ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Praised be Jesus Christ!

I welcome all of you here this evening to Saint Robert Bellarmine Parish and take this opportunity to thank Monsignor Beisel for hosting this Holy Hour for Vocations.

Tonight, we gather here with priests, future priests, families and friends to do precisely what Jesus told us to do. Namely, to pray. To pray to the Master of the harvest and to ask Him to send more laborers into His harvest. This is our prayer this evening and we make it with great faith and confident trust in God’s Word.

What a beautiful evening it is to be here in the presence of our Eucharistic Lord. And how fitting it is to be gathered together on this most holy and solemn day when the Church throughout the world celebrates the Annunciation of the Lord. Today, we recall that great event which forever changed the world. We listen to that wondrous text of Saint Luke’s Gospel proclaimed as tonight’s Gospel and we marvel at that beautiful mystery which continues to this day in you and in me. Namely, the mystery of the incarnation of Jesus, the Word made flesh.

Tonight, dear friends, we are invited, in the Eucharistic presence of Jesus, to consider this profound mystery, to contemplate its implication and to accept with generous hearts the invitation which this solemnity sets before us.

First, let us consider the mystery. At the heart of the Annunciation, we find God’s abundant mercy and the invitation His mercy extends to you and to me. We recall the condition, the state of the human race. Having been made in God’s image and likeness, Adam and Eve had fallen from grace. They believed the lie of the serpent, the fallen angel, and in accepting his word, they turned from God’s Word and forsook the life of God. But immediately, God made a promise. He promised that there would be a woman who would be free from sin, free for God. In that early chapter of the human race, God promised Mary. And tonight we find her. We find her in this most important moment of her life, accepting God’s Word.

At the Annunciation, we find Mary, the New Eve, the perfect woman, face to face not with a fallen angel but rather face to face with the Archangel Gabriel and the Good News he proclaimed. Unlike Eve who was presented with a temptation, we see that Mary is presented with an invitation. She is presented with God’s plan of salvation; she is presented with Jesus. And then, she is asked a question: Mary, will you let God’s Will be done? Will you give God a human nature? Will you let the Son of God take on flesh in your womb?

The angel and indeed the whole universe awaited Mary’s reply. And as we know, Mary said "yes", "Let it be done unto me according to your word." And in that moment, God became man. Remaining divine, the Son of God assumed a human nature, and the world was forever changed.

Friends, this mystery of the Annunciation and the Incarnation lies at the heart of Christianity. For as Christians, we believe that God is not only with us but He is one of us. He has taken on our flesh, and through that flesh in His perfect obedience to the Father Jesus restores us to life. We celebrate this life each day in the Eucharist—as we remember the merciful and saving Passion, Death and Resurrection of our Blessed Lord.

In celebrating this mystery, however, we do not merely remember Jesus. Rather, we ourselves, are invited to participate in and to engage the very mystery of God. We see this in the Eucharist. For on the last night of His life, Jesus did not merely give us His flesh. He gave us a command. He said to His Apostles and their successors: "Do this in memory of me." Jesus did not merely announce to us His way, Jesus invited us to walk His Way with Him. He invites us to love, to do as He has done. Thus, dear friends, in Jesus we have a great vocation. And in Jesus we find our vocation, our purpose, our mission in life.

At the heart of our Christian life we will discover our vocation. For we, like Mary and every follower of Christ, are presented with a special invitation. God asks each and everyone of us, as He asked Mary, "Will you give me a human nature?" "Will you let the Father’s plan be done in your life? Will you give me your flesh, today?" For each one of us here, the Annunciation is an ongoing event. God stands at the door, announcing Good News. He stands knocking, inviting and waiting for our reply.

And now at this time in history, it is our turn to provide an answer. As He turned to Mary on that particular day, the Father turns to us and invites us to accept His plan for the salvation of the world. The Father stands in need of our "yes". He needs our hands, our eyes, and our voice to make His Son known in today’s world. He needs our hearts to love Jesus, our minds to know Jesus and our strength to serve Jesus today. But the Father will not force this upon us. Rather as he did with Mary, He will simply invite and then await our reply.

How blessed we are, dear friends, to reply to the Father’s call. How blessed we are to have the model and help of Mary in making that reply. For we find in Mary deep hope and trust. We find in her the courage, humility and faith to respond generously to God’s call. For some this generosity will mean allowing your son or daughter to consider the priesthood or religious life. For others, this generosity will mean saying "yes" to such a wonderful call in your own life. For God is certainly calling some of his young people here to be His priests and religious. But for all of us, our appropriate response to God’s call will demand a loving awareness of His grace, a desire to hear His voice, to believe His word, and to be generous in saying "yes" to His call.

On this day, when we celebrate Mary’s beautiful and perfect "yes" to the Lord, let us with great faith voice our "yes" as well. Let us give Jesus our hearts, consider His call, and plead for His grace. And with Mary let us say to the Father: "Let it be done to me according to your word." We have nothing to lose, so much to gain, and tonight the Father, along with many others, awaits our answer. Amen.