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Browsing Father Michael Deering's Sunday Homilies

What one man can do!

What one man can do!

Homily originally presented December 20, 2020

by Monsignor Michael Deering

 

Way back in the 1970’s there was a popular country singer named John Denver. Of his many great songs, one of my favorites was called, What one man can do.

What one man can do is dream.           What one man can do is love.

What one man can do is change the world ... and make it young again.

Here you see what one man can do!

 

It was an especially moving song that pointed out the far-reaching influence that one person can have in the world by what they do in their lives.

 

You see, each person can make a difference in the world ... and the effect

of a person’s actions might go on ... and be felt for generations to come.

 

That’s because we human beings don’t live in a vacuum ... we live in a society.

We are social human beings and the things we do can affect our neighbors.

 

Good actions can bring about ... good long-term effects

And bad actions can bring about ... bad long-term effects.

 

We see a prime example of this in Genesis right after God first created Humans.

 

While Adam and Eve were initially in close communion with God ... walking with Him in the Garden of Eden ... as soon as they chose to sin by disobeying God,

they were shut out of the Garden and became separated from God.

 

Not only were they separated, but the long-term consequence of their sin was that ... all future generations would inherit the stain of their Original Sin on their souls!

 

What a sad change of events!

As John Denver would sing:   “Here you see what one man can do.”

 

To this day each newborn baby carries the mark of the sin of Adam on their soul.

over the centuries, this has to number billions and billions of people!

All stained by sin all because of ... one man.

 

But thanks to God’s mercy ... in the fullness of time ... God sent someone

to redeem us ... to save us from eternal separation from God ...

          and put us back in a right relationship with God!

 

Yes, it was through the good deeds of one man, the God-Man, Jesus Christ ...

that we now have a way to remove the stain of sin ...

and live in a graced relationship with God ... now and forever!

 

      Adam said no to God, and sin entered the world.

Jesus, the new Adam, said yes to God and redemption entered the world.

 

It was through Jesus that the Gates of Heaven were re-opened!

 

It was through the miracle that Jesus instituted 2020 years ago at the Last Supper 

that we’re able to have intimate union with Him Today in Holy Communion

 

Again, as John Denver would say: “Here you see what one Man can do!”

 

You know, even though Adam left God by committing the Original Sin …

    God never left man!

 

God stayed with man right down through the ages.

He was there with Abraham … Isaac … Jacob … Moses.

He was there with King David as we heard in our First Reading from 2nd Samuel

where God spoke to David through the Prophet Nathan saying,

I have been with you wherever you went.”

 

What a grace to know that God has never abandoned us.

What a double grace to know that God actually came to be with us in the flesh.

 

It’s one thing for God to be with us in His Spirit.

But it’s a far more profound thing for Him to be with us … in Person.

 

God indicated this would indeed happen in His words to King David today:

 “I will raise up your heir after you … and I will make his kingdom firm.

I will be a father to him, and he shall be a son to me.

Your house and your kingdom shall endure forever before me;

your throne shall stand firm forever.”

 

Is there such a thing as a throne that endures forever?

 

Was it the throne of David? No!        Was it the throne of Solomon? No!

 

There’s only one Throne that endures forever the Throne of the Son of God!

 

St. Paul affirmed this in our Second Reading today from Romans, writing:

“To the only wise God, through Jesus Christ be glory forever and ever. Amen.”

 

By God’s design, there came to be a new man,

whose yes would counteract the no of Adam.         That new man was Jesus.

 

And by God’s design, there came to be a new woman,

whose yes would counteract the no of Eve.        That new woman was Mary.

 

As a good Jewish girl, Mary knew the promise that God had made to King David.

  

   So the words of Angel Gabriel proclaimed today had to fill her with great joy

     to know that the time for the coming of the Savior was so near.

 

Notice how Gabriel referred to God’s past promise to David when he said to Mary,

“Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son …

and the Lord God will give Him ...  the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

 

Mary’s heart had to sing as she said Yes to God’s invitation!

     And she conceived the Son of God by the Holy Spirit.

 

As John Denver might say, “Here you see what one woman can do!”

 

Luke records Mary saying, May it be done to me according to your word.”

 

In the Latin translation, Mary’s response was simply “Fiat!” ...

which means, let it be done.”

 

You may remember the beautiful song done by the Beatles 50 years ago called, entitled: “Let it be”.          Paul McCartney, who wrote it said the expression came to him in a dream that he had during troubled times some 10 years after his mother died. He said that in the dream, his mum spoke the soothing words, “Let it be”

 

When he woke, Paul McCartney wrote the song.     It begins with the words:

"When I find myself in times of trouble, mother Mary comes to me,

speaking words of wisdom, let it be."

 

You see, Paul McCartney's mother's name ... was Mary.

 

Now he said he didn’t write the song to have a religious meaning ...

but we Catholics certainly feel that it does!

 

So “let it be” ... a song we consider a beautiful tribute to Mary’s response to God.

 

Mary said yesto God. And look at what one yes can do!

One yes changed the course of salvation history.

One yes brought God to us in visible form.

One yes enabled God to bring about redemption of the whole world.

 

Mary is our model of how to say “yes”      

even when we don’t know the fullness of God’s plan.

 

Mary certainly didn’t know God’s full plan.

 

 

As an unmarried virgin, Mary had no idea

how it would be possible for her to bear a son.

But still she trusted that what God said to her would come to pass.

 

God calls all of us to trust Him the same way. No matter how much we pray and

study, we’ll never come close to the knowledge and wisdom of God.

Fortunately, God doesn’t judge us on our knowledge, He judges us on our faith.

Mary shows us how to ... live in faith ... and ... trust in God.

 

By sayingt yes to God, Mary had a Son who would one day walk on water.

By saying yes to God, Mary delivered a child who would one day deliver her.

 

While Mary was the only one to bring forth Jesus in the flesh,

all of us bring forth Jesus in the world whenever we say “yes” to God.

 

Mary said yes to God and she wants us to say yes to God too.

Her last recorded words in Scripture appear in John’s Gospel account of the Wedding Feast of Cana where Mary tells the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.”

 

That’s Mary’s advice to all of us.   Do whatever He tells you.   Say yes to Him.

 

Jesus gave us the same advice in the Lord’s Prayer where we say,

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done.”

 

Hopefully we pray The Lord’s Prayer once or more every day.

Because each time we do, we’re in solidarity with Mary

as we offer our “fiat” to GodLet it be done to me according to your word.

 

As we continue to prepare our hearts for the celebration of Christmas,

let’s recognize that Jesus’ coming to us as a man was made possible

when Mary, one of God’s creatures, said “Yesto His invitation.

 

Let’s pray for the grace to always say “yes” to God’s invitation to do good.

 

Not only will we secure our own place in Heaven, but the long-term effect of our good choices may impact the salvation of countless other people as well.

 

By God’s design, we live in community and we’re saved in community.

 

How wonderful that others might benefit from our good works …

 

such that the day may come where others look back and say as John Denver said:

 

“Here you see what one man (or woman) can do.”

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