[00:00] In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, today we celebrate this most glorious solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord. This moment, this most sacred and holy moment, which would change the course of human history when the angel Gabriel was sent from God to the Blessed Virgin Mary, that the time

[00:30] had arrived for God's plan to be fulfilled in restoring humanity to His friendship and the redemption of humanity through His Son, Jesus Christ. And we see in the Gospel that God's plan was totally hinged on Mary's response, that her response would bring about the fulfillment of God's plan, that her response would bring about the Incarnation, God becoming man, God taking on our human nature, and Jesus receiving

[01:06] His body and His most sacred heart through Mary's yes, and that we see that through her yes would flow the joy that we have at Christmas, the sorrow and atonement for our sins that we experience on Holy Passion and Good Friday, and the joy and victory we share in Christ's triumphant resurrection on Easter Sunday. All this and more flowed through Mary's yes. It's because of her yes that we can receive Jesus in Holy Communion, that we can receive

[01:39] Jesus in Holy Communion. And so we see that this yes was the most important yes in human history and it brought about the fulfillment of God's plan, the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the divine being joined to the human, and our Lord becoming present in His mother's most holy womb, the first tabernacle. Today's Great Solemnity is to be for us a reminder that God works in hidden ways, in

[02:11] silent ways, and that we must, like Mary, trust God and His plan. Our Lady trusted God completely from the moment that this message was brought to her, from the moment she said yes to God, that she trusted God completely. Even though this yes would bring her to stand at the foot of the cross in union with her Son and His suffering and death, she even trusted completely then, knowing that the victory would also result from this moment.

[02:44] So we learn today from Our Lady this example of trust, of trusting God in all things. We learn from Our Lady today to say yes to God, to respond to God. Our Lady changed the course of human history through this yes. We too can change our lives and change history through our yes to God. That we are to allow God to work in us and carry out His

[03:15] divine plan in us, and that we may trust that completely like Mary did, and repeat that yes daily to the Lord. Today we are reminded that even in the midst of this Lenten season, there is joy, and that we are reminded of God's eternal love for us, that we are not alone, we are not abandoned, but God has sent His Son to walk among us and to give His life for us, so that we can

[03:45] share in His divine life. So today's Great Solemnity reminds us of God's love for each of us, and that we must continue to pray for the world, that all might recognize God's divine love and His divine desire, that all share in His life, and recognize His Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. May we, like Our Lady today, ponder on these wonderful mysteries, that they may fill us with renewed love and joy and fidelity in following our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

[04:17] In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.