Homily: March 25, 2026, Soemnity of Annunciation (Full of Grace)

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Holy family school mass:  

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

Isn’t that a beautiful greeting?

Before we go further on this, let me first ask you a fun fact, and let you think about the answer: Do you know why the Church fixed March 25th as the day we celebrate the Annunciation event?

Not all the dates of feasts of the Church are historical dates. For example, we celebrate Christmas on December 25th, but we don’t actually know the exact date Jesus was born. The Church chose that date many centuries ago for a certain reason.

Now let us link this to the Annunciation. Think about this: If December 25th is the day Jesus was born, when would He have been conceived in Mary’s womb?

Nine months is the length of a normal pregnancy. So if we count backwards nine months from Christmas day, that will bring us to March 25th!

And so on this date every year, we celebrate the day when the angel Gabriel came to Mary to announce Jesus’ coming, the moment Mary said Yes, and Jesus began His earthly life in May’s womb.

Now let us go back to that beautiful greeting: “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”

What does it mean to be “full of grace”?

Grace is simply God’s powerful presence.

So when the angel says Mary is full of grace, it means Mary is totally filled with God’s Holy presence, God was living fully in her heart, in her mind, in her soul, in her body.

Now do you think you have ever experienced that grace? 

Yes, you have! On the day of your baptism, God came into your life, the Holy Spirit of God filled your whole being. You became a child of God. Your heart would have been filled with grace.

But what happens after that?

Yes, we fall into sin. When we sin—in our thoughts, our words, our actions, or when we fail to do good—we begin to lose that grace.

But here is the good news: God always wants to and is ever ready to shower us with His grace again.

That is why we have the Sacrament of Confession.

When we make a good confession, God fills us again with His grace. So how do we remain in God’s grace?

We need two things: First, humility.

Only humble people go to confession. Proud people think, “I don’t need God. I am fine.” But the Bible tells us: “God gives grace to the humble.”

Look at Mary. She said: “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.” She knew everything in her life was a gift from God. And in everything, she praised God and gave Him thanks! Mary is our model of humility.

Second, we need to stay close to God—through prayer, through Mass, and by doing good. St. Paul once said:

“I am what I am by the grace of God.” That is true for all of us.

Let us be humble. Let us stay close to God. Let us live in His grace. Let us always give thanks to God in everything, for everything we received!

Amen!


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Homily: March 25, 2025, Solemnity of the Annunciation ()

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