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.

Unburden yourself and rest in Christ

Sisters and brothers in Christ, when I look at my calendar and see that I am on schedule to serve at Mass in the evening, like tonight's Vigil of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, certain thoughts run through my mind, such as will I make it to Mass in time or I am too tired to serve at Mass after a long day at work. However, it never fails that when I arrive at the church and put on my vestment and prepare to serve, I feel rejuvenated, renewed, and refreshed because the "yoke" of Jesus is easy.

I am convinced that this is what Jesus means when he says, "Come to me, all you you labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest." Like John the Evangelist, who rested his head on Jesus' heart at the Last Supper, we, too, can rest our head on Jesus's Sacred Heart. Therefore, I would encourage all my sisters and brothers in Christ to take the challenge of going to Mass before or after work. Not only will you not feel tired but you will reinvigorated because, when we "yoke" ourselves to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we will find that he lightens our burden because He does the heavy lifting for us.

Moreover, no matter how tired we are at night, especially after a particularly long day's work, when we spend a few minutes with Jesus in prayer, we will discover that we will have a restful sleep. How? Because when we spend time in prayer, we unburden ourselves of the day's labor, offering our daily challenges and problems up to God, and He gives us rest.

. . .

Gospel of the Day

Jesus said to the crowds:

“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,

and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,

for I am meek and humble of heart;

and you will find rest for yourselves.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

God comes searching for us

Sisters and brothers in Christ, in the Rite of Baptism, the Church gives the child (through his/her parents) a white garment and says, "With your family and friends to help you by word and example, bring it unstained into eternal life." Then, the Church gives the father lights the child's Baptismal candle as the minister says, "your child, enlightened by Christ, may walk always as a child of the light and, persevering in the faith, may run to meet the Lord when he comes with all the Saints in the heavenly court."

This is the desire of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which is also the desire of the Catholic Church, as we hear in today's Gospel parable: "it is not the will of your heavenly Father that one of these little ones be lost." Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, parents (and child) lose sight of this and others things in life take priority of their child's relationship with God, and the child strays from the faith. In those times, we should be grateful that our Good Shepherd goes searching for us.

However, something Jesus says in the parable struck me - "if he finds them. . ." This struck me because sometimes, even when someone has gone astray and is lost, they do not want to be found. In other words, of their own freewill, they are unwilling to repent. The miracle of Christmas is the we are never beyond redemption. Our Lord and our God, the King of the universe, comes searching for us, and he comes as a child, born of a Virgin, to save us. As a baby, He invites us to be vulnerable, childlike, and dependent on Him. This is our reason to hope, not only this Advent season as we wait, but all year long.

. . .

Gospel of the Day

Jesus said to his disciples:

"What is your opinion?

If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray,

will he not leave the ninety-nine in the hills

and go in search of the stray?

And if he finds it, amen, I say to you, he rejoices more over it

than over the ninety-nine that did not stray.

In just the same way, it is not the will of your heavenly Father

that one of these little ones be lost."

How committed are we to God?

Sisters and brothers in Christ, after the Texas Longhorns football team won the 2005 National Championship, Theresa and I waited in line for 3 hours to meet the team and take pictures with Coach Mack Brown. (Of course, Vince Young was not longer with the team because he had declared eligible for the NFL Draft.) To this day, we share that story as an example of commitment in a relationship and how one person sometimes go the extra-mile for their loved ones. In this case, Theresa was willing to spend 3 hours in the Texas heat for me to meet the team. Now, it is also an example of the extent to go through when we are committed to someone or something. Another example is, I recently saw a meme of football fans sitting in the cold and now to watch their teams play.

The question is, can we show God this same level of commitment when it comes going to Mass on Sundays to worship Him and give Him praise and glory. We read in today's Gospel the lengths that the men went through to get a man who was paralyzed and on a stretcher so that he can be in the presence of Jesus. They were determined for him to see Jesus and the crowd did not deter them. Their efforts bear fruit because, not only does Jesus tell all of them that their sins are forgiven because of their faith, Christ healed the paralyzed man and he was able to walk. When we are committed to the practice of our Catholic faith, it can move mountains and bear fruits. Unfortunately, we oftentimes to not put in the commitment that we ought even though we certainly do not lack the ability to be committed.

Advent is the perfect season to recommit to our faith but, most of all, to recommit to our relationship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Advent is a time to go that extra mile to love God (and love our neighbors). I recently met with a young engaged couple. They are both Catholic but have not been going to Mass on Sundays. I encouraged them to start now during the Advent season, to renew their commitment to God, go to Mass together, and pray for each other and pray with each other. I encourage to all to do the same. We take risks with various commitments in our lives. Our commitment to a relationship with God will yield much fruit, guaranteed.

. . .

Gospel of the Day

One day as Jesus was teaching,

Pharisees and teachers of the law,

who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and Jerusalem,

were sitting there,

and the power of the Lord was with him for healing. 

And some men brought on a stretcher a man who was paralyzed;

they were trying to bring him in and set him in his presence. 

But not finding a way to bring him in because of the crowd,

they went up on the roof

and lowered him on the stretcher through the tiles

into the middle in front of Jesus. 

When Jesus saw their faith, he said,

“As for you, your sins are forgiven.” 

Then the scribes and Pharisees began to ask themselves,

“Who is this who speaks blasphemies? 

Who but God alone can forgive sins?” 

Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them in reply,

“What are you thinking in your hearts? 

Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’

or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? 

But that you may know

that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”–

he said to the one who was paralyzed,

“I say to you, rise, pick up your stretcher, and go home.” 

He stood up immediately before them,

picked up what he had been lying on,

and went home, glorifying God. 

Then astonishment seized them all and they glorified God,

and, struck with awe, they said,

“We have seen incredible things today.”

Calling all followers of Christ

Sisters and brothers in Christ, a few years ago, the radio station - The Spirit 105.9 - encouraged people to pay it forward with their "drive-thru" challenge. Essentially, you pay for the meal of the people behind you in the drive-thru line. I was on the receiving end of such generosity one time in the drive-thru of a McDonald's but also in a restaurant a few times. I have also paid it forward on several occasions, too.

I believe that Jesus is telling us to pay it forward when it comes to our faith when he says: "Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give." We receive the gift of faith and healing and, like Jesus mentioned in the parable of talents, we are called to share our gifts of time, talents, and treasures to build up the kingdom of God here on here. We are the laborers for the harvest, called to go forth and "make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’" - and lead others to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The interesting thing is, Jesus says for us to "[go] to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." In other words, Jesus is telling us to first look at our families, friends, and parish, and invite those who are no longer attending Mass or practicing their Catholic faith to return to Mass but, most of all, to dare to risk encountering Jesus in their lives once again. In this way, perhaps we can help them - through the outpouring of grace from the Holy Spirit - to heal those places in their lives - mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual - that have separated them from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. This is what Jesus has give us the power and authority to do as his disciples. Let's have courage, be bold, be Catholic.

. . .

Gospel of the Day

Jesus went around to all the towns and villages,

teaching in their synagogues,

proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,

and curing every disease and illness. 

At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them

because they were troubled and abandoned,

like sheep without a shepherd.

Then he said to his disciples,

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;

so ask the master of the harvest

to send out laborers for his harvest.” 

Then he summoned his Twelve disciples

and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out

and to cure every disease and every illness. 

Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,

“Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 

As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 

Cure the sick, raise the dead,

cleanse lepers, drive out demons.

Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.”

Courage, my heart

Sisters and brothers in Christ, Christ stands at the door of our hearts knocking. With faith, we respond to Christ and open the door and invite him into our hearts and dwell therein. With faith, we trust in God's plan and will for us, even when we do not see the "big picture", we have faith that God desires only good for us. With faith, in times of trials and tribulations, we are at peace and filled with supernatural joy because we have faith that God will take our sufferings and pain and transforms them into good and miraculous. With faith also comes the tremendous responsibility to share the Good News of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ with others, that He is our light and our salvation because "out of gloom and darkness, the eyes of the blind shall see."

We read this in today's Gospel when Jesus healed the blind men. First, Christ asks them, “Do you believe that I can do this?” So, too, our Lord Jesus Christ asks us these questions. Do you believe in me? Do you believe that I only desire your good, for you to be the person that I lovingly created you to be? Do you believe and trust in my plan for you? Do you love me as I love you? The blind men respond, "Yes." What is our response to Jesus? Then Jesus adds, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” We often tell each other, "Have faith in yourself." What if we change that and say to each other, "Have faith in God who is working in you and through you"?

When tragedy strikes us in life - illness, death of beloved one, etc. - we have a choice to make. We can lose our faith and struggle trying to do things on our own? Or we can lean on our faith and overcome, knowing in our hearts that our Father in heaven has not and will never abandon us, that we are loved by Him. This is how we can put into practice what Saint Paul wrote, "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Jesus asks us, “Do you believe that I can do this?” May we have courage and be stouthearted and answer him, "My Lord and my God, I believe." 

. . .

Gospel of the Day

As Jesus passed by, two blind men followed him, crying out,

“Son of David, have pity on us!” 

When he entered the house,

the blind men approached him and Jesus said to them,

“Do you believe that I can do this?” 

“Yes, Lord,” they said to him. 

Then he touched their eyes and said,

“Let it be done for you according to your faith.” 

And their eyes were opened. 

Jesus warned them sternly,

“See that no one knows about this.” 

But they went out and spread word of him through all that land.

The eternal rock

Sisters and brothers in Christ, I love this. . . Isaiah wrote: "the LORD is an eternal Rock" . . . Jesus said: "you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church." The "gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against" the Church because she rests upon the eternal Rock - her Lord and her God.

A few days ago, I called a brother deacon of mine who recently lost his wife after a long illness. How he responded when he picked up the phone was nothing what I expected. He was so filled with joy! We had such a spirited conversation that ended with my praying over him on the phone. I reflected on our conversation after we hung up and I realized that his "foundation" was so strong because his faith was so deeply rooted in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ that, while he mourned the loss of a beloved wife, he still experienced joy and peace. He trusted in God completely. He gave our Blessed Mother Mary thanks for being with him and his daughter. Today's Gospel reminded me of this interaction I had with my brother deacon because, he not only professed his faith with his lips, he lived out his faith in his actions. The Spirit of Christ who dwells in his heart shone forth so brightly, even during difficult times.

This is why Jesus told the disciples (and us) of the parable of the house built on a solid rock foundation. Christ wants us to stand on the firm foundation of THE eternal Rock - God - so that when we are faced with trials and tribulations in our lives, we not only can withstand the tempest but come out of it even stronger. I witnessed this in my brother deacon. Therefore, this Advent season, through prayer and reception of the Sacraments, let us ask God to be our firm foundation - THE eternal rock for us to stand on now and forever.

. . .

Gospel of the Day

Jesus said to his disciples:

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’

will enter the Kingdom of heaven,

but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.

“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them

will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. 

The rain fell, the floods came,

and the winds blew and buffeted the house. 

But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. 

And everyone who listens to these words of mine

but does not act on them

will be like a fool who built his house on sand. 

The rain fell, the floods came,

and the winds blew and buffeted the house. 

And it collapsed and was completely ruined.