merchants were necessary for the pilgrims’ visit to the temple.   People had traveled a long way on the pilgrimage to Jerusalem and had to make an offering to God in the temple.  They weren’t able to bring offerings with them on these long trips so they needed to purchase them when they got to Jerusalem.   They also needed to exchange the Roman coins that had pagan symbols on them, which were prohibited in the temple, for Jewish money that was acceptable for use in the temple.  These merchants & moneychangers were located in the court of the Gentiles and outside of the temple proper and weren’t interfering with worship. So both of these services seemed to be legitimate to the needs of the people, but their presence was probably distracting.

When Jesus enters the temple it makes these offerings obsolete, because the temple was no longer necessary to worship God.    Jesus is the incarnate Word of God, the person of God in human flesh and blood.  He was there to fully reveal God to humanity through His presence.  Jesus is making the point that He is the new temple, through the temple of His body.   He will reveal who he is through the miracles of healing, casting out demons, and forgiving sins. But he knew the people of Israel would be slow to accept this.  They were too caught up in their old ways of worship and could not recognize who Jesus is, the Messiah and Son of God. So he stirs things up by cleansing the temple.   When challenged by Jews in the temple of why he did this his response is: “To destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.”  The Jews had no idea of what he meant by this.   It took forty-six years to build the temple, and they could not fathom what he meant by rebuilding in three day.    This would only make sense to those who heard it after his crucifixion and resurrection.

We can as well get caught up in our old routines that clutter up our ability to recognize Jesus and who he is if we don’t take time to do some spiritual cleaning of our own temples. As baptized Christians we make up the Body of Christ.  If Jesus is the new temple, we participate in it as being part of the Body of Christ.  How do we clean up our own temples individually and as a community:  Through our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and alms giving that bring us to repentance.   During Lent we have plenty of opportunities to clean up our temples by assessing what’s cluttering up our spiritual lives and receiving the sacrament of reconciliation.  

If we are going to make a good confession, we need to take some time and do a good assessment of our relationship with God and our neighbor.  Last week Father Vince gave us some good ideas to start on this assessment by reflecting on attitudes we need to fast from and also feast on.  This week we read about the Ten Commandments to given to Moses.  By following these it helps us to live as Jesus teaches: to love God and neighbor.  These commandments help us assess what clutter to remove from our lives. Most of the commandments are written in a negative context: thou shall not.  In the Lenten spirit of the changing our hearts & repenting it may be better to think of these as actions to avoid or in some cases to do, so we can be free from sin and love God and neighbor. When we review the commandants its a good idea examine our sins of omissions as well which the actions we should be doing, but may not be doing that well, to show our love for our neighbor.  For example have I been generous with the gifts God have given me and shared them with those who are most in need?  The beatitudes are a good tool to reflect on this as they help us determine if our actions are being Christ like.

So as you do some spring-cleaning at home remember to clean out the clutter that keeps you from being in relationship with Jesus, so you can be prepared at Easter to recognize Jesus as our Savior who builds up the Body of Christ.  May God bless all of you!

Homily for 1st Sunday of Lent - Cycle B - Set your sights on the Kingdom of God

Have you ever longed to be somewhere else to take you away from your cares and troubles?  I bet today is one of those days with the cold and snowy weather we’re having. The rainbow in today’s first reading reminded me of favorite childhood movie where someone longed to be taken away from her cares at the end of the rainbow:  The Wizard of Oz. Dorothy longed to be in a perfect land beyond the horizon.  She got her wish and wound up in munchkin land and then journeyed to Oz. We may yearn to

escape from our troubles, but we don’t need to search over the rainbow to find it. In today’s first reading God makes a covenant with Noah to never again destroy all the men and creatures of the earth through a flood. God’s reminder of this covenant is the rainbow. It’s fulfilled through Jesus who brings about the Kingdom of God. 

Today’s Gospel is brief, but has a powerful message.  In the first part we hear about Jesus overcoming the temptation by Satan in the desert.  There aren’t a lot of details about this encounter, but it gives us great hope.  We’re told that, “The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert”.  Just prior to this John had just baptized Jesus, and the Holy Spirit had descended upon him.  Jesus’ immediate action after baptism is to battle Satan and the wild beasts in the desert.  Jesus resists the temptations of Satan with the help of Holy Spirit and angels.  His victory over the temptations reverses the consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin. Jesus wasn’t in need of baptism, he’s without sin, but by being baptized and tested in the desert, he unites himself with our struggles to overcome sin.   His obedience in following God’s will triumphs over Satan, and is also triumph for us.   This is Good News!

In the second part Jesus proclaims:  “Now is the time of fulfillment.  The Kingdom of God is at hand.” The Kingdom of God is a prominent theme of Jesus’ ministry.  In proclaiming the Kingdom He’s announces that God’s reign has come through himself.   The people of Israel had longed for God’s reign to come in a Messiah who would overcome the political powers to restore a rightful ruler to Israel. But Jesus was not the mighty ruler they were expecting.  He is a humble servant, who not only came for the people of Israel, but for everyone.

Jesus continues John’s ministry of calling to repentance and baptism, but adds a new dimension.  Jesus proclaims to “Repent AND believe in the Gospel.”  Another word for Gospel is good news. What is the good news: Jesus miraculous healings and forgiveness of sins to bring about the Kingdom of God. Also, the salvation made possible for us through his obedience in suffering and sacrifice. This indeed is good news!

Lent can be a challenging time.  It’s a time that we deny ourselves through daily sacrifice.  We’re giving up things that we like and committing our time in prayer or serving others. It’s a time set apart by the Church to repent through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  While these practices are a challenge, they’re meant to lead us to where we should really want be: the Kingdom of God celebrating the Easter Joy of the Risen Lord.   If we keep this destination in mind and unite our sufferings with Jesus it can make the time of Lent a time of joyful anticipation. 

We don’t need to go it alone during Lent. Through our baptism we can rely on the Holy Spirit to bring about the virtues to help us in our journey.   We can call on our guardian angel to help fight the temptations the devil puts in our way.   We also have our families and faith community who can support us.  But even with this help we may fail in keeping our Lenten observances and yield to our temptations.   These failures may not be all that bad, as they help us to realize we need a savior.  When we struggle with our temptations please that remember Jesus faced the same challenges and is united with us in our struggles.  He understands what we’re going through and has compassion for us.  If we fail in our Lenten disciplines or fall into sin don’t give up.  Ask Jesus for help and start over.  If you need to go to confession there are plenty of times to receive Jesus’ forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation.

If you haven’t chosen a Lenten discipline yet or are struggling in keeping yours, I’d like to offer three for consideration.   The first is to slowly pray the Our Father daily. Meditate on how you’re living out this prayer in your daily life.   Really focus is on, “thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”.  Think about how you are bringing about the Kingdom of God to those close to you and also to those most in need.  A second suggestion is to read Mark’s Gospel from start to finish.  This is the shortest Gospel and is being read throughout the Church year. One of the best ways to come to know the good news of Jesus is to read the story about him.   If you finish before the end of Lent is over, read it again.  Finally, plan on coming to Mass twenty minutes early to participate in the Stations of the Cross devotions. These practices will help you “Repent and believe in the Gospel.”

Instead of longing to be somewhere over the rainbow during Lent set your sights on the Kingdom of God, recalling the covenant of God’s love.  Through God’s love the waters of baptism bring us new life in Christ.  Through baptism the grace of the Holy Spirit provides strength to live a virtuous life and resist temptations to sin.  It also helps to make the Kingdom of God present to those around us through our acts of service to others.   As we prepare to receive the Eucharist let us all thank God for the Holy Spirit and His angels who help us on our Lenten journey. 

Homily from 4th Sunday: Fr. Alberto, Food for the Poor: It’s not my turn to eat today – If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart?

Fr. Alberto from Food for the Poor came in this weekend to share the story about the people that Food for the Poor ministers to in order to help ease poverty in third world countries in the Caribbean and Central/South America.  He started out with “If today you hear his voice, harden not your heart”.  He reminded us that prayer is a two way street, not just asking Jesus to help.  So in the midst of one of the greatest way to prayer, attending Mass, he called us to listen.   One of stories that really caught my attention about the child who came for food in the village but it was not his turn to eat.   Wow, how sad.   He also told us another story beginning with the saying: “give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he will eat for a lifetime”.    He went on to tell us about how Food for the Poor bought a fishing boat to provide food and employment to men in village in Jamaica and how profits from the venture went back to support efforts to help other.   Fr. Alberto closed with Matthew 25: 27-40: When did I see you me hungry and you gave me food, thirsty and you gave me drink, stranger and you welcomed me, naked and your clothed me, ill and your cared for me, in prison and your visited me? And the king will say to them in reply: Whenever you did so for the least of my brothers you did so for me.    Please join with Food for the Poor Helping in their efforts to help Jesus who we see in the face of the Poor, by returning the intention card or signing up online to support Food for the Poor.  God bless.

Deacon Steve's Homily - New Year’s resolution to change - 3rd Sunday Ordinary – B

Almost 4 weeks ago we ushered in the New Year – 2015.

For me, it was non-eventful.  I didn’t even stay awake until midnight.

One thing that is always popular at the beginning of the year is to make  New Year’s resolutions.

Did anyone make a New Year’s resolution this year?

My grandson, Zack, actually resolved to get taller this year.

Some popular New Year’s resolutions are:

-       Lose weight

-       Stop drinking

-       Stop smoking

-       Exercise more

-       Enjoy life more

-       Get organized

-       Learn something new

-       Get out of debt

-       Spend more time with family

These resolutions are all good things to do and are meant to improve our lives.

Positive changes in one’s life are something that we should all strive for.

Change can be difficult, though.

We become creatures of habit and often times we fall back into our old ways.

I dare say that 3 + weeks into 2015 and many people have already broken their New Year’s resolution. 

Yes or No?

Today’s readings remind us that change is needed in our spiritual life as well.

We see this theme of change, or repentance, throughout our readings.

Jonah, who was speaking for God, calls the people of Nineveh to change their ways.

And when they do change, good things happen.

We just read from the book of Jonah:

“When God saw by their actions how they turned from their evil way,
he repented of the evil that he had threatened to do to them;
he did not carry it out.”

Yes, even God repented and changed!

And then in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus says:

“This is the time of fulfillment.
The kingdom of God is at hand.
Repent, and believe in the gospel.”

Jesus is calling the people to change the way that they are living, to improve their lives.

Why is he doing that?

He is calling for change because of his great love for the people.

He is actually calling the people to a better way of life:

A life of joy and peace that leads to God’s heavenly kingdom for all eternity!

Change can be difficult; most people really don’t like to change.

Most of us like to settle in to our lifestyle where we become comfortable, even if certain habits that we have are harmful.

Think about the popular New Year’s resolutions:

Eating better, losing weight, stopping smoking and drinking, and getting out of debt.

All of these resolutions are meant to change things that are harmful to one’s mind and body.

And when they are changed, the person is healthier and happier.

Changing habits can take several days. 

Conventional wisdom says that it takes 21 days to change a habit.

Some researchers say 28 days, while others claim 60 or more days.

Whether it takes 21 days, 28 days, or 60 days, changing habits take time and discipline.

I suppose there are some habits can even take years to change. <pause>

So how do we change our spiritual lives?

How to we repent and believe in the Gospel?

We change by emulating the apostles, by following Jesus.

We heard Jesus say to Simon and Andrew in our Gospel reading from Mark:

“Come after me, and I will make you fishers of men.” 

What did they do?

They abandoned their nets and followed Jesus.

Then Jesus called out to James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother, John to follow him as well.  

What did they do?

They left their father, Zebedee, and followed Jesus.

All 4 men left their livelihood and had a change of lifestyle because they answered Jesus’ call to follow him.

They had great courage in doing so and displayed a deep trust in Jesus.

They spent 3 years living with Jesus.

They listened to him, they talked with him, they learned from him.

They travelled together and ate meals together.

Their lives were radically changed, in a positive way, when they answered the call to be a disciple of Jesus.

My friends, we are being called to do the same.

In baptism, we were claimed by Christ and we became one of his disciples.

By following Christ, listening to Christ, and feeding on Christ, we can positively change and become more Christ-like.

This week, my friends, let’s take a spiritual inventory of our lives, and come up with our own New Year’s resolutions for our souls.

What changes do we need that would help strengthen our relationship with God?  Some resolutions to consider:

Increase our prayer time - where we can listen to and talk with Jesus.

Read more scripture – perhaps the church’s daily readings.

More frequent reception of the Eucharist – where we feed on and with Jesus.

More trips to the confessional - where we partake in the sacrament of Reconciliation.

As we strive for positive change in our life, may we never forget that Jesus loves us more than we can imagine, and that is why he calls us.

May we, like the apostles, answer the call and follow Jesus!

Answering the call and making time for God - Deacon Ron's Homily, Week 3 Ordinary Time

Readings for 3rd Sunday Ordinary Time
 
We all live in a very busy world today ruled by calendars with appointments and projects with deadlines.    We are task oriented with people to meet, places to go, and things to do. We have smart-phones, computers, day-timers, and watches to keep us on schedule. When something interrupts our schedule it can be disruptive and frustrating.

But every once in a while something does comes up needs immediate attention that takes priority over everything else. A child gets sick and needs to go to the doctor and be cared for. A close friend or relative passes away and you need to travel to support their family. These events weren’t in the plan but the urgency of the situation demands total attention. It needs to be addressed now and with action.   

I think this is what the disciples must have felt in responding to Jesus.  What else would have caused them to leave their jobs and family to follow Jesus?   It was totally out of the social norm to abandon a family during those times.  The fishing enterprise they were in seemed prosperous as Zebedee had a boat and hired hands, so it seemed unusual for them to leave stable employment. They must have felt a call that the situation was urgent and warranted their total attention to abandon everything and follow Jesus.  What would cause them to respond in this way?

 Jesus had just come to Galilee to start his public ministry.  Galilee was not the place that you would expect the Messiah to come. It was in the Northern part of Israel and had become known as the “Galilee of the Gentiles”.  During the exile of Israel the Assyrians relocated foreign tribes to settle in the area.   The Jews viewed these people as unclean and looked down on them.   Why would Jesus come to Galilee?  To fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah that that said God would manifest himself in Galilee.  He was coming not only for the Jews, but also for all people. 

Jesus preached the message:

This is the time of fulfillment.

The kingdom of God is at hand.

Repent, and believe in the Gospel.

His message has a sense of urgency.  Now is the time!  God’s kingdom has come,

image courtesy of http://clipart.ochristian.com/

manifested through the person of Jesus.  Jesus’ message appealed to the disciples situation. They were probably longing for relief from the Roman occupiers who imposed heavy taxes on their fishing industry and restrictions to the freedom.  A new kingdom of God would surely be better than their current situation. 

Jesus then gives them a personal invitation:

“Come after me and I will make you fishers of men”.

Jesus presence must have been commanding and with authority, as the disciples immediately abandoned their nets and followed Him.  The term, “fishers of men”, may have been a familiar to them and captured their attention.   A prophecy of Jeremiah references “many fishermen” to go out and gather the dispersed people of Israel.  The disciples were moved by a sense of excitement to be part of the mission. They felt it was now their time to respond and give up everything for Jesus.   Jesus needed their help to call people to repentance and share the Gospel with others.   He called some of the most unlikely people, simple fishermen, to help him share his message.  Jesus calls us as well.

Do we respond with the same sense of urgency when it comes to God interrupting our busy lives?  We heard today that this is the time of fulfillment and the kingdom of God is at hand, but do we really believe it?  Do we respond when called by Jesus to come follow him, repent and believe in the Gospel?  Are we open to listening to this call?

Several years ago I was not.    I was attending Mass, but just fitting it in to meet my Sunday obligation. I had several people invite me to a Christ Renew’s His Parish Retreat, but quickly turned them down. I already had God in my schedule and couldn’t afford more time.   After about a year of being asked I finally accepted the invitation.  I was going through a stressful time at work and felt a need to go. With reluctance I went to the retreat but told the presenters I’d be leaving by lunchtime.  They said to give God a few hours and see what happens.  Through their prayer and support I wound up staying for the entire retreat.  It led me to putting my relationship with Jesus as top priority in my life & discerning a call to the diaconate.  I’m glad I finally listened to the call and gave some time to God.

All of us here are on the right path to responding to the call.   We’ve started off today repenting our sins by praying the Confiteor. We’ve strengthened our belief by listening to the Gospel.   We’ll soon receive the Eucharist where we’ll encounter the Kingdom of God through the real presence of Christ.  This is a good place to start. Now we just need to be open to responding to the call of Jesus. Is God calling you to volunteer in a ministry, attend Christ Renews His Parish retreat or RCIA class, or put him top priority in your life?  If someone invites you, stay open to the call.  Take it to Jesus in prayer and listen.

Not everyone is called to abandon his or her family and jobs to follow Jesus, but we are called to put Jesus as top priority over everything else in our life.   Give God some time in your life by responding to his call with urgency. By putting Jesus first in our life it opens us up to a life long adventure as a disciple in the Kingdom of God.   

Mary's Yes - Deacon Ron's Homily, Fourth Sunday Advent – Cycle A – 12/21/14

Good evening/morning!   So has your Advent gone preparing for the Jesus coming?   I’m sure you’ve been busy getting ready for Christmas, putting up decorations, buying presents, and preparing to receive guests or to travel and your all set.   Or maybe you’re like me and still have a few of these things to do. Getting ready for Christmas can be a little overwhelming!  Thankfully we have the season of Advent to help us get ready.   The last three weekends we’ve focused on watching, waiting, preparing, and rejoicing in the Lord’s coming.  Now in this final week we’re invited to ponder what the birth of Jesus means and what God is asking of us.

We hear in today’s Gospel the angel Gabriel is sent from God to a virgin, Mary, betrothed to Joseph from the house of David.   Luke sets up the stage for the fulfillment of the prophecy we heard in today’s first reading. We also hear that Mary is troubled by the angels greeting, “Hail, full of Grace.  The Lord is with you.” Why would this trouble her? This is not the usual Hebrew greeting she would hear which is, shalom, meaning, “peace be with you”.   The greeting is in Greek.  Hail means Rejoice or Joy.   The second part of the greeting: “full of grace!” is related to the first.  The root of the word grace is based on the same Greek root of joy.  Why would Gabriel use this greeting? Because joy and grace belong together announcing the good news of the Gospel.

The angel then tells her ” Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son and you shall name him Jesus” and “he will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of this kingdom there will be no end”. The angel is rejoicing in the gift of the Holy Spirit that brings about the conception of Jesus, a name that means God saves. This greeting in Greek rather than Hebrew is a sign that salvation is coming for all people.  This is truly good news.  First she ponders this greeting.  Mary is troubled, but she doesn’t stay this way.    She reflects in her heart on the angel’s greeting and seeks to understand the significance of the message. Gabriel gives her some peace telling her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God”.   We can learn from Mary to reflect in prayer on situations that may seem troubling, and to try understanding them in God’s overall plan.

Mary’s second reaction is to ask a question.   She dialogues with God’s messenger.  It’s a two-way communication.    This is a good model for us to follow, in our prayer life.   Prayer is dialogue with God.    It’s not just about asking God for something, but also having a conversation with Him.   Mary’s doesn’t doubt what’s being told to her, but she’s just trying to understand how conceiving a child was possible for her.

The angel answers Mary, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the most high will overshadow you.  Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God”.  To reassure Mary the angel tells of her cousin, Elizabeth, who was childless and beyond childbearing age is now 6 months pregnant.  He tells her “nothing will be impossible for God.”

Mary’s final reaction is her response to God.  Mary was free to choose to say yes or no, just like we are.   It’s amazing that God, who created humanity, would rely on a humble young woman’s response to restore humanity.  Mary pondered and chose to say yes: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.  May it be done to me according to your word”.  This yes set in motion to reversal of Adam and Eve’s no and brought about the salvation of humanity through the birth of Jesus.

It’s said that Mary’s answer of yes to God allowed her to conceive through her ear.  She heard the word of God and said yes.   We in a sense have a similar experience, saying yes to God at baptism and becoming children of God.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit our baptism washes our original sin, and we can be the bearers of the God like Mary in receiving Jesus in the Eucharist.   

Why don’t we use the last few days of Advent to ponder in our hearts this great gift of Mary’s conception of Jesus through the Holy Spirit.  St. Augustine said that Mary conceived Christ in her heart by faith before she conceived him in her womb.  As we approach the birth of Christ, may seek to have faith in this mystery and to say yes to following God’s will.  May the Eucharist we are about to receive give us strength us to respond as Mary did.