Jesus Lives

By Bishop Paul S. Loverde
Bishop of Arlington
(From the issue of 4/1/04)

The following homily was given by Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde at the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington for the Feast of the Annunciation to celebrate the fifth anniversary of his installation on March 25.

What is it that we celebrate with such joy on this the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord? Is it not the absolutely amazing fact that the eternal Son of God assumed our human nature in order to save us by His subsequent Sufferings, Death and Resurrection?

Today’s scriptures clearly affirm this. God sent the Angel Gabriel to announce to Mary His Will — His Plan — for us to be saved. "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you shall conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus … The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God." This announcement of God’s saving plan fulfills the promise in today’s first reading: " … the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us!’" Mary said yes: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." At that moment, the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us (cf. Jn 1:14). Our second reading echoes this; this passage describes Christ’s coming into the world, saying "‘As is written of me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.’" And God’s will is that we be saved through the Dying and Rising of His Son.

Yes, the eternal Son of God, Jesus, took on human flesh, becoming conceived in the womb of His Virgin Mother Mary, so that, nine months later, He could be born, the visible and tangible expression of the Invisible God. Today, we celebrate the Mystery of the Lord’s Incarnation, which leads to the Mystery of the His Birth and then, to the Mystery of His Death and Resurrection.

What is the lesson for us today? Just as God willed that Jesus take flesh within Mary in order that He could become visible among us, so God wills that the members of Christ’s Body also make Christ present and visible now. Jesus desires to take flesh within us as He once did in Mary. Indeed, this is how we now live out the Mystery of the Incarnation in our lives. St. John Eudes says this so beautifully. "We must strive to follow and fulfill in ourselves the various stages of Christ’s plan as well as his mysteries and frequently beg him to bring them to completion in us and in the whole Church … He desires us to perfect the mystery of his incarnation and birth by forming himself in us and being reborn in our souls through the blessed sacraments of baptism and the Eucharist" ("Treatise on the Kingdom of Jesus"). Are we open and willing to let Him take flesh within us, in our minds, hearts and wills, in our entire being, body and soul?

Lent gives us the opportunity, through prayer, penance and almsgiving, to allow Jesus to convert us, change us, transform us, into clear images of Himself. The more we make Him visible within us as members of the Church, the more we can be the Church Evangelizing, the Church Reconciling, the Church Uniting, the Church Serving, and the more will the Church be present in our world.

On this fifth anniversary of my installation as the third Bishop of Arlington, I give thanks to God for the many ways in which the members of our Church, including all of you, have allowed Jesus to take flesh within you, so as to be visible in our society. As I look ahead, my constant prayer is that more and more, each and every member of this diocesan church, beginning with me, may allow Jesus to come and take flesh in us, and live within us. In that way, we shall make Him visible and present and be His Church — a Church which evangelizes, reconciles, unites and serves.

Permit me to end by quoting this prayer from Father Jean Jacques Olier, S.S. "O Jesus, living in Mary, come and live in your servants, in the spirit of holiness, in the fullness of your power, in the perfection of your ways, in the truth of your virtues, in the communion of your mysteries. Rule over every adverse power, in your Spirit, for the glory of the Father. Amen.

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