HER “YES” MADE ALL THE DIFFERENCE. (Homily for Tuesday of the 2nd Week in Advent, Feast of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Year C.)


Bible Study: Genesis 3:9-20, Psalm 98, Ephesians 1:3-12, Luke 1:26-38


Today, we celebrate a very important Solemnity as far as Christmas is concerned; the solemnity of the immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Since Jesus Christ is God, it is impossible for him to have been born into a womb that had the stain of original sin. And so, long before the word was made flesh in her womb, God had already prepared grounds by creating a woman free from the stain of original sin. And the fact that Mary was born completely sinless is what we celebrate today. By Immaculate Conception, we mean that Mary was conceived in the womb of her own mother without sin, without the sin of Adam and Eve.

If there was no immaculate conception, then perhaps there would be no Christmas because God could not have been incarnated into an environment of sin. Just as Advent is a time we prepare ourselves for the birth of Jesus into our hearts and lives, the Immaculate Conception represents God’s own advent when he had to prepare a woman for the role of his earthly mother. The feast of the Immaculate Conception is an exultation of the state of sinlessness of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast challenges us to stay completely away from all sin so as to receive Christ always into our hearts.

Ordinarily, one might assume that since Mary was conceived without sin, she must have been given a special shield, or say, a special defence mechanism to prevent her from committing any sin but this was never the case. Though born without original sin, Mary also had the ability to choose, to say ‘yes’ or to say ‘no’ just like every human being. She was always free to say “Yes” or “No” at any point in time. That she had to be visited by Angel Gabriel as we read in today’s Gospel passage is a testimony of how God didn’t want to impose his will on her. And God does not impose anything on us, we are always free to choose good or evil, to say ‘yes’ or ‘no.’ God needed to hear Mary’s response – God was waiting for her fiat – God wanted to hear a “Go Ahead” from Mary. God does not act without our cooperation. God does not force his will on us, if we say “No” to God, then He completely accepts our will.

As we saw in the first reading, Adam and Eve had a special characteristic in that like Mary, they were both created without original sin but unlike Mary, Adam and Eve said “No” to God when they freely choose to eat of the forbidden fruit. That was why God held them directly responsible. Since God did not force them to sin, he did not take the blame for their fault even though Adam and Eve tried to shift the blame to God by saying “it was the woman YOU gave me; the serpent YOU created.”

Each time we sin, we too say “NO” to God. Each time we deliberately disobey God’s commandments, we are saying “God, I do not recognize your authority over my life, I do not believe what you have for me is better than what I stand to gain right now by doing this sinful act.” God demands that we respect Him by keeping his commandments but he also respects our choices.

As St. Paul tells us in the second reading today, each and every one of us just like Mary has been chosen by God for a particular reason, to accomplish a particular good in life. Yet, with every sin that we indulge in, we keep rejecting God’s plan for our lives. As he says: “…the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, just as he chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world TO BE HOLY AND BLAMELESS before him in love.” Ephesians 1, 3 to 4 

The moment Mary said “Yes” to the angel, her very “Yes” turned into flesh insider her womb. Something happens when we say “Yes” to God. Something very mysterious which we cannot fully explain takes place, there is great joy in heaven and God himself starts working great and powerful miracles right inside of us. She said “Yes” and became pregnant. Do you know that whenever we allow God’s will prevail, whenever we do his will and reject temptaions, we instantly become pregnant with Jesus? Do you know that each time we let go of our personal plans or make acts of sacrifices just for the sake of doing something good for God or for others, we are supernaturally transformed by the Holy Spirit? God does not force us but he always loves to hear our “Yes.”

Even though God had chosen Mary before she was born by exempting her from original sin, Mary grew up to constantly say “Yes” to God to the point that she herself by her choices FOUND FAVOUR with God. It is one thing to be chosen, anybody can be chosen, in fact, we all have been chosen, our biographies are not accidental scripts, we may not have been chosen to give birth to Jesus, but we all have been chosen to do something special for God. I was chosen to be the one writing this homily today. You too were chosen. Yes, we all are chosen by God. But then, it is one thing to be chosen, and a different thing altogether to find favour with God.

Finding favour is not easy. It demands work, it demands sacrifice on our part, it entails having to let go of so many seemingly enticing things. When the Angel told Mary she would conceive, she said “How can this happen since I am a virgin?” Her statement shows that she was no longer a baby, she knew that the only way a woman can give birth was by having relations with a man. But she had kept herself. Dear friends, her story would have been different if she had yielded to the temptation of pre-marital sex. There is great benefit in standing out, there is great reward for those who refuse to be lured into sin. There is great happiness for us whenever we say “Yes” to God by keeping our hearts pure, dwelling on holy thoughts, selecting the kind of movies we watch and the kind of friends we hang out with, there is great blessing in practicing chastity; keeping ourselves till the day of marriage, and remaining totally faithful to our vows whether marital or celibate.
At times, saying “Yes” to God may sound ‘impossible.’ You may be wondering how can I say “Yes” when I see temptations all round me every day? How can I say “Yes” when I have become used to saying “No”? How can I say yes when I have gone far in the world? How can I say “yes” when I have no one to show me good example or be a model to me in holiness? Dear friend, if Mary could say “Yes”, you too can say “Yes”. It is not going to be by your efforts alone, Mary did not conceive Jesus by her power, all that is needed is for you to say “God, let it be done!” and God will do the rest. Do not be afraid, say “Yes” and God himself will give you the strength to stand by your “Yes” because with Him, all things are possible.

Let us Pray: Lord God, just as you prepared Mary by freeing her from original sin, may we be fully prepared to receive you into our hearts this Christmas by constantly rejecting sin and constantly keeping our heart completely pure and welcoming to you. Amen.

Holy Mary, Mother of God: Pray for us.

Good morning. Be Happy. Live Positive. Have Faith. It is well with you.


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