Readings
Reading I: Genesis 3:9-15, 20 |
Preaching TipLess Moralism, More Gospel Today’s Scriptural offering is a treasure trove of Biblical revelations. The Immaculate Conception dogma reveals that not only is the Bible an intricate hyperlinked text, full of promise and fulfillment, but that God’s plan of salvation has been underway since time immemorial. The richness of today’s liturgy and its theological history provides a wealth of options for a preacher to draw upon. Yet often, due to Advent busyness and haste, we can approach a holy day of obligation such as the Immaculate Conception with less preparation than we do Sunday mass. We already have so much to do for Advent and Christmas! When we aren’t prepared, instead of drawing upon Scripture, our homilies could end up falling into spiritual moralisms, a few spiritual platitudes, and perhaps a reminder about some scheduling change for the parish. Spiritual moralisms such as “be a good person”, “care for others”, and “love God more” fall flat and do not evangelize or change hearts. This type of homily could just as well be delivered at a Rotary Club meeting. The center of all Catholic preaching is the Kerygma, the Good News. This message comes straight from the Gospel. It proclaims that God the Father has loved every human being from all eternity and is at work reconciling each of us and our entire sinful world to himself in Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. Now that is great news! More Gospel, less moralisms. |
INMACULADA CONCEPCIÓN (ABC)
La fiesta que estamos celebrando hoy, llena nuestro corazón cristiano de alegría y esperanza. No sólo es la fiesta de una mujer, concebida sin pecado original porque estaba destinada a ser la madre del Mesías; sino que es también la fiesta de todos nosotros que nos sentimos representados por ella.
Hermanas y hermanos:
1. Cuando Santa Bernardita preguntó a la "Señora" que se le aparecía en Lourdes, quién era Ella, le respondió: "Yo soy la Inmaculada Concepción". Significa que María no estuvo nunca sometida a la esclavitud del demonio, ni tenía inclinación al mal, ni oscurecimiento de su entendimiento, consecuencias del pecado original, con las cuales todos los demás mortales somos concebidos. Tampoco estaba sujeta a dos consecuencias adicionales, que son el sufrimiento y la muerte.
2. María Inmaculada es la expresión más perfecta de la meta a la que Dios nos llama también a nosotros: Vencer el pecado, el mal y la muerte. El mal existe en nuestro corazón y a nuestro alrededor, en la familia y en la sociedad. ¿No es pecado la injusticia, la violencia, las violaciones, la corrupción, el holocausto de inocentes no nacidos y nacidos, la indiferencia, el placer egoísta a costa del sufrimiento ajeno, el dominio despótico sobre los más débiles?
Pero el mal y el pecado sólo se vencen "a golpes" de bien, en unión con Cristo y María, que tienen en su mano la victoria sobre el pecado, sobre el mal y sobre la misma muerte. Ser santos significa ser inmaculados, libres de los condicionamientos del mal y preservados del pecado.
3. Tenemos en María una buena Maestra para este Adviento y para la próxima Navidad. Nosotros queremos prepararnos para recibir al niño Jesús en nuestras vidas. Ella, su Madre, fue la que mejor vivió en sí misma el Adviento, la Navidad y la Manifestación de Jesús como el Salvador de Dios. Si la miramos a Ella, si nos alegramos con Ella, nos animaremos a vivir mejor este Adviento y esta Navidad. María es inmaculada. Por un designio de amor y de gracia, Dios la eligió para ser la madre de su Hijo encarnado.
Purísima debía ser la madre de Jesús a quien concibió primero por la fe en su corazón y luego en sus entrañas virginales. María, nuestra madre es quien mejor encarna la esperanza cristiana que celebramos en adviento.
La verdadera devoción a la Virgen consiste en imitarla en esta misión: Acoger en nuestro corazón y en nuestras vidas a Cristo para darlo a los otros con el ejemplo, la oración, la ayuda, el sufrimiento, la palabra, la alegría, la fe y la esperanza. Convirtamos el Adviento en tiempo de María. Meditando en su vida y principalmente en el mensaje de su Inmaculada Concepción, profundizaremos en la conversión que se nos pide en este tiempo de Adviento. Que el "Sí" de la Virgen, sea la razón de nuestra esperanza, de que las promesas del Señor se cumplirán. Así sea.
Years A, B, C
FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION
The Feast that we are celebrating today, fills our Christian hearts with joy and hope. It is not only the Feast of the Woman, conceived without original sin, who was destined to be the Mother of the Messiah; but it is also the Feast of all of us - that are represented by her.
Sisters and brothers:
1. When Saint Bernadette asked the "Lady" who appeared to her in Lourdes - who She was?; the Lady responded: "I am the Immaculate Conception." This signifies that Mary was never submitted to the slavery of the devil, nor did she have an inclination towards evil, nor a darkening in her understanding as a consequence of original sin - of which all of us other mortals are conceived with. Neither was Mary subject to two additional consequences of original sin, that of suffering and death.
2 . Immaculate Mary is the most perfect expression of the goal - to which God also calls us: To conquer sin, evil, and death. Evil exists in our heart and all around us, in the family and in society. Are not: injustice, violence, violations, corruptions, the holocaust towards the innocent -unborn and born, indifference, egotistical pleasure at the cost of the suffering person, and despotic dominance of the weakest - great sins?
Yet evil and sin are only conquered "by blows" of goodness, in conjunction with Christ and Mary, since they have in their hands the victory over sin, over evil, and over death. To be saints - signifies that we must be immaculate, free from the condemnation of evil and preserved from sin.
3. In Mary we have a good Teacher for this Advent and for the coming Christmas. We want to prepare ourselves to receive baby Jesus into our lives. It is Our Lord's Mother, who was the one that best lived Advent, Christmas and the Manifestation of Jesus as the Savior of God - in herself. If we look to her and are joyful with her, then we will be encouraged to live this Advent and this Christmas with more grace. Mary is immaculate. By His plan of love and grace, God chose her to be the Mother of His Incarnate Son.
The Mother of Jesus had to be the most Pure Virgin, who first conceived through faith in her heart and then in her virginal womb. Mary, our Mother is the one that best embodies the Christian hope that we celebrate in Advent.
True devotion to the Virgin consists in imitating her in this mission: To receive Christ in our heart and in our life - so as to give Him to others through our example, prayer, aid, suffering, the Word, joy, faith and hope. Thus we convert Advent into the time of Mary. Meditating on her life and especially on the message of her Immaculate Conception, we will profoundly deepen our conversion, which she asks of us - at this time of Advent. May the "Yes" of the Virgin Mary, be the reason for our hope, from which the promises of Our Lord - will comply. May it be - Amen.