Saying 'Yes' to God's Will

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Bishop of Arlington
(From the issue of 12/18/03)

The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, at St. John Church in McLean.

Whenever God chooses someone for a particular role or mission, He always prepares that person in advance. This fact is so clear to us as we celebrate today’s feast of Mary’s Immaculate Conception.

God willed that His Only Son would be the Savior of the entire human race. In the colorful language of today’s First Reading, we hear about our absolute need for a Redeemer and Savior and how God promised our first parents that the Savior would overcome the evil one. "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike at your head, while you strike at his heel." Yes, Jesus would crush the head and, therefore, the power of the devil.

He would save us! In order to do so, God the Son had to take on our humanity. He needed a mother! That was Mary’s role and mission: to be the Mother of God. The Catechism of the Catholic Church tells us, "To become the mother of the Savior, Mary ‘was enriched by God with gifts appropriate to such a role.’ The angel Gabriel at the moment of the annunciation salutes her as ‘full of grace.’ In fact, in order for Mary to be able to give the free assent of her faith to the announcement of her vocation, it was necessary that she be wholly borne by God’s grace" (no. 490).

God prepared Mary for her role and mission. Every human being is conceived and born, having human life but lacking divine life or grace. That is why Baptism is so necessary, because in Baptism, we are born again and receive God’s own life, His divine grace, for the first time. Through the foreseen merits which Jesus would win by His Dying and Rising, Mary was conceived and born possessing God’s life, divine grace within her. Again, we listen to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, "Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, ‘Full of grace’ through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Pope Pius proclaimed in 1854: The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin" (no. 491).

This principle — that God prepares those whom He chooses for their role and mission — is true for every one of us. In the Second Reading, St. Paul reminds us that we are chosen in Christ "to be holy and without blemish before Him." We are chosen and called to holiness. God also prepares us; by giving us Jesus to be our Lord and Savior, by calling us to the saving waters of Baptism, by giving us the opportunity to celebrate the Sacraments, especially Penance and Eucharist and by strengthening us to cooperate with His saving will.

Although God prepared Mary in advance, He still needed her consent. As the Gospel today records, at first she did not completely understand what God was asking and what God would be doing, but she did come to understand that this was His will. And when she did, she said an enthusiastic, generous, free "yes" — "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word."

God needs our "yes" to allow Him to save us, to prepare us daily for the role and mission He gives us. All of us have the role to be faithful witnesses to the Gospel of life and love; each of us has a particular role as priest, deacon or religious, as a single, married or widowed person. Only when we say "yes," — "let it be done to me according to your word" — only then can we be empowered to be the persons God chose and still calls us to be.

Today, following Mary’s example — she who is the principal patroness of our country — will you and I say "yes" to the Lord, to His amazing grace, to His saving will? Will we allow God to work within us His plan for our salvation and for the good of the Church?

God points to Mary today and tells us: "Be like her, be open and willing to say ‘yes’ to my Word and Will!" Let us not hesitate for a moment! Let us give our willing, generous, free "yes" as we ask Mary’s help: O Mary conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee. Amen.

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