Homily on 20 Dec 2022, Our Lady of Lourdes Archdiocesan Shrine
Allow me to begin with a personal experience. In my thirty-seven years as a Salesian one of the most difficult and challenging “obedience” (assignment) I have ever received was back in December of 1995. Fr Peter Zago, our Provincial Superior at that time, called me aside and, after giving a heart-warming introduction, he said that he was sending me to Rome to take up graduate studies in Liturgy. I was suddenly dumbfounded; I didn’t know how to respond to his proposal. At first I felt excited at the thought of travelling abroad. But I got scared thinking of the demands of the three year program which was in Italian, as well as the ensuing responsibility of teaching liturgy in the seminary after finishing the course – something that never occurred to me as a priest. So when my Provincial noticed the seriousness on my face, he gave me one week to think about it. Then he left.
So I really thought much about the matter and prayed a lot asking God to enlighten me. I even went to the Carmelite Monastery in Mabolo to pray to St Therese for this intention. Then I guess God really answered my prayers because during the following days of the Misa de Gallo, two gospel stories surprisingly struck me while attending Mass. First was the annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Joseph, the gospel story we heard last Sunday. And the second was the annunciation of the angel Gabriel to Mary, which we heard today. My reflection on the two stories led me to think that if both of Joseph and Mary gave their “yes” response to God no matter how difficult their mission was, then why should I not give my “yes” to this new “obedience” being asked of me? Otherwise if I refuse I might also lose my voice and not be able to speak again just like Zechariah in yesterday’s gospel.
Brothers and sisters, we have reached the sixth day of our Simbang Gabi or Novena Mass for Christmas. The gospel we have just heard presents to us Mary, the Blessed Virgin of Nazareth, who was chosen among millions of women to play a very important role in salvation history. Mary was probably one of the most reserved women in Nazareth flawless and beautiful inside and out. She was a stand-out who quickly captured the heart of the carpenter Joseph who lived just a stone-throw away. And I believe Mary too was captivated by the manly simplicity, reliability, and righteousness of the man he saw in Joseph who worked honestly with his tools and perhaps with a heart for certain customers who could not pay on time. And I guess this could explain why the two easily found each other. In fact she soon got betrothed to him, and was excitedly looking forward to their wedding.
Everything was going on well in their relationship until someone got in between them before their nuptial union could ever be completed. Who was it? It was none other than God. Little did her BF Joseph know that he actually had an invisible rival who was also crazily in love with Mary. So, when the right time came God quietly and secretly sent to Mary his angel Gabriel who greeted her with the words “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” Yes indeed, for many years, God has been preparing Mary to be the mother of his beloved Son. In fact He had preserved her from every stain of sin from the very moment of her conception in her mother’s womb, so that with her flawless beauty inside and out she could be a worthy dwelling place for the promised Messiah.
Now when Mary heard the angel’s message, that she would conceive and bear a son and should name him Jesus, she must have felt speechless, not knowing what to say. She had not been touched by any man as yet, not even by her beloved husband-to-be, the ever chaste Joseph. So I believe her first thought was this, would Joseph be the father of this child she would conceive. This is precisely what Mary could mean when she asked the question “How can this be since I am a virgin, I have no relations with a man?”
If you would recall, in the gospel story we heard yesterday, Zechariah also asked the angel a similar question: “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” He was referring to the angel’s message that his wife Elizabeth would conceive and bear a son. His question actually sounded more like a strong doubt or disbelief. He could not believe in what the angel was saying, that his wife, both barren and advanced in age, could still conceive and give birth to a son. He felt that he and his wife were just too old for love-making and having a child of their own was just too impossible to happen.
Mary’s question however was not like that. She wanted to clarify if the child she would conceive would have Joseph as his father, which implied that she would have to lose her virginity. Hence, the angel had to make it clear that Joseph would have nothing to do with her child, whom she would conceive through the powerful intervention of the Holy Spirit. In other words she would have a child and yet remain a virgin. Isn’t that amazing? But isn’t that also frightening? Unsaon man ang pagsulti niya kang Jose, nga mao ang nahitabo? (How would she tell her beloved Joseph about it?) And would Joseph believe her story, even if she narrated everything with all honesty? Would he still accept her as his wife even if her child would not be his child? I guess these were some of the many questions that could have been popping up in the mind of Mary while conversing with the angel.
And many more questions could pop up: would she really be able to fulfil well her role as the mother of the divine Redeemer? Would she be able to take good care of this kingly child knowing that her resources were very much limited? She and Joseph were numbered among the poor, living among the anawim of Yahweh. The good news, however, is that despite all these possibly disturbing questions, Mary didn’t say to the angel “Please give me one week or one month to think about it.” Or “puede ba sa kabilang bahay ka na lang magtanong. Baka merong ibang dalagita doon na gusting maging Ina ng Manunubos.” No, she didn’t say any of these things. On the contrary, being single-hearted and single-minded for the Lord, she chose to give her prompt response to the angel without any further questions or delay.
This is precisely what amazes us about this woman of Nazareth. When she came to know it was God who was totally in love with her and has chosen her to be the Mother of the divine Savior by the power of the Holy Spirit, without further hesitation, she gave her total, trustful and unwavering “YES” response. She said “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” It is for this that we Christians honor and thank Mary, our Blessed Mother! Because of her generous and courageous YES, we can celebrate Christmas joyfully every year.
Dear brothers and sisters, many of us today might be finding ourselves stuck in a difficult situation of crisis or conflict. But we must know that in every crisis that comes, Christ is. And in every problematic situation, there a God-inspired solution and corresponding mission. Today God is presenting Mary to be our model of faith and trusting surrender. Like her God wants us to say YES to the particular mission God is entrusting to us, not only for our family, but who knows, also for the good of the larger Church and the larger society. Whatever it might be we all have a particular mission in life ever since we were baptized as Christians. Like Mary let us have a reflective and discerning heart to enable us to discover what that particular mission might be. And like Mary may we give our total, trustful and unwavering YES to God’s call.
Allow me to conclude with another true-to-life story, the story of Maria. One day after her college graduation Maria received from a mysterious someone a bouquet of twelve red roses with a white rose at the center. She was very delighted but at the same time intrigued about who could be her newest suitor. The card showed that it was from a certain Mario, someone she recently met. But what Mario wrote on the card blew her up. It said “You’re a stand-out.” Isn’t that fascinating? Well, I’m sure you yourselves can guess the rest of the story. Mario soon became Maria’s. And so they became “SILA”.
Yes they became SILA but only for a short time, because after several months, Maria felt there was someone else who had been trying to pursue her. This person was seemed to be more crazily in love with her, for He gave her not only a dozen roses but every drop of his blood on the cross. I’m sure you can already guess the name of that mysterious person (Jesus our Lord). And so Maria decided to have a friendly talk with her boyfriend, and with all honesty admitted that she was being called to become a nun and offer her life entirely to Jesus. Good enough, Mario feared God, and despite the heaviness in his heart he just had to set Maria free to follow the Lord. Maria soon entered the monastery and became a nun and last year she celebrated the Silver Jubilee of her first profession as a Carmelite. And I was there to celebrate the Thanksgiving Mass because she is actually my elder sister.
Brothers and sisters, this Christmas the Lord will surely come to be born for us and the whole world. But his birth would still depend on how much faith there is in our hearts, and how much generosity and courage we could offer in responding to his call to mission. May this Eucharist empower us to follow generously and courageously the footsteps of Mary, our Bl. Mother and of St Joseph her most chaste spouse. GiGsss!
P.S.
Lest you think that my story abruptly ends there, I will go on sharing with you its continuation. Amazingly, after some time of healing, reflecting and praying, also Mario discovered his true vocation and mission in life. In response to God’s mysterious call, he entered the seminary and soon became a priest, and he has been serving the Church zealously and faithfully all these years.
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