💖 HOMILY - DECEMBER 8 💖

First Reading - Genesis 3:9-15,20 

Second Reading - Ephesians 1:3-6,11-12 

Gospel - Luke 1:26-38

There is something profoundly beautiful about the way God moves through human history—not with force, but with invitation; not through perfection, but through trust; not by avoiding human weakness, but by entering into it. Today’s readings draw us into this mystery, showing us how God transforms the story of humanity through one simple, radiant word spoken by Mary: yes.

In Genesis, we hear the moment when trust between God and humanity is broken. Adam and Eve hide, afraid and ashamed. Their disobedience brings confusion, division, and loss. Yet even in this moment of failure, God does not abandon them. He seeks them out: “Where are you?” He confronts sin, but He also promises a future victory—a child who will crush the serpent. The story begins with brokenness, but it does not end there. God’s response to human failure is not rejection but redemption.

Paul, in the second reading, shows us that this promise was not an afterthought. From the beginning, God chose us in Christ. Before the world was formed, He desired us to be His sons and daughters, holy and full of love. Grace is not an emergency plan but the original plan. And Mary becomes the place where that plan blossoms. Through her, God’s choice becomes visible. Through her generosity, God’s blessing begins to flow into the world.

And then we come to the Gospel, where the promise becomes flesh. The angel announces to Mary that God wishes to enter her life in a completely unexpected way. She is troubled, unsure, questioning—but she listens. She makes space. And her openness allows God to do what once seemed impossible. Mary’s yes becomes the turning point of history, the moment when God’s love begins to heal what was wounded in Eden.

Dear friends, God begins His greatest works through human openness. In Eden, distrust closes the heart. In Nazareth, trust opens it again.Humanity once hid from God; now God chooses to dwell with humanity.And Mary shows us how redemption unfolds—not through grand gestures, but through simple, courageous availability.

This theme touches our daily lives. Each of us knows what it is like to feel the effects of brokenness: fear, confusion, regret, or the weight of past choices. And yet God keeps seeking us, just as He sought Adam and Eve, asking gently, “Where are you?” Not to condemn us, but to draw us back into relationship. And like Mary, we are invited to listen, to trust, to allow God to enter the ordinary spaces of our lives.

Mary’s yes can become our yes in many small moments:

when we choose forgiveness instead of resentment,

when we welcome someone who feels alone,

when we respond to a need with generosity,

when we surrender a fear and allow God to guide us,

when we say yes to the mission, the challenge, or the grace placed before us.

God does not ask us for perfection—He asks for openness. He asks for the willingness to let Him work within us. And through that openness, His grace takes root, just as it did in Mary.

So today, as we contemplate the story from Eden to Nazareth, we ask for the grace to echo Mary’s trust. May her yes become our inspiration. May we allow God to heal what is wounded, to strengthen what is weak, and to do in us whatever will bring life into the world.

And like Mary, may we learn to say, with sincerity and hope:

“Let it be done to me according to your word.”