Homily for the Feast of the Annunciation

This Feast Day presents two well-known stories from the Library of Salvation History:      
1) The Expulsion from the Garden of Eden (Paradise Lost)… and
2) The Annunciation of the Incarnation of God (Paradise re-gained).

 

Man was expelled from Paradise for having listened to, trusted, responded to, and acted upon a voice outside himself, contrary to the voice of God within his conscience, that innate knowledge of the difference between good and evil placed there by God, and allowed Evil itself, personified by the serpent, to redefine the essence of Good.

 

The Blessed Virgin Mary, however, also listened to, trusted, responded to, and acted upon a voice outside herself, but which was totally in concert with the voice of God within, affirming her innate knowledge of God’s Will, His Goodness, and His Holiness, allowing Holiness Himself, this time personified by the Archangel Gabriel, to conform her will to the Will of God Himself, with the same freedom with which Adam and Eve rejected it. 

 

In The Expulsion Story, God appears to be less than all-knowing, coming into the Garden for a walk and talk. He has come with His divinity, to confront evil within His created beings. The story shows the terrible result of sin: the man and woman are suddenly ashamed of their bodiliness, as well as of who they are. Their nakedness which was once symbolic of beauty, innocence and truth, is covered up, making that beauty, innocence and truth less available to each other.

 

Now, blaming, whining and irresponsibility for one’s actions enter upon the human scene; mankind ushers in the reality of human suffering, bringing suffering upon ourselves and becoming a source of suffering for others; and from now on, humanity will have to struggle against evil.

 

The Annunciation Story demonstrates a dramatic and ultimate reversal of fortune for the human race. This renewal is introduced in Saint Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, in which he instructs us (three times) that we were chosen in Christ “before the foundation of the world,” that is: before the Fall from Eden, so that we might understand that it was never the Will of God that Paradise Lost would be the end of the story.

 

God, who seemed unaware of the commission of the Original Sin as He strolled through the Garden, knew, in advance, Man’s need for redemption — that is — the imperfection of Man, met and overcome by the perfection and holiness of God in Christ. And so, we come to the story of the Annunciation as a key to unlocking the mystery of Mary’s Immaculate Conception.

 

Mary participates in salvation through preservation from sin, whereas we participate through redemption from sin. Preserved from both the reality and the effect of Original Sin by God’s pre-determined Grace, we now come to know that Grace is more original than sin. The Saints agree upon what the Archangel’s salutation, “Hail full of Grace!” means for Mary. The Virgin Mother of God receives a plenitude of Grace from God at the moment of her conception that exceeds the grace given to other humans. As one contemporary theologian has put it: “The full measure of Grace was given to Mary all at once; the rest of us receive it in dribs and drabs."

 

The Immaculate Conception celebrates that God communicates to Mary His divine life all at once through preservation from the stain of Original Sin, and that Mary embodies all at once what God wills for humanity. Thus, there remains a difference between Mary and us: we are healed of the wounds of sin; Mary never contracted them… we suffer the consequences and aftereffects of sin; Mary rejoices in God her Savior… we must remain vigilant in order to avoid sin; Mary’s whole life “proclaims the greatness of God.”

 

There is no need, however, to fret over these differences: Mary as our Spiritual Mother, prays constantly for our dribs and drabs of Grace. Mary, conceived without sin, addressed in her Litany as “Mirror of Justice,” reflects our present and future blessings as well as the truth of God’s promises. Her goodness has always existed in God’s Knowledge: He saw her “fiat” (let it be…) to be freely given so that salvation would also be freely given, not imposed upon mankind.

 

Mary’s role as Mother of our Redeemer was no afterthought for God, because with God there is always the eternal present moment. God is here, now, in this present moment. He asks us, who were not immaculately conceived, but subject to the effects of Original Sin, if we would like to be freed from that sin and begin to live in His Grace. Looking to Mary our Mother and Guide, how shall we respond?

 

In closing, a few words as we join our prayers to those being offered around the world today for the Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In the Litany of Loreto, which calls upon the Blessed Mother for her blessing, she is given several titles. Among my favorites are “Mystical Rose, Morning Star, and Gate of Heaven.” However, the final title assigned to her is “Queen of Peace,” certainly appropriate for our prayers today. 

 

While the Catechism of the Catholic Church declares that Ukraine has every right to defend itself (CCC 2265) what’s taking place in Ukraine has the opportunity for us to address not only the conversion of Russia, but a national conversion for America. The conversion, as we endeavor to accomplish in our observance of Lent, is meant to bring about not just a minor course correction, but a through change in the way we look at God, ourselves, other persons, political adversaries, and reality itself. It involves beginning to look at the world with the eyes and heart of Christ, not through the populist lens of climate change, immigration policy, or transgender ideology.

 

It’s no wonder that looking at the weakness of American “woke” philosophy, Russia has chosen this moment in time to attempt to expand and renew its former might. We must turn to our Blessed Mother, who will remind us through the words of her Magnificat: “God’s mercy is from age to age for those who fear Him; He has confused the proud in their inmost thoughts; He has deposed the mighty from their thrones, but has lifted up the lowly.”

 

Our hope in the Lord for the present conflict can be summed up in the words from the Canticle of Zechariah: “… the tender mercy of our God… will shine on those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and guide our feet along the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79)