My dear brothers and sisters, thank you for giving part of your lunch hour to the Lord on this beautiful feast of the Immaculate Conception, a day that reminds us of who Mary is and who we are called to become.

In our first reading from Genesis, we hear the story of humanity’s fall, but even in that moment of sin and shame, God speaks a word of hope: “I will put enmity between you and the woman.” (Gen 3:15) That “woman” is Mary, the new Eve, who from the first instant of her existence was preserved by God from every stain of sin. As Pope Pius IX wrote when defining this dogma, Mary’s soul was “entirely beautiful and entirely without blemish” by a singular grace.

Why? Because God desired a perfect dwelling place for His Son, a vessel entirely open to grace. He chose Mary, just as He chooses us to bear the image of Christ. As St. Ephrem the Syrian, who lived in the 4th century, once said: “You (Jesus) alone and Your Mother are more beautiful than any others, for there is no blemish in You nor any stain upon Your Mother.”

Luke’s Gospel shows us that beautiful moment when the angel Gabriel stands before Mary and invites her to become the Mother of God. It is the result of her unique relationship with God, and she says the most courageous “yes” ever spoken: “Be it done unto me according to Your word.” Her fiat, that is, her yes to God’s grace, opens the door for Christ to enter our world to enter our very lives.

Mary is the patroness of our nation, the Immaculate Conception who watches over us with tenderness. She is also our icon of hope. Her life shows what God’s grace can do in a human heart. She reminds us that holiness is not an unattainable ideal. It is our future in Christ. As St. Paul says today, we are chosen “to be (i.e., become) holy (i.e., a saint) and without blemish before Him.” (Eph 1:4) That is possible because Christ, the One she welcomed, now seeks to dwell in us. And so, when one looks on a believer, one should see the presence of Christ. Because of our sin, it is blurred and vague. In the state of grace, though, it comes into clearer focus. Today, we pray ardently for this grace.

Friends, you return now to busy offices, classrooms, hospitals, and government buildings, but [I ask that you] carry this with you: You have a Mother who pleads for you, a Savior dwelling within you, and a calling to become “praise of His glory.” (Eph 1:12) - a saint with her.

May Mary, full of grace, help us say our own simple yet powerful “yes” to God today—right here in the middle of downtown Birmingham. May God bless you!