Homily: December 8, 2022, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary

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 ‘The Lord God called to the man and asked him, “Where are you?”’

This is the first question God asked man after he committed sin. God surely knew what happened. He gave Adam and Eve all freedom to do as they please, requesting only one restriction, yet they failed Him. He should be upset, He is justified to be furious, He has every right to question and reprimand them, instead he asked, “where are you?”

Through this we can see that although God disapproves of sin, His bigger concern is when we hide from Him and persist in darkness. He calls us our from hiding, into His light. Human beings are the crown of God’s creation. 

He yearns for us to be in His light, in His presence, always. And all through history, God does not change His position, He does not run away, He remains always available, reachable and near. We are the ones turning away and increasing the distance from God.

Fulton Sheen rightly said, “Ever since the days of Adam man has been hiding from God and saying ‘God is hard to find.’”

God is Light. Turn towards light and we will find Him. But where are we?

We heard in the second reading, “He chose us in Christ even before the foundations of the world to be holy and without blemish before Him”.

Adam and Eve were created sinless, without any stain of sin, without blemish, to be holy like God. But they fell and so all humanity became corrupted, we are all born with original sin, except one.

Mary, like Eve, was born without blemish, without the stain of sin.

Mary, like Eve, has the capacity to fall into temptations and sin.

But Mary, unlike Eve, did not fall.

Eve explained the cause of her sin, that “the serpent tricked me into it and I ate it.”

How did the serpent trick Eve? He tempted Eve to believe that she would become wise like God, by turning against God.

God wants us to be wise like Him, that is His plan. But the way to becoming wise like God, is to be humble like Mary and obedient like Jesus. Not by plotting against Him.

“Mary said, ‘Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.’”

Eve gave in to temptation. Mary gave in to God’s will.

Mary is chosen by God to break the chain of corruption in our lineage. Without sin, being immaculately conceived, she is the new Eve. And being so humble and willing to please only God, she is able to resist all temptations to sin. Through her is born the new Adam, Jesus Christ. And through Him, all of us are washed clean with the waters of baptism, born again, this time without original sin.

Now, will we be tempted to think we can be wise like God, or wiser than Him, by turning towards the world and away from Him?

Or will we be humble like Mary and obedient like Jesus, by always reconciling our will with God’s will?

Oh man, oh woman, where are you?


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Homily, Wednesday,January 5, 2022, Memorial of Saint John Neumann, Bishop

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Homily April 29, Memorial of Saint Catherine of Siena, Virgin and Doctor of the Church

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Christmas Homily 2021,

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