Solemnity of Annunciation Homily 2020 @ Virtual Parish

Here are some notes I had for this homily prep:

“The biggest lie in the history of Christianity is that holiness is not possible for us… that we cannot be saints.”

But this is a lie from the enemy. A lie that we have been tricked into telling ourselves. A lie that must be debunked.

• And Matthew Kelly’s book, The Biggest Lie in the History of Christianity, upon which my homily is largely based, helps to show why it’s such a diabolical and deceptive lie (click here for my summary notes of this book).

Thankfully… “Holy Moments” prove that we can be holy – that we can be saints!

Supposed that we sat down for coffee later today and I asked you – “can you create just 1 single Holy Moment?” Not a holy life, or a holy day, or a holy hour, or even a holy 15 minutes… no… just one single Holy Moment?

Well… What’s a Holy Moment you ask?… Good question!

• A Holy Moment is simply 1 moment when you do something HOLY… Hence the name “holy moment”.

Now NONE of you can say… ahh!! I can’t do that, doing something holy is just too much for me… or… it’s too hard Deacon Richard, you’re such a Pharisee… why are you laying such a heavy burden on me this morning… Lent’s hard enough already…

NO. Every single one of us can do something holy & create a Holy Moment.

And why am I so sure? Because your decision to watch this virtual Mass is a HM! You just proved to yourself that HM’s are possible!

And guess what? HM’s are the key to becoming saints…

I’m going to repeat myself because this is life-changing… the decision you made to watch this virtual Mass proves that HM’s are possible in your life & that you can become a saint! Knowing that you can create just 1 HM today… gives you the BLUEPRINT to create 2 tomorrow… and maybe even more the next day…

Because the opportunities to do something holy & create HM’s are everywhere.

• Praying the spiritual communion prayer at the end of today’s Mass. That’s a HM.
• As Archbishop Miller said in Monday’s interview, keeping social distancing and washing your hands as a way to love your neighbour. Those are HM’s.
• Reaching out to a friend who might be lonely right now in self-isolation. That’s another HM.
• Being patient with that one person who drives you crazy… that’s a HM.
• Asking Fr. Paul Goo for an application form for the seminary… Woah… That’s a HM Michael Do!
• And joining the Virtual Rosary Prayer Group tonight at 930pm. There you go… one more HM.

The opportunities to create HM’s are endless because GOD is always at work in our lives…. He is EMMANUEL as we heard in the 1^st reading… God with us… always giving us the grace to create HM’s with Him…

That’s WHY these moments are HOLY  & that’s why HM’s are the key to becoming SAINTS.

Today is the Solemnity of the Annunciation.

On this day, we celebrate the 1 Holy Moment that CHANGED the world forever.

Mary said, “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word.”

This was her HM. And this HM led her to be regarded as the greatest of all saints in the history of Christianity.

Remember the definition of a Holy Moment? Simply 1 moment when you do something holy.

• Although we don’t hear much about Mary in the Bible… everything we do hear about her is a HM… FOR EXAMPLE… taking care of Elizabeth in her old age, presenting Jesus in the temple in obedience to Jewish law, interceding for the married couple who needed some more wine… staying with Jesus @ the foot of the Cross… and teaching the disciples how to pray in preparation for Pentecost… THESE are all HM’s…

So RATHER than seeing Mary as some impossible saint that we can NOT imitate, let’s LOOK @ her HM’s as inspirations that we too can cooperate with God’s grace & become saints… “for nothing will be impossible with God.”

The FACT that you can create HM’s with God – PROVES that you can become a saint.

Now… Saints are NOT men and women who lived perfect lives… they would be the 1^st to admit that they had PLENTY of UN-holy moments… BUT the saints did look for opportunities every day to create HM’s – one at a time, as many they could… they found JOY in doing something holy for God… they looked for ways to live a life of service for others, a life of peace, kindness, humility, generosity…

• In these times of the Coronavirus pandemic, we have SO MANY opportunities for HMs right now… AND the world needs you and me… and especially Fr. Paul Goo – to shine like saints with the light of HM’s in the darkness of this time.

So…

I will ask you again – WHO HERE BELIEVES THAT THEY CAN BE A SAINT?

• Let us pray:  “Lord, please, we beg you, never let us forget that holiness is possible, that we can be saints, and give us the grace and courage to go out into the world and create with you as many Holy Moments as possible. Amen.”