By Archbishop Thomas Wenski - The Archdiocese of Miami
Archbishop Thomas Wenski preached this homily while celebrating Mass for the Pastoral Center staff before their annual Christmas and employee recognition luncheon, held Dec. 20, 2024.
Today’s Scripture readings bring us closer to the celebration of Christmas. In the first reading, Isaiah prophesies that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son whose name will be Emmanuel, God with us. In the gospel according to Luke, we see on display the extravagant love of God who fulfills the prophesy by choosing Mary to be the mother of his beloved Son.
Now Mary did nothing to earn or deserve God’s grace. Last week’s feast of the Immaculate Conception reminded us that Mary was sinless from the first moment of her conception because of what the theologians call “prevenient grace”. A grace that anticipated the merits of Christ’s death and resurrection because of the role she would play in our salvation history. Just like the rest of us, Mary needed God’s grace and redemption through Christ’s saving action.
Grace is a gift – and gifts reflect the generosity of the giver, and not necessarily the worthiness of the receiver. God’s choice of Mary makes her worthy, full of grace.
Photographer: MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Archbishop Thomas Wenski preaches the homily during the annual Christmas Mass, followed by employee recognition luncheon, with Pastoral Center staff, celebrated Dec. 20, 2024, at St. Martha Parish in Miami Shores.
If God chose Mary, she herself had to make her choice for God. She was asked to put her freedom, her whole person, at the service of God’s plan.
Now, the difference between Mary and us is not that she was chosen, and we were not; rather it is that she fully responded to being chosen for her role while we, to be honest, often remain hesitant and half-hearted about responding to what God asks of us.
Perhaps we don’t really believe that God favors us as he “highly favored” Mary. How much of our efforts are about proving to ourselves and others our worth? Too often, we hide our insecurities, our lack of self-esteem and self-worth by our acquisitions, and our patterns of conspicuous consumption. Even in our religious lives, we think that we have to earn God’s love.
Grace is a gift – and gifts reflect the generosity of the giver, and not necessarily the worthiness of the receiver. God’s choice of Mary makes her worthy, full of grace.
God chose Mary; and Mary chooses God. Mary receives a mission that was not for herself – her mission in the plan of God was to give Jesus to every generation of the human family. And God has chosen all of us. As St. Paul writes in Ephesians chapter 1: “God chose us, chose us in Christ, to be holy and spotless and to live through love in his presence.” His choosing us was a pure gift – unearned and undeserved.
Isn’t our mission similar to hers? To use an expression popularized by Pope Francis: We are called to be “missionary disciples” and to give Jesus to others, to share him with others.
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
Not an easy prayer to say. Jesus himself would pray similar words in a sweat of blood at Gethsemane: “Not my will but yours be done.”
Since nothing is impossible for God, how do we make this the pattern of our own lives – so like Mary we surrender and trust in God and his Word to us?
Merry Christmas!
