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Immaculate Conception
Gn 3:9-15,20, Eph 1:3-6,11-12, Lk 1:26-38
December 8, 2006
Fr. Carl McCarthy
Do not be afraid,
Mary for you have found favor with God.
Lk 1:
When Ed Koch was mayor of New York City, he used to say that
he had the most spiritual experience when he attended the Catholic
funerals of city policemen and firemen. Once a reporter asked him why
that was so, and he said, “the hymn that they always sing, ‘Be Not
Afraid,’ lifts my spirit.”
Throughout the Scriptures, we find instances where God tells
us time and time again, “Be not afraid.” God tells us here that whenever
challenging and even desperate situations present themselves in our lives,
God’s presence can always be found.
God tells Abraham, “Fear not! I am your shield.”
God tells Isaiah, “Fear not! I have called you by name, and
you are mine.”
God tells the shepherds, “Do not be afraid, for today in the
city of David, a Savior has been born for you, who is the Messiah and
Lord.”
On this Feast of the Immaculate Conception, we hear not God,
but an Angel, a messenger of God, say to Mary, “Do not be afraid, for you
have found favor with God.”
Fear can be a paralyzing experience. I know a lady who is
desperately afraid of bridges. She is so afraid of bridges that she will
drive miles out of her way to avoid crossing a bridge. We all have fears.
Right after 9-11, many were afraid to go to a mall or a large public
place; we are afraid of flying, we are afraid of storms, we are afraid of
death; some are even afraid of God.
Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no
relations with a man?”
It
was through the power of the Holy Spirit that she found the strength to
overcome her fear and say “yes” to God’s will in her life…
This Advent celebration of Mary is a Christological, a
Christ-centered, feast. Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Mary became
the Theotokos, the Bearer of Christ to the World.
Many people around the globe look to Mary as a sign of
strength. The number of Churches named in her honor, the many whose names
are taken from Mary, the shrines and the places that attract thousands of
visitors every year, the statues in homes, the medals that we wear around
our necks and the rosary that we pray all testify to this..
Dean Hoge, of the Catholic University in Washington D.C.,
surveyed Roman Catholics, ages 20 to 39, and found that they rated Mary
the Mother of God as an essential part of our faith. In the study, a
devotion to Mary comes fourth behind the presence of God in the
Sacraments, charity to the poor, and the presence of Christ in the
Eucharist.
Though she was fearful, Mary humbled herself
before God; she surrendered herself to God’s will and plan in her life.
In this humble surrendering, she found the strength to face her fear and
to say yes to God. She also found the power of the Holy Spirit. This was
the same Holy Spirit that came down upon the Apostles at the first
Pentecost and gave them the strength to go out and proclaim Christ to all
the nations. The Holy Spirit is God’s fire and warmth; the Holy Spirit
is God’s strength and love.
In the midst of life’s fears, may we remember
that the same Holy Spirit dwells within us and within others. May we also
hear the words of the Angel, “do not be afraid,” take courage, for we too
have found favor with God.
Ed Koch story from Lift up your Hearts
Homilies and Reflections for the “C” Cycle, Paulist Press, 2006
sdrose@bellsouth.net
12-10-2006
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