God Has A Mom

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

It is fitting that we should pause in our Lenten observance, these nine months before Christmas, and contemplate the joy of our Lord’s Annunciation. For it is God’s good and gracious will that those who are humbled and fatigued by the grief of penitence and who mourn deeply for their sins, might be consoled by the Word and promise of God whose Son, born of Mary, takes away the sins of the world.

The angel sent from God comforted Mary with these words: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.”

He promised more than a Son to the Virgin. In this, he also promised pardon to the guilty, redemption to the captives, and opening of the prison to them that are bound. He announced the Kingdom of the Son and in that Kingdom the glory of the righteous and the reward of faith. The Name Jesus – The Lord who saves – is the terror of Hell and the joy of Heaven.

Rejoice, O Highly Favored One!

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today we are gathered to confess and adore a sacred mystery. We are gathered to bow our knees and lift up our hearts at the Name of the Lord who did not count equality with God something to be grasped, but took up residence in the flesh of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We bow the knee in humble confession that our Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God before all worlds, was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made man. God is made man. The King of the Universe inhabits the womb of a virgin.

Rejoice and sing, o you faithful people! God has deigned to dwell with His creation. He has descended to earth and taken up human flesh and blood in the womb of a virgin, just as He foretold by the prophets of old. Rejoice and sing for joy that the Lord who is and who was and who is to come, the Living One, has received life from the flesh of Mary. Blessed is she who is found worthy to be called the Mother of God! And more blessed is the fruit of Her womb, Jesus!

“My Lord and My God”

Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Today, we celebrate a curious occurrence in the Church's calendar. Because of the intersection of the solar calendar with the date of Easter, we celebrate the Annunciation of our Lord to the Blessed Virgin Mary right alongside the resurrection of our Lord and His appearance to His disciples. While it may seem strange, it is also peculiarly fitting that we consider the beginning and the end of our Lord's work among us.

How does the story begin? In Luke, chapter one, the angel Gabriel appears suddenly to the Virgin Mary and speaks to her, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” The archangel speaks to her and proclaims to this blushing young maiden that she is with child and will bear the Son of God, the savior of the nations. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

"How Can This Be?"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Sometimes there are things that make you stop, cock your head, and say “Huh?” Maybe it is a situation that you do not understand. What is going on is beyond your ken, and so you stand, mystified and silent. Or perhaps it is that something so glaringly ridiculous happens that you are caught in your tracks. You look, furrow your brow, and wonder what in the world brought this on. We have all experienced these “Huh?” moments.

Today's Gospel lesson is perhaps one of the biggest “Huh?” moments in all of history. But before Mary, there was one such moment even longer ago. In the Garden, Eve was tempted to ask, “How can this be?” As she was left alone in the midst of the Garden, she came face-to-face with the tree whose fruit was the only thing forbidden to man. The serpent whispers in her ear, “How can this be?” How can it be that the Lord God would put this here, then forbid you eating it, upon pain of death? The Lord wants to give us all good things, so why would He keep this beautiful gift from us? How can it be that simply eating a piece of fruit will kill me?