THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH

Her Doctrine and Morals

Vigil of the Nativity

24 December 2023

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The Sunday

Sermon

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Dear Friends,

St. Joseph is instructed not to be afraid to marry Mary. The Child that she was carrying is The Son of God. He is the Savior. Many hesitate to draw near to God because they are unsure of the means that God has given us to approach Him. St. Joseph was anxious because he knew the Child was not his. If he were to denounce Mary, she would be disgraced and, according to the Law, could be put to death. He could quietly have her put away — until the Child was born. This was St. Joseph's dilemma, but God had a better plan. Do not fear to take Mary as your wife — this Child is God.

To approach Jesus Christ, we must draw first near to Mary — His mother. She is the bridge between God and man. It is through Her that God became Man. We have nothing to fear in loving and honoring her. All the honor that is hers is hers because she is the mother of God. It is God's honor and glory that we praise in Mary. She is the way that God has made Himself approachable to sinful humanity.

Tomorrow, we welcome the coming of Jesus Christ to this world and into our lives more than two thousand years later. It is impossible to welcome or honor Him without paying tribute to His mother. We should neither be ashamed nor embarrassed by the humble origins of the Birth of God. The humble and meek Virgin Mary is most pleasing and acceptable to God, so she should also be to us. The meekness and humility of the least of humanity are the most pleasing and useful for God. His grace flows freely and abundantly to and through the humble and lowly. We see this in Mary and Joseph, in Bethlehem and the stable, and in His association with ordinary sinners rather than with kings and priests.

We are called upon to approach God through humility and meekness as He approached us — through Mary. Many who are filled with their own pride and vanity perceive that they would have to lower themselves to draw near to Mary or to walk with Jesus among the lowly sinners, and they, therefore, hold back. Others are convinced that they are such terrible sinners that they are unworthy to approach God, and these hold back as well. We must resist either of these extremes. We are never above God and, therefore, never too good to enter a dirty, stinky stable. If God willed to be born in this stable, we cannot be better than God. We must always strive to humble ourselves and follow Jesus in humility. Likewise, we cannot be too "humbled" that we cannot approach Him (This is pride.). Our sins are not so great that He will turn away from us — provided we come to Him humbled and repentant.

When our sins weigh heavy upon our hearts and shame fills our minds, we find the most straightforward approach to Jesus is through His mother, Mary. When our awareness of our offenses and unworthiness does not permit us to approach God directly, we find the gentle Mother Mary ready to take our hands, encourage us, and bring us safely and securely to Him.

As the angel spoke to St. Joseph, so does the Church speak to us: Fear not to take Mary to yourselves — the Child she carries is the Son of God. We should set aside all fear and anxiety and, with complete confidence and faith, approach her to draw near to God. He will not despise such a meek and humble approach. She will never be proud, vain, or unapproachable — no matter how vile we may be.

Jesus chose to be born of this Virgin and in the stable. It is His desire to be born within us also. It is His desire to live within us. We hold back; we object with St. Peter: Depart from me, O Lord, for I am sinful. Our souls are dirty and unworthy of Him, so we are tempted not to approach Him or let Him approach us. If we consider the stable, we see that the moment Jesus entered it, it became heaven. The same is true if we consider Mary; the moment Jesus entered her, she became filled with Heaven. Our sinful and unworthy souls are made clean by the approach of Jesus.

We need to do our best to clean house and show that this is truly our desire — to provide a worthy dwelling for Him, even if our best efforts are never enough. The rest He will take care of Himself. Our sins are washed away when He enters in. However, He only enters where there is true repentance, humility, and most importantly — Love.

May the Immaculate Heart of Mary inspire, guide, and protect us!