Erin gave God her "yes"

Today is the SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE BLESSED VIGIN MARY, a holy day of obligation or, as I like to call it, a holy day of opportunity to encounter our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ through the person who loved him the most, his Mother.

Sisters and brothers in Christ, today, we celebrate the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, God preserving Mary from the stain of original sin to become the bearer of the Incarnate Word of God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. And while Mary received this great gift from God, she still had freewill and, with her freewill, she gave her Father in heaven her "yes" (fiat), saying: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”

With her "yes' came a lot of hardships throughout her life - traveling to Bethlehem for the census while she was pregnant with Christ and not having a place to rest her head, giving birth to Jesus in a manger, fleeing to Egypt to escape the wrath of Herod, and, of course, witnessing her Son's Passion and Death on the Cross. Yes, she endured it all without losing hope, filled with grace and trust in God who called her to Himself. For that reason, and so many more, our Blessed Mother Mary is our model of holiness, to live out the virtues of faith, hope, and love in our lives with our eyes firmly on her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.

This morning, after serving at the 6:30 Mass with Fr. Daniel Liu, we greeted parishioners as they were leaving the Cathedral. One young woman came up to me. Her name is Erin and she shared with me that she returned to Mass for the first time in a long while on the Second Sunday of Advent. Erin gave her "yes" to God and returned home to the Catholic Church of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I rejoiced with her and invited her to join us for Mass every morning at the Cathedral. I hope and pray she does. In Erin, God showed me that it is never too late to us to give God our "yes" and that God is always ready to receive His beloved in His loving embrace.

Let us pray. . .

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

. . .

Gospel of the Day

The angel Gabriel was sent from God

to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,

of the house of David,

and the virgin’s name was Mary.

And coming to her, he said,

“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

But she was greatly troubled at what was said

and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.

Then the angel said to her,

“Do not be afraid, Mary,

for you have found favor with God.

Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,

and you shall name him Jesus.

He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,

and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,

and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,

and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”

But Mary said to the angel,

“How can this be,

since I have no relations with a man?”

And the angel said to her in reply,

“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.

And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,

has also conceived a son in her old age,

and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;

for nothing will be impossible for God.”

Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.

May it be done to me according to your word.”

Then the angel departed from her.