4th Sunday of OT Year B Homily

Please note that the Lenten season is drawing close and thus on February 17th we will observe Ash Wednesday and the start of the sacred Lenten season. Traditionally this Sunday was known as Septuagesima Sunday which means seventy days, for we now stand roughly 70 days to our celebration of Easter. Traditionally the priest would begin to wear violet on this Sunday to remind the faithful of their need to prepare for the coming of Lent. I therefore invite each of you to be attentive to the coming of this season and to begin to prepare your heart and soul to enter into it.

As was stated in the verse for our Responsorial Psalm: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” The Lord is continually calling each of us to turn toward Him. The more that we are willing to turn toward Him the more perfectly we will come to hear this voice being proclaimed unto us. Sadly, so many allow their heart to grow hardened. Due to the busyness and noise of this life it is so easy for us to fail to hear and respond to God’s call. A taboo word that we might hear is “stewardship.” Stewardship should not be a taboo word, but instead should become a way of life. If we hear the voice of the Lord we will hear an invitation to give a grateful response for we are called to be Christian disciples who recognize and receive God’s gifts and to share these gifts in love of God and our neighbor.

During the Lenten season we will hold our Parish Day of Recollection on March 13th and Deacon Hicks Armor will be at our parish to present a retreat on stewardship. It is my hope that we can formulate an understanding of stewardship as something that transcends the giving of money for it relates to our full involvement in the life of our parish.

We are called to support the good of the parish as well as the diocese. Next Sunday we will have the annual bishop’s appeal which has been entitled, “Anchored in Christ.” I personally like this title because the motto of our parish school is “Anchored in Love” and this weekend kicks off Catholic Schools Week. When we hear the voice of Christ we hear the voice of Christ which calls us to love. The anchor serves as a symbol of the virtue of hope. With all that we have endured during this past year we need this glimmer of hope which comes to us from Christ and His love.

The annual bishop’s appeal helps to support so many ministries which make up our diocese. These ministries flow into this parish. From this appeal we are able to support the formation of Christian faithful, provide for the education of our clergy and seminarians, assist with the needs of Catholic Charities, provide campus ministry, assist with efforts of justice and peace, and the mobile clinic which serves in areas of our diocese which are most in need of medical help.

I hope that each of you will support the annual bishop’s appeal in some way. If you are unable to give financially please remember to pray for the success of this appeal. The works of this appeal truly help to share the love of Christ with many throughout the diocese. The more that we come to know Christ and trust in Him the more that we will be given the hope to endure the trials in this life which may lay ahead. Let us remember to orient our mind towards the Lord always in order that we may come to hear His voice and respond to His call. Let us be Christian disciples who recognize and receive God’s gifts and be willing to share these gifts in love of God and our neighbor.

Bulletin Article: January 24

Catholic Schools Week kicks off January 31 and stretches to February 6. In order to kick off Catholic Schools Week our parish school will be hosting a to go penne and meat sauce dinner with pick ups on January 30 from 5pm-6:30pm. All food for this event is provided by Carrabba’s Italian Grill and assistance is being given from our Knights of Columbus council. All proceeds to this event will go to support our parish school.

We currently have 156 students enrolled in our parish school. If you are interested in inquiring about enrolling your children in our parish school please call the school office. We currently offer the grade before Pre-K through 8th grade. Saint Mary School serves an exceptional place for academics and growing in one’s Catholic faith.  

Please continue to pray for our students, faculty, and staff and for the growth of our parish school.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins 

3rd Sunday After Epiphany Homily

Our Gospel states: “I have not found so great faith in Israel.” Throughout the Gospels this lack of faith is something which is constantly being pointed our by the Lord. If the Lord were to be present within our midst would our faith be found sufficient?

We must understand that faith is a gift which comes to us from God which is infused into our soul. As the Catechism puts it: “Before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and assist him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart and coverts it to God, who opens the eyes of the mind and makes it easy for all to accept and believe the truth.”

We must each give a response to God for the gift of faith that we have received. We must be found willing to cooperate with God’s grace in order that faith may be found manifest within us. If we receive and cooperate in this grace we must also live this faith by putting it into action in our daily life. Our faith in God is something deeper then stating that we have faith that our car will make the trip from point A to point B. To have faith in God is to entrust oneself entirely to Him. As is summed up in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “It would be futile and false to place such faith in a creature.”

An important aspect of the gift of faith is perseverance. Therefore, people give into despair and lose their trust in God. They find something which may seem to be more appealing and instead decide to chase after it instead of continuing to turn towards God. Saint Paul warns of the in 1st Timothy: “Wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting conscience, certain persons have made a shipwreck of their faith.” To make a shipwreck of our faith is to state that we have turned towards empty promises instead of turning towards the light which is brought forth by staying close to Christ.

It is Ephesians which refers to faith as being a shield. We know that a shield protects one from the attack of others and thus the shield of faith protects us from the many assaults of the devil. It is God who gives us this shield, but we must desire to use it instead of so easily tossing it to the side when we are in the midst of battle. In the midst of evil, suffering, injustice, or death we cannot allow ourself to be shaken to the point that we loose faith. Instead we must hold firm and take up this shield for our protection.

Throughout scripture we are given many accounts of individuals who had to live a rough life with many obstacles placed in their way, but were still able to persevere in their faith. Daniel was burned alive and we can’t forget about Job who had to endure a lot. Even in our Gospel Christ looks upon the centurion and states: “Go, and as thou hast believed, so be it done to thee.”

We are each called to have faith throughout the whole course of our life no matter what may come our way. Obstacles will continue to give rise, but we are given everything that we need to overcome them and remain with God always. May the virtue of faith always be found at work within us.

3rd Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B Homily

Pride is a great sin which plagues many of us. Pride is said to be at the root of all sin. It is through pride that we are led to believe that we are at the center of attention and that everything revolves around us. As church we are not able to work as individuals who carry our own plan, but instead we are called to come together as one in order to live out the Gospel of Christ.

In our Gospel we hear the call of the apostles and we are told that “they abandoned their nets and followed him.” We too must abandon this individualistic mentality which plagues us in order to enter into the fullness of faith. One of the reminders of the Second Vatican Council, though not new, was that we need to enter into prayer and from this prayer we are to enter into the world to bring the message of the Gospel.

Despite this notion we are so ready to respond, but so often fail to enter into the spirit of prayer first. Before all of our undertakings we should enter into prayer and from this prayer we should be animated to enter into the abundant harvest of the Lord. At one time I was heavily involved with the Legion of Mary. This association of the faithful meets each and every week and they first pray together. It is from this prayer that they are sent forth from the meeting in order to perform their work. One’s work can never be divorced from the spirit of prayer. If it were so it would not be about the Lord, but about us and our own desires.

The apostles are interesting fellows for they encountered Christ and responded to His call. In our Gospel they did not sit around and bicker among themselves concerning unimportant notions, but “abandoned their nets and followed him.” We know that from the unfolding of the Gospels that they each had their own issues, but despite these issues they were still able to respond to this call from the Lord and follow after Him.

Division is found each and every time that we fail to place our trust in the Lord. As Catholics we do not find our unity through the holding of hands at the Our Father, though nothing in our tradition says to do this, but in the Most Holy Eucharist. It is Christ who present with us in the Eucharist becomes our unity. In a matter of minutes we will have the opportunity to approach the Altar of God and commune with Him. To receive our Lord in Holy Communion is to accept the faith in it’s entirety. It is to abandon our pride and to acknowledge that everything is not about us and our own needs, but about the Lord.

The apostles “abandoned their nets and followed him” as we too are called to abandon all and follow after the Lord. Saint John XXIII was so wise in saying before he laid down at night: “It’s your Church, God, I’m going to bed!” Let our heart be humbled in the Lord’s presence this day and realize that there is only so much that we can do as an individual, but when we place our trust in the Lord and come together in the unity of faith there is nothing which is impossible for us to accomplish.

Bulletin Article: January 17

January 20th will be the inauguration of Joe Biden as president of the United States. I encourage each of you to pray for him as well as President Trump. Following the 8:30am Mass on January 20th I will lead a rosary for our new president and for peace in this nation.

January 22nd is the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade which brought about the rise of abortion in this country. The USCCB has set this day aside as a day of prayer and penance for the sanctity of life. Each of our two Masses this day will be penitential Masses for the sanctity of life. Following the 8:30am Mass there will be exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in the Church until 8pm. Our youth group have committed to the final hour of adoration from 7pm-8pm. Feel free to stop by and pray as you are able. I will also lead the rosary following the 8:30am Mass that day for those who wish to join.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

2nd Sunday After Epiphany Homily

Let us notice that Mary was present at the start of Jesus’ public ministry as well as the end of His public life. We are thus told in our Gospel that Mary played a major role concerning the Wedding Feast of Cana and we are later told that she was present at the cross when her Son came to breath His final breath.

When our Blessed Mother makes her request our Blessed Lord states back to her: “Woman what is that to me? My hour is not yet come.”

Each time that our Lord uses this word, hour, He does so in reference to His death. It would be three years later that this hour would come to pass. In this hour this wine changes into His blood for He comes to die upon the cross for us. From the cross He looks upon His mother and addresses her with this same title: “Woman, behold, your son.”

There are some who see the use of this word “woman” to lower the importance of Mary or to show disrespect unto her. This could not be further from the case. If we were to go all the way back to the Book of Genesis we would notice that Eve, prior to the Fall, was always referred to as woman. It was only after the Fall that she was referred to as Eve. Therefore, the use of this word, woman, does not show disrespect to Mary, but reveals so much concerning her. 

The use of this word, woman, takes us back to a world which did not know sin and death. So too we know and profess that Mary was the pure and spotless vessel which was prepared by God to bring forth the Savior of this world. Mary was immaculately conceived and she never came to know the stain of sin. She is truly the New Eve for she restores that which was lost in the Garden and further prepares the way for the Lord’s coming.

Devotion to Mary is most important for each of us. As some would say “to Jesus through Mary.” Even at the Wedding Feast of Cana we would notice that this was being made manifest. When the problem arose that the wine had run short they did not come to a servant, but they came to Mary with their plea. She took the needs of those around her and she in return brought them to her Son.

Likewise, let us come to foster such perfect devotion to her. She after all is known as being the Mediatrix of All Graces. As the Second Vatican Council document, Lumen Gentium, testifies: “By her motherly love, she takes care of the brothers of her Son who are still in pilgrimage and in dangers and difficulties, until they be led through to the happy fatherland... This however is to be so understood that it takes nothing away, or adds nothing to the dignity and efficacy of Christ the one Mediator.”

Therefore, let us come to her with our needs, in order that she may bring them before her Son. All our hardships, joys, sorrows, and disappointments should be brought unto her in order that we may go “to Jesus through Mary.” Through devotion to her may our heart grow more in love with Christ and the desire to dwell with Him always.

2nd Sunday of Ordinary Time Year B Homily

John refers to Christ as being “the Lamb of God.” This reference to Christ as Lamb should be very familiar to us for it is referenced throughout the Mass. Therefore, we hear “Agnus Dei, qui tollis peccata mundi, miserere nobis” “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us.” Prior to communion we are also instructed: “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world.”

Those who heard this invitation made by Saint John the Baptist would look upon this invitation from an entirely different perspective. This invitation would bring their mind back to the Exodus and the fact that the Israelites were liberated from their slavery in Egypt. In order to commemorate this Jewish Passover the paschal lamb which is offered is very important. Thus a lamb is to be offered for at the Passover the blood of a lamb was to be placed upon one’s doorpost. This could not be just any lamb, but one which was spotless and without blemish not even a bone of it’s body could be broken. It was also well known that not only would this lamb need to be offered, but it was also to be consumed.

For us we should be able to connect the dots to this lamb which was very familiar to the followers of Saint John the Baptist. We must remember that upon the cross not even a bone of the body of our Lord was broken. He was pure and spotless because He had never sinned. The image of this sacrificial lamb is so important because it serves as a reminder that we have been redeemed through Christ’s death upon the cross. It too serves as a reminder that we must also eat and thus we are invited to receive our Blessed Lord who is present with us Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity in the Most Holy Eucharist. We can proclaim that Christ is indeed the fulfillment of this sacrificial lamb which was so clearly known by the Jewish people.

Through Saint John the Baptist’s invitation His followers were given a glimpse into who this man who was set before their sight was. With their eyes they looked upon an ordinary sight, but through the eyes of faith they came to see Him who gave up His life upon the cross for our salvation just as the sacrificial lamb. So too in our day and age with all the uncertainty, division, and angst that is set before us we must come to look upon Christ with the certainty of faith. When the priest holds up the Eucharist what we see with our eyes is ordinary bread, but at that moment through the eyes of faith it is truly Christ that we dare to look upon.

“Behold, the Lamb of God” is a statement which should challenge us always as it came to challenge the followers of Saint John the Baptist. This is an invitation for us to set our sight upon Him and to trust in Him. It seems that we so often place our faith in other areas which always leave us empty. Christ transcends everything and everything that we do should flow back to Him. Nevertheless, we so often fail to foster such faith especially when it pertains to the Eucharist. Hopefully we do not approach the communion line as if it is a drive thru, but instead with true devotion. Hopefully we do not rush in and out of the Church, but allot the time to make proper preparation and thanksgiving for the one who we behold. Hopefully we realize that the Church is a place to come to be in the presence of the Eucharist. What a wonderful place to bring your fears and anxieties and to pray for the good of this parish. Hopefully you see the way in which sin ruins the relationship and come to frequent the sacrament of confession.

Let us dare to “Behold, the Lamb of God.”

Bulletin Article: January 11

This past weekend our parish held it’s Epiphany Dinner. We had a total of 57 parishioners who were able to participate. I thank Anna Chicon and the Knights of Columbus for heading up this event.

Our parish school will begin it’s second semester tomorrow, January 11. Please pray for our students, teachers, and staff as the school year resumes. Despite all the uncertainty that surrounds us due to COVID-19 our first semester went well and with proper diligence I have faith that the second semester will also be a success. I encourage you to consider sending your children to our parish school be it this semester or next next school year.

We will have the honor of having Bishop Stika with us next Sunday, January 17, for the 10am Mass. He will be present in order to install me as pastor of this parish. Please pray for his safe travel and for me as I am installed as pastor.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

St. Mary’s Men Evening of Recollection Sermon XIV: Chastity

Today we spend our time considering the virtue of chastity which finds its opposite in lust. Saint Josemaria Escriva puts this virtue into context by stating: “There is need for a crusade of manliness and purity to counteract and undo the savage work of those who think that man is a beast. And that crusade is a matter for you.”

Therefore, to live a life of chastity is to live out purity. One should be formed in chastity when they are a child under the guidance of their parents who teach them the value of modesty and self control. Throughout life one must continue to practice self denial, custody of the eyes, and physical restraint in order that they may always come to excel at chastity. Even within marriage one is called to be chaste thus coming to guard themselves against abusive and selfish sexual activity.

Christ speaks to the importance of chastity by stating, “But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” When one fails to be chaste it is important to not give into despair, but realize that the Lord is merciful and just. Therefore, make frequent use of the Sacrament of Confession in order to invite God’s grace into your life that you may guard against lust.

If one desires to excel at chastity they should come to see it as a respect of the image of God which is present in others. As Saint Josemaria had pointed towards when he mentioned that we need “to counteract and undo the savage work of those who think that man is a beast.” Through one’s lack of chastity we fail to see ourself or another created in the image and likeness of God. We also fail to love another as we ought because we instead desire to turn another into an animal, which can even include one’s own wife, to meet their desires.

When one confesses sins against chastity inside of the confessional I often point them towards the Angelic Warfare Confraternity. Quoting from their mission found on their website: “The Angelic Warfare Confraternity is a supernatural fellowship of men and women bound to one another in love and dedicated to pursuing and promoting chastity together under the powerful patronage of St. Thomas Aquinas’ and the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Confraternity is an official apostolate of the Dominican Order.” You can find more information concerning the Angelic Warfare Confraternity on their website including how to join and the obligations of their members.

Chastity is something which is most important for us to practice and cultivate, but our culture gives us the message of the opposite. To this Saint Josemaria Escriva reminds: “If you only knew what you are worth!... It is Saint Paul who tells you: you have been bought ‘at a great price’. And he adds: ‘That is why you should use your body for the glory of God’.” Truly, chastity is an important virtue for us to excel at. It is true that our culture paints a different image, but we cannot give up hope and mindlessly accept this state. Let us strive for the Kingdom of God and thus pursue the virtue of chastity in our life.

Bulletin Article: January 3

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I would like to highlight a few of the activities that our youth group have recently been involved in. Firstly, they made paper máché flowers and cards which were delivered to the shut in members of our parish prior to Christmas. Secondly, through the generous giving of many of our parishioners they were able to bring Christmas gifts and food to homeless people of Johnson City. The Knights of Columbus even came together to provide food for the event.

The Tuesday Crew has been working hard prior to Christmas to fix the lights around our campus. You will also notice that we now have two robotic cameras which have been installed inside of the church. We had an issue with the computer which was purchased being able to output sound. Once a new computer comes in we should be able to get the cameras up and running for streaming Masses and other events inside of the Church.

January 6th is the traditional day of the Epiphany. On this day there will be a Mass in the Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite at 5:30pm to celebrate this occasion. Our Spanish speaking community will have prayers at 7pm. 

Finally, I thank those of our parish community who came together to participate in our Parish Epiphany Dinner. Be on the outlook in the next week or so from photos of our parish community coming together posted to our Facebook page and on our YouTube page.

In Christ,

Fr. Dustin Collins

Most Holy Name of Jesus Homily

Merry Christmas!

Today we celebrate the Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus. It was on the eighth day that Christ was taken to the temple for His circumcision. It was here that He was officially given the Name of Jesus. This was the Name which was instructed to be given to this child by the Angel Gabriel. Through this act it was not His parents who named this child, but rather God. This Name means “God saves” and thus puts into context the role that this child plays in salvation history. It points towards the reality that we celebrate during this Christmas season which is that God took on our human flesh and came to dwell among us.

The Name of Jesus is so important that Saint Paul instructs in his Epistle: “That at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those that are in heaven, on earth, and under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is in the glory of God the Father.” As is said of this Name in the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “The one name that contains everything is the one that the Son of God received in his incarnation: Jesus. The divine name may not be spoken by human lips, but by assuming our humanity the Word of God hands it over to us and we can invoke it.”

This Name is so powerful that we ought to call upon it at all times. To think of the many souls who have come to be saved, healed, and helped by calling upon this most holy of Names. We too should join with them in calling upon this Name in our times of need. As Saint Bernardine of Siena had stated to this Name: “The sweet Name of Jesus produces in us holy thoughts, fills the soul with sentiments, strengthens virtue, begets good works, and nourishes pure affections.”

Saint Bernardine of Siena would carry with him the monogram IHS when he was traveling about preaching and leading missions throughout Italy. In Latin the IHS means “Iesus Hominum Salvator” or in English “Jesus, Savior of men.” During these sermons and missions he would hold it out and have the faithful prostrate themselves in adoration. He recommended that this monogram be placed over doors to one’s dwelling to always remind them of the blessings of their Lord and Savior.

Sadly, in our world we have lost sight of devotion to this Most Holy of Names. We so easily allow ourself to take it and other holy names in vain. The Holy Mass instead forms us to do something so much greater for we should notice at the Name of Jesus that the head of the priest bows. Likewise, at the Name of Jesus each of our heads should bow as we learn to give this and other holy names there proper due.

We must realize that we have been saved through Jesus. This is literally what this Name means, God saves. May we allow the Lord to imprint His Name upon our heart and mind in order that we may always love the Lord our God. If we foster devotion to this Name and the salvation that it brings we will come to realize and allow Christ to strengthen virtue, beget good works within us, and nourish our pure affections. Through this Most Holy of Names may we always cry out in a spirit of faith and come to trust in Him with our whole heart and soul.

Epiphany Homily

Merry Christmas!

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. This word “Epiphany” means “Manifestation of God.” Though we often equate the Epiphany solely with the Wise Men coming to do homage to Christ it also accounts for the Baptism of the Lord when a voice stated, “This is my beloved Son” and the Wedding Feast at Cana where Christ came to change water into wine. Each of these three accounts are occasions when Christ was manifested to the world as God. Hopefully we will take this manifestation to heart and allow ourself to be changed by this life giving reality.

From the Prophet Isaiah we are told of Gentiles who come to adore the Lord. Through these Wise Men from the East, who were encountered in our Gospel, we can see that all nations and kings are called to give Him homage. The same must hold true for us in this day and age for we need to be stirred our of our slumber and into action. Christ’s birth causes each us to constantly go out in search for God thus conforming our life on this earth unto His. Nevertheless, so many allow themselves to get caught up in the here and now and get lost along this path.

It was the light of a star which guided these Wise Men towards the Lord. Along the way they underwent conversion until they were finally able to behold this great light which is Christ our Lord. This great light is even greater then the light of any star that we can behold. We too ought to set out from here as they were able to do. They went with haste in order to find this great King. Likewise, we must go in haste in search of Him. Through going in haste we allow ourself to undergo the same spirit of conversion that the magi underwent for there is no greater gift that we can come to know then the gift of Christ Jesus who is God made Flesh.

If we are convinced that this child is God and has come to redeem us upon the cross then we ought to conform our life unto His. Along with the Wise Men’s gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh we should come to offer our own gifts which are brought about through this wondrous understanding of who this child truly is. To the manger we must come in order to bring with us the incense of prayer which rises up towards Heaven, the myrrh of our mortification for we must learn to die to self, and the gold of our charity which allows us to be manifest God’s love to the world. Let our hearts always be illumined by Christ and may we always be found willing to respond to His manifestation to the world as God made Flesh. 

Proclamation of Moveable Feasts

Know, dear brethren,

that, as we have rejoiced at the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ,

so by leave of God's mercy

we announce to you also the joy of his Resurrection,

who is our Savior.

On the seventeenth day of February will fall Ash Wednesday,

and the beginning of the fast of the most sacred Lenten season.

On the fourth day of April you will celebrate with joy Easter Day,

the Paschal feast of our Lord Jesus Christ.

On the sixteenth day of May will be the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ.

On the twenty-third day of May, the feast of Pentecost.

On the sixth day of June, the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.

On the twenty-eighth day of November, the First Sunday of the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ,

to whom is honor and glory for ever and ever.

Amen.

Mary, Mother of God Homily

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Today brings about the conclusion of the Octave of Christmas and what is also currently known to us as the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. This Solemnity is a reflection of what we celebrated only eight days ago on December 25th when we came to celebrate Christmas. Therefore, we acknowledge that the one who dwelt within her womb and who has been born into this world is God made Flesh. To say that Mary is the Mother of God is to point to who her son is. If her child were not God then it would be right and just for us to be upset at calling her such a title, but seeing that her Son is God made Flesh we should find no issue with this title which has been attributed unto her.

Going back to the Annunciation the Angel Gabriel came unto her and said, “Hail full of grace.” From this salutation we can say that Mary has been filled with grace to its fullest degree. Grace is not a gift which we give to ourself, but is a gift which is given to us by God. Therefore, Mary was prepared by God to be this pure and spotless vessel which would bring forth the Savior of this world.  It was only on December 8th that we celebrated the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. It was here that we hold that Mary was conceived and therefore born without sin. After all, she is heralded as being the “New Ark of the Covenant” which is to say that she was without blemish for it was God who was present within her womb for the Ark of Covenant was without blemish because it contained the presence of God.

Mary was given a great foreshadowing of all that was to take place through her interaction with the Angel Gabriel. She was told, “you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.” This name “Jesus” instructs who her child is because this name means “God saves.” Gabriel goes onto state concerning this child, “He will be great and will called Son fo 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.” This verse connects Christ to the royal line of David and puts into proper perspective who this child is to be.

We therefore can conclude that Mary did know that Her Son was God made Flesh. This was not just some surprise that would come later in her life as a popular song may attest along with its other statements which attack Mary’s role in salvation history and thus the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. Everything that she needed to know was revealed to her by the Angel Gabriel and all that the prophets had foretold. As Saint Elizabeth would exclaim concerning Mary, “Mother of my Lord.” Truly, this child is not just any child, but is the Word Made Flesh. To Jesus may we go through Mary.

Mary serves as the first tabernacle of Christ for within her womb this child once dwelt. This child now comes to us in all the tabernacles of the world, come let us adore Him. As we enter into this new calendar year, with all its joys and hardships, may we foster devotion to Mary and through this devotion come to know her son more intimately.

O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.