Immaculate Conception Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

With Marian feasts I usually stress that everything points the way towards her Son, Jesus. It is for this reason that when we pray the “Hail Mary” that Jesus remains at the heart of this prayer. It is He who “is the fruit of thy womb.”

The Immaculate Conception is a doctrine of the Church that has been defined as dogma since 1854. This was only 171 years ago, but this does not mean that this teaching has not been held prior to this date. From the earliest of centuries Christians would honor her as being free from personal sin.

Saint Justin Martyr and Saint Irenaeus in the 2nd century would come to refer to Mary as being the new Eve. This acknowledges the fact that Eve was created without sin upon her soul and yet through the Fall such sin entered into the world. Mary, on the other hand, brought forth the Saviour of the World who has freed us from all sin.

In the 3rd century Saint Gregory the Wonderworker would refer to her as being the New Ark of the Covenant. This title acknowledges the fact that the one who dwelled within her womb was God Himself. This title also points towards the ark which was made of gold for the one whom it contained was God.

Both these titles sum up what is being celebrated through the Immaculate Conception of Mary. She is the Godbearer who would bring forth the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity. Therefore like Eve she was without sin and like the Ark of the Covenant was a pure vessel for God.

None of these traits were enacted by Mary through her own merit. Rather, it was God who worked on her behalf and thus the angel Gabriel was able to proclaim at the Annunciation, “Hail, full of grace.” She has truly been filled with such grace to its fullest degree for God has worked on her behalf.

Let us continue to foster such devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. Through such devotion we are always being led into a deeper relationship with her Son, Jesus. She never leads us away from Him for she always leads us towards the virtuous life. By coming to pursue such a life we make room for the Lord to enter in and to make His dwelling place among us.

Saint Mary, pray for us.

Immaculate Conception Homily

Today we observe the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary with the commemoration of the 2nd Sunday of Advent.

The Immaculate Conception is the infallible statement that Mary was conceived without the stain of sin which includes original sin. This is not an achievement made by her, but by God who worked on her behalf in order that she would be the pure and spotless vessel that would be the mother of Christ.

Theotokos is a Greek title given to Mary which means “God-bearer” or “Mother of God.” This is a statement which points towards the divinity of Christ. He is both fully human and fully divine. Through the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary He became flesh and made His dwelling place among us.

It is this womb which contained the very presence of God. In the Old Testament it was the Ark of the Covenant which held God’s presence. The ark had to be pure and spotless due to the one which it contained, God. Likewise, Mary becomes the New Ark of the Covenant for she is the God-bearer.

At the Annunciation the angel Gabriel came to Mary and exclaimed, “Hail, full of grace!” This salutation is significant for it conveys the truth that Mary was conceived without the stain of sin and was in the state of grace at this moment in time. This is so because she was filled with grace to its fullest degree by God for in the past as she was prepared for this role in salvation history.

In the Book of Acts we are told that Saint Stephen was “filled with grace.” Despite being the same word in the English language it is a different word in the Greek. What is being implied by its use in connection to Saint Stephen would be the same that could be used concerning us through our baptism or sacramental confession.

As we continue this Advent journey we must be concerned with opening our heart unto God in order that we may be found receptive to the gift of His grace. It is through our willingness to entertain temptation and fall into the occasion of sin that we turn away from such a reality. Where we have been thrust into darkness we must allow the Lord in His mercy to lift us out of it.

The Blessed Mother is often depicted standing on top of a serpent for in the words of the Book of Genesis, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; They will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel.” Through her intercession may we come to more perfectly open ourself up to the grace of God and turn away from the assaults of the devil for she has already crushed him under her foot.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us.

Immaculate Conception Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This celebration draws many parallels to the Old Testament especially the figure of Eve.

Verse 15 of the Book of Genesis tells us, “I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head and you shall bruise his heel.”

This verse shows the struggle that exists with sin which culminates with the Lord’s death upon the cross. It was through this death that victory was won for us. Mary holds an important roll in this victory for she said yes to the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation and through her womb came forth the savior of the world.

Verse 20 of the Book of Genesis also tells us, “The man called his wife Eve, because she became the mother of all the living.”

One title that has been given to the Blessed Virgin Mary is that of the New Eve. Through the Eve of the Old Testament sin entered into the world, but through the New Eve which is Mary the world came to be redeemed from sin and death through her Son. She serves as mother of all the living for she is the pure and spotless vessel in which God chose to take on our human flesh. Thus the saving effects of this reality continue to be enjoyed by each of us.

This celebration of the Immaculate Conception is to say that Mary was chosen by God to be this pure and spotless vessel. She was prepared for such a task through her Immaculate Conception which is to say that she was conceived without the stain of original sin. Another title attributed to Mary is that of the New Ark of the Covenant. The ark of the covenant was to be pure and spotless for it contained the presence of God. Mary is the New Ark of the Covenant for she was pure and spotless and God came to dwell in her womb.

If we analyze the Gospel of Saint John we would notice that Mary is constantly referred to as woman instead of by her name. At the wedding feast of Cana, “Woman…my hour has not yet come.” When upon the cross, “Woman, behold your son.” We would notice that Eve is only known by her name after the fall. Therefore, the use of this word “woman” is showing great honor to Mary because it is heralding her as the New Eve.

As we further this celebration of the Immaculate Conception may we come to foster devotion for her. She is our mother and devotion to her always leads back to her Son. As we continue our Advent preparations we must always come to our open our heart to be found receptive of her Son.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.

Immaculate Conception Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. 

When we pray the Rosary we pray those words given to us by Saint Gabriel, “Hail Mary, full of grace.”

What does it mean for one to be found full of grace? Mary was found to be “full of grace” because she was filled with the presence of God. Seeing that she is most perfectly filled with God’s presence there is no room within her for sin. Each us have been touched by the reality of sin. Unlike us she is that most perfect creation of God which was preserved from the stain of sin for she would be the Mother of God.

This statement made by Gabriel is a reversal of roles. Throughout the Old Testament it was humans who would revere angels for they were closest to God and thus partake most fully of the divine light. Gabriel’s statement shows that even the angels come to revere Mary. She was found to be “full of grace” and thus it is right and just that we give her proper devotion.

When we think of sin we often think of those transgressions that one makes against God. Not only did Mary never consent to sin, but she was also conceived free of original sin. When an individual is baptized all sin including original sin is washed away. This was not necessary for Mary for she was that perfect creation who God had been set apart to be the mother of His Son.

This celebration is most important for us for the Immaculate Conception is the beginning of our salvation. Through it we get that mystery of faith which we will soon celebrate, the Nativity of the Lord. Mary remained open to the gift of God’s grace throughout her whole life. Likewise, we must open ourself up to this gift of His grace. We cannot turn inwardly upon self, but must be willing to remain open to God. This is preciously what Mary was willing to do.

May this celebration of Mary assist us in opening our heart to such graces. May she pray for us in order that we may realize that such a reality has been extended to us if only we would dare to place our trust in God and the gift of His grace. Truly Mary was “full of grace,” we forever profess this reality through this celebration of her Immaculate Conception.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen.

Immaculate Conception Homily

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The one who has been conceived is made in reference to Mary. The word “immaculate” means without stain. Mary was conceived without the stain of original sin upon her soul. Thanks to the intervention of God she was preserved from original sin in order that she would be the pure and spotless vessel which would bring forth the Savior of the world. Mary became the first to be redeemed through her Son for He was her redeemer.

None of us have been preserved from sin like Mary. Yet we live in a world which acts as if sin does not exist. Sin is an offense which is made against God. If we know Him to be the Way, the Truth, and the Life why would we turn away from Him? Nevertheless, there are many in our society who have no concept of God and therefore they cannot have a concept of sin. Sin exists because God is real and we consent to sin by turning away from God who is love.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines sin as “an offense against reason, truth, and right conscience; it is a failure in genuine love for God and neighbor caused by a perverse attachment to certain goods. It wounds the nature of man and injures human solidarity. It has been defined as ‘an utterance, a deed, or a desire contrary to the eternal law’.”

Through the use of the media we see played forth before our sight these many sins which are made against God. We see murder, theft, the burning of buildings such as Catholic Charities in Knoxville, war, sins against life such as abortion, and this list goes on and on. With so much played out before our sight it becomes easy for us to lose hope that things will ever get better.

This celebration of the Immaculate Conception is a celebration of hope. Of Mary it was said by the Archangel Gabriel, “Hail, full of grace.” Mary is our hope because she stands upon the serpent which is the cursed demon which has come to confuse us and to pull us into sin. Mary is our hope because through devotion to her we are drawn closer into union with her Son.

Today we celebrate the fact that Mary was conceived without sin. We ackwledge that she has been prepared to be the pure and spotless vessel which would bring forth the Savior of this World. Through this Savior the shackles of sin and death have no power for He is the new Adam and she is the new Eve. Let us strive to moved closer to Christ placing our trust in Him and moving away from the reality of sin and death which attempts to keep us captive.

Immaculate Conception Homily

In 1858 the Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Bernadette at Lourdes and announced: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” This dogma of the Immaculate Conception came to be infallibly defined by Pope Pius XII in 1854. Prior to this the Immaculate Conception was already celebrated in the East since the 7th century and in the West a feast was already established which was celebrated in certain parts of the world. The fears concerning this dogma have nothing to do with Mary sinning or not, but with how it would be possible to say that she was in need of a Redeemer while being without sin.

Therefore, two questions came to be raised which I think are questions often raised in the minds of our non-Catholic brothers and sisters. These questions are:

1. Was Mary in need of redemption if she had been conceived without stain of original sin?
2. When, in the course of her conception, was Mary preserved from the stain and effects of original sin?

These are questions that were left unanswered by the likes of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, Bonaventure, and Anselm to name a few. It was Saint John Duns Scotus who died in 1308 who would develop these answers in detail. He would write: “He who is the most perfect mediator must have a most perfect act of mediation in regard to some person on whose behalf he exercises the mediatorial office. Now Christ is the most perfect... and he had no more exalted relation to any person than to the Blessed Virgin Mary... This could not be if he had not merited for her preservation from original sin.”

To sum up what Saint John Duns Scotus was getting at in simple terms is that Mary serves as a witness to Christ’s saving power. It is true that she was conceived without sin and was thus never touched by sin even original sin. At the same time it was also true that she was in need of a Redeemer. Our Lord preserved her and redeemed her from the cross and this grace was applied to her in anticipation of that redemption upon the cross.

If we delve further into devotion to the Blessed Mother we would hear that one of the titles often attributed to her is that she in the New Eve. It was from the Book of Genesis that we were told, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” When the Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Bernadette she described to her the Miraculous Medal which was to be made. If you look at this image you would see her standing upon the serpent for she crushes the devil under her feet for she is the new Eve who brought the New Adam into this world.

At the Annunciation the angel Gabriel came to her and exclaimed, “Hail full of grace.” She did not become full at grace at that moment, but was already found to be so perfectly full of God’s grace that it was flowing over for Mary is the new Ark of the Covenant for she was the pure and spotless vessel which would bring forth Christ our Lord. It we look at the hands of Mary, in the Miraculous Medal, we would see the rays which pour forth, for these represent to us the fact that she is the Mediatrix of All Graces. 

Therefore, as we come to celebrate this Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception may we foster devotion to our Blessed Mother. She is indeed this pure and spotless vessel which was chosen to bear the Word made Flesh. Through our devotion to her may we draw closer to her Son, Jesus Christ. She is the Mediatrix of All Graces, which is to say, that we should pray for her intercession that we may come to more perfectly be open to the gift of God’s grace. Let us foster this devotion and in return open heart to be more like the heart of Christ.

Immaculate Conception Homily

On this Second Sunday of Advent we come to celebrate the Solemnity of the Immacualte Conception. This word “immaculate” means “without stain.” Therefore, what we come to celebrate is the reality that our Blessed Mother was conceived without the stain of sin. That she was the pure and spotless vessel prepared by God to bring forth the Savior of the World.

In the Gospel of Saint Luke the angel Gabriel addresses our Blessed Mother with these words: “Hail full of grace.” These words get to the very heart of what is going on in the midst of this feast. Some of other faith traditions would argue that the word used here should be favor and not grace. Neveretheless, we later hear in Luke 1:30: “Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God.” In this passage the word used is clearly “grace” and not “favor.” With this we must consider what it means to state that Mary is “full of grace.”

For Mary to be “full of grace” there is no room in her for the tendency towards sin. For Mary to be “full of grace” there is not even the smallest drop of evil found within her. For Mary to be “full of grace” sets her apart from other saints who were sinners. For Mary to be “full of grace” she had her full attention always placed upon God. Mary is “full of grace” and thus she never fell into the stain of sin.

In our world it seems that many are led to believe that sin is not real and thus something that is impossible for them to commit. Even among Catholics we see people who have nothing to do with the Sacrament of Confession. Of them there are even some who believe they have not sinned. None of us can be the second coming of the Immaculate Conception because we are all sinners who are in need of the mercy of God. Taking the life of another is a serious sin, but there are other sins are serious too. When it pertains to what constitutes a sin it seems that we have set the bar so low that hardly anything constitutes sin.

It is difficult to grasp the reality of sin if we in return have lost our belief in God. Sadly, many have lost sight of God. Sadly, some never fathom their sinfulness in light of God’s merciful love. It is here that Mary shows us the way for her sight was always set upon God. Throughout scripture we are told that “she pondered all these things within her heart.” 

As we continue our expectant journey towards Betheleham during this season of Advent let us set our sight upon Mary who is found to be “full of grace.” Here may we come to be filled with joy, to set our sight upon God, and to say “no” to sin and “yes” to God. Through her intercession we can come to better welcome God into our life and strive for Heaven. The Immaculate Conception proclaims that Mary is “full of grace” in like manner may we learn how to be humble of heart and to allow her motherly care to come upon us to draw us towards Heaven.

Immaculate Conception Homily

If we watch or read enough news it is easy to fall into a state of depression. The picture which is often painted is that the world is a corrupt place. It would be easy to believe that there is no hope and that we are powerless against all of these negatives. 

Yes, we are a culture who does not value the sanctity of human life. Yes, we lack understanding concerning marriage being between a male and a female and its permanence. Yes, there is a lot of corrupt things which are coming from Church hierarchy. And yes, this list goes on and on.

Despite all of this we come to celebrate today the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Hopefully this great celebration can lift our spirits which might be plunged into the very depths of despair. If we go back to the book of Genesis we would encounter Adam and Eve and their fall from grace. It would seem here that all hope would be lost and yet we are told “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

As we see reveled in Revelation 12: “The dragon was angry with the woman and went off to make war on the rest of her offspring, on those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus.” From Revelation 12 we come to see that Mary is the new Eve. It was Eve who ushered in sin and death into the world’s existence, but it was Mary who lifted us out of this sin and death.

We thus often see her depicted as crushing the serpent with her heel. She crushes this serpent for she was conceived without the stain sin upon her soul, she crushes the serpent for she never gave into the grasp of sin, she crushes the serpent through her “yes” given to the angel Gabriel which ushered in God made Flesh who died upon the cross in order that we may be redeemed and the gates of Heaven may be opened once again.

There is a lot within this world which can lead us into a spirit of depression, but our celebration of the Immaculate Conception should lift us out of these feelings. This celebration is a shining light in the midst of darkness which shows us that there is hope for each and everyone of us. May we foster true devotion to our Blessed Mother and be willing to follow after her in order to be drawn into a deeper relationship with her Son.

St. Mary, pray for us.

Immaculate Conception Homily

We now move towards our celebration of Christmas when we will come to celebrate the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He who is not just some man, but rather He who comes without sin in order to take away the sin which are present within the world. This loving Savior is God made Flesh who comes to dwell among us.

Our celebration of Christmas is dependent upon today’s celebration of the Immaculate Conception. The Immaculate Conception is closely linked to our salvation history. Thus God chose Mary to be the pure and spotless vessel which would bring forth our Savior into this world. God acted upon her behalf and thus she was spared from the effects of original sin. Thus when she was conceived within the womb of her mother, Anne, sin was not present upon her soul.

When Mary was greeted by the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation she was told: “hail, full of grace.” This salutation made by Gabriel is pointing not to who Mary will be, but to who Mary is. This is a statement that from her conception moving forward she was found without the blemish of sin. Luke’s Gospel in instructing us that Mary was full of grace for her whole life not just during this interaction with Gabriel.

One title given to Mary is that of “Ark of the New Covenant.” The Ark of the Old Covenant contained the presence of God and the Ark of the New Covenant, being Mary, contained within her womb God in the second person of the Holy Trinity. Mary thus had to be spared from the stain of sin in order that the one who she carried within her womb would never be touched by its reality.

Thus as we continue to prepare ourself for Christmas during this season of Advent may we come do so through the intercession of Mary. As we celebrate the Immaculate Conception may we come to more closely orient ourself to her in order that we may allow her to bring us into closer relation with her Son. The closer we draw to her Son the more that we move towards detaching ourself from sin and placing our trust in Him.

Devotion to Mary is thus important in the life of the faithful. This devotion should be fostered within the family. Fostering such devotion will lead us towards living out the virtues because within her we find all the virtues perfectly displayed. Our Blessed Mother is truly found to be “full of grace.” Let us take up for ourself her rosary and allow the Angelic Salutation to always be found on our lips: “Hail Mary, full of grace.”

Immaculate Conception Homily

On the 25th of December we will celebrate Christmas and thus the birth of Christ. Mary gives birth to Christ who is God made man. In the words of Saint John's Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God, and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us."

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. We call to mind how Mary was prepared by the Father to be a dwelling place which was fitting for God to come and dwell among us.

God coming to dwell with us out of love should be a moving reality for us to mediate upon. Thanks to the sin of Adam and Eve which we call Original Sin the doors to Heaven were closed. Yet, God chose to come and dwell with us and thus also die upon the cross in order that we may be redeemed.

Some deny that Mary was without sin, but how could we fathom that God would come to dwell inside a vessel which has been tainted by the reality of sin?

During this season we put so much thought into gifts and thus too how we will wrap them. We want our gift to be found acceptable to the one whom we give it too. We make sure that it is well wrapped in order that it will be found appealing to the senses of another. Through the Blessed Virgin Mary comes forth the great gift of God's love, the gift of God Himself. Do we really find it logical that such a wondrous gift as God Himself would come to dwell in the womb of one who has not been properly prepared for such a gift?

I do not know much about cooking, but who among us would take a dirty pan to cook a cake? This wouldn't make much sense because we would defile the cake that we want to make. In the same manner God is not defiled by a dwelling place that has been touched by sin. Rather, He chose the Blessed Virgin Mary to be this pure and spotless vessel in which God's love would be made manifest to all of us.

In the Old Testament God came to dwell in what was known as the Ark of the Covenant. Scripture lays out what this Ark is to look like and thus it takes on an ornate appearance for what it contains is the presence of God Himself. In like manner Mary becomes the new Ark of the Covenant for she was chosen to be the God bearer.

Therefore, in our Gospel we hear from the lips of an angel: "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." We must remember that this word "grace" refers to a gift which is given by God and thus is unmerited. This statement is making a reference to today's celebration of the Immaculate Conception. For today we celebrate the fact that Mary is found to be "full of grace" which is to say that she has been perfected by the Father and thus is found without the stain of sin upon her soul and thus she is the fitting dwelling place for God to take on our human flesh.

May we turn our sight to the Blessed Virgin Mary that we may continue to prepare our heart and soul to receive this most wondrous gift of God's love which is the gift of God made Flesh.

Immaculate Conception Homily

Yesterday many members of our parish gathered together to decorate for the Madrigal dinner. One of the requests that was made was to find eight boxes of white lights. Father Jim and I took this task upon ourselves and headed to Lowes, Wal-Mart, and Big Lots to look for these lights. Only if the request was to come back with colored lights because they were available in massive supply. After finding only 4 boxes out of these three stores we realized that accumulating eight boxes was hopeless.

Our society wants us to realize just that. Our society wants us to believe that all is hopeless. Look at the media and all that it has to share with us and we will begin to see that their is no hope. We are told about the importance of our individuality which only means that we cannot infringe upon someone else's beliefs. In order to fit into the order of society we need to blend in with the crowd and never express our own beliefs. In a world where there seems to be no right or wrong answer it seems like we have no hope. If we turned on the television, radio, or browsed the web this afternoon we probably heard about that the shootings that took place at the Virginia Tech campus. With sad news like this going on in the world around us it is easy to believe that we have no hope. In our own lives we can think of examples of sickness, death, losing a job, or other things which presents to our minds that we are hopeless.

It is through the Immaculate Conception that this hopelessness is overcome. No matter how great the sin of Adam and Eve was, Mary has come into the world free of sin. The Immaculate Conception is the white light of virtue shining brightly among the darkness of sin. This white light shines out among the individuality of the world and expresses the truth of Christ our Lord. This white light shines brightly during our saddest moments with the hope that one day we can again feel joy.

May we allow this great light to shine brightly within our own lives, so that our faith may be transformed into something greater. No matter what state of mind we find ourselves in today the Blessed Virgin Mary is present extending her hand to take. May we grasp upon it and allow her to take us to Christ. As this great exchange takes place she whispers into our ears that all is filled with hope if you can trust in me and my son.

In today's Gospel passage an angel appeared to Mary and told her that she was to bear a Son. This news came as shock to her ears, but she was willing to trust fully in God. She knew that accepting such a great honor would bring her much heartache, but she still accepted this invitation. She knew that by accepting this invitation people would begin to talk behind her back concerning who the father might be. Mary was young and filled with much fear, but she was willing to be humble of heart and lay everything down out of love for God.

Yes my brothers and sisters the world can seem to be hopeless. All can seem to be dark inside of this world. We do have a lot to fear! At the same time we have the Immaculate Conception where Mary has overcome the sin of Adam and Eve. We have this lady humble of heart who is ever present to intercede for us during our greatest needs. May we allow Mary to intercede in our lives today, so that we may ever grow closer into union with God.