YEAR A: HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF ADVENT (1)

YEAR A: HOMILY FOR MONDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF ADVENT

HOMILY THEME: MAY MOTHER MARY INTERCEDE FOR US

BY: Rev. Fr. Jacob Aondover ATSU

HOMILY: SOLEMNITY OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION OF THE B.V.M
READINGS: GENESIS 3:9-15.20, PSALM 98, EPHESIANS 1:3-6.11-12, LUKE 1:26-38

Dearly beloved, understood in simpler terms, the Solemnity of Immaculate Conception of Mary marks per se, the dawn of the New Covenant, celebrating the gracious preparation by God of his people to receive their Saviour and Lord. Genesis describes how sin alongside death came into the world and engulfed it. God, all good, all loving and all merciful couldn’t abandon his children to this hopeless plight; this would have contradicted his name, person and nature. The Immaculate Conception therefore is God’s graceful, beautiful and gratuitous gift to humanity; setting in motion the incarnation.

This solemnity reminds us that:
 The failure of Eve has no finality, the victory of Mary does.
 Our sins, weaknesses and shortcomings won’t vanquish us if our faith and hope in the Son of the New Eve is alive.
 The devil may tempt us, luring us to disobey God, but we can take courage from Mary’s ‘Yes’ (fiat) and hang on with God.
 The tree of the old dispensation on which the enemy brought damnation to man has been undone by the saving tree of Calvary.
 We are therefore a new, saved; liberated and hopeful people who though live in an evil world are assured of the possibility of being good.
 Mary was conceived immaculately but born into a sinful world; however, she lived immaculately all through her life. We too were born innocent and can stay that way. May we strive not to be corrupted by the whiles and evil of the devil

Sons and daughters of God, what we celebrate is the divine antidote to a lost, derailed hence despairing humanity. It is also a reminder that our Mother, Mary is full of grace (Lk. 1:28) and can help us anytime we call on her son through her. May we too, adopted and made sons of God by Christ Gal. 45-6); through the merits of our brother and saviour, Jesus Christ, have a share in the numerous graces enjoyed by Mary, amen.

FEED AND EDUCATE ONE