​When in 1849 Pope Pius IX sent a letter to all bishops asking them about the devotion and expectation regarding the Immaculate Conception St Eugene de Mazenod was one of the first to write back. He wrote as Bishop of Marseilles but he wrote also as the Founder of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He sent back to the Pope the Book of Oblate Constitutions and Rules as prove that the belief in the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary had been treasured in the Church. He also pointed out that the title of the Missionary Oblates of Marry Immaculate given to the community of his missionaries in 1826 by Pope Leo XII was a very testimony that the People of God loved and venerated Mary in her Immaculate Conception even before the Dogma was pronounced in 1854. This is what St Eugene wrote to the Pope: ‘Happy, yes, happy is the day when God through the Spirit of his Divine Son inspired the heart of his Vicar on earth to bestow this crowning honor upon the Virgin Mary! Happy and holy is the day when, amidst the bitter anxieties of his heart and the painful trials to the Holy Church, the sovereign pastor and doctor of the sheep and the lambs has raised his thought to Mary Immaculate of the unblemished Lamb and directed his eyes towards the shining star set by God in the sky like the rainbow of the covenant and the pledge of victory! Let it come, let it come, this hour so deeply desired when the entire universe will be able to assert with certainty that the most Holy Mother of God has crushed the head of the venomous serpent and hold as revealed that the Blessed Virgin Mary, through a wonderful and unique privilege due to the superabundant grace of her Son has truly been preserved from all trace of original sin!’
            Reading Eugene’s words we can hear an echo of the Easter Exultet:
‘Exult, let them exult, the hosts of heaven,
exult, let Angel ministers of God exult,
let the trumpet of salvation
sound aloud our mighty King's triumph!
Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her,
ablaze with light from her eternal King,
let all corners of the earth be glad,
knowing an end to gloom and darkness.’
My Dear Sisters and Brothers! Would you agree with me that the dawn is a beautiful moment of the day? When the rays of the sun begin to dispel the darkness of the night you can appreciate light as there is still some darkness in some places. However what gives you a happy mood is that you know that no one can stop the sun; no one can prevent its light to penetrate the world. Jesus’ Resurrection has shed light into people’s lives. The first to receive it, the first to be penetrated by it, the first to be fully filled with it was Mary.
            This Saturday as we honour Mary in the mystery of her Immaculate Conception we hear God in what Gabriel said to Mary. Angels always speak God’s mind. What do we hear then? ‘Hail Mary, full of grace the Lord is with you.’ We need to be grateful for this message which made Mary pause and contemplate it but which also makes us pause and contemplate it. We are given a Divine insight into what has been happening in us and in the world we inhabit. In the midst of people striving to live by God’s word Mary appears as the person whose whole life is about receiving God’s grace and putting it into practice. We know from our experience that it is not easy to live Godly life but in Mary we find hope that choosing God in our ups and downs is worth living and believing.
            Not far from Nazareth, where Mary lived and where the scene from today’s Gospel took place, there was a city of Sephorris being built for the Romans and for the wealthy Jews. Today only ruins tell the story of big dreams of its architects, builders and residents. Some years ago in one of the houses a mosaic was found. It is called Mona Lisa of Galilee as it portrays a beautiful woman. It is a must see for the visitors these days. However for us Christians no one can compete with the beauty of the Virgin Mary. What we find so attractive in her beauty is that it is catching. It not only inspires us but it gives us hope to grow in God’s grace in the midst of the people God has placed us and in the midst of the situations we need to deal with every day. The People of God has learnt to turn their sight to Mary when they fall into sin, when they hear voices in their head saying that nothing will be changed. The dawn is upon us. Mary is filled with the life giving light. She has been the first one to benefit from Jesus' redemption. Thus she is ‘All fair.’ She is the Immaculate Conception,

            What does come to your mind when you hear about Advent? Is it Christmas, Advent wreath, the purple color, etc? What about these: ‘signs in the sun and the moon and the stars,’ ‘nations in agony,’ ‘clamour of the ocean and its waves,’ ‘people dying of fear as they await what menaces the world’? How does it make you feel? Does it trigger fear in you?
            My Dear Sisters and Brothers! Fear is well known to us. There are situations when fear is a blessing.
How many of you would go for a ride with a driver who doesn’t have any fear? In our daily life we need a dose of fear. It protects us from destruction. It protects us from engaging in situations which can cause us harm. However fear also reveals that someone or something is precious to us. It appears when, because of our actions, we are close to losing the person or the thing which are precious to us.
At the same time you wouldn’t go far with a driver who is totally fearful, would you? The Holy Bible tells us 365 times ‘Do not be afraid.’ It is a gift for every single day of the year so that we weren’t controlled by fear. However the Holy Bible (in the Book of the Proverbs) tells us once and for good: ‘The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom.’ The wisdom here is not the intelligence but the godly way of living. Such wisdom inspired the author of today’s Psalm to pray: ‘Lord, make me know your ways. Lord, teach me your paths. Make me walk in your truth, and teach me for you are God my Saviour.’
            Let me recall a page from a book written by C. S. Lewis: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe which is the first book of the Chronicles of Narnia. C. S. Lewis wrote the books to bring the message of the Gospel to the people who may not be the most excited about reading the Bible. The Lion called Aslan represents Jesus Christ as we read in the Book of the Apocalypse: ‘There is no need to cry: the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed.’ The Tribe of Judah was one of the Twelve Tribes of Israel and the tribe of kings. That’s why their symbol was a lion. Jesus Christ came from the tribe of Judah too. We Christians worship him as King of Universe.
So when the children in the book The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, found themselves in the world of Narnia inhabited by strange creatures and the animals which can talk they are told they will meet Aslan. One of the children, the little Lucy says: ‘Is he quite – safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.’ That you will dearie, and no mistake,’ said Mrs. Beaver, ‘if there is anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they are either braver than most or else just silly.’ ‘Then he isn’t safe?’ said Lucy. ‘Safe?’ said Mr. Beaver ‘don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? Of course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.’
            Maybe people turn away from Christian faith because we Christians present Jesus Christ as a cute puppy following us wherever we want to go rather than the powerful Lion of the Tribe of Judah whose every step is inspired by doing the will of his Father in heaven.
            My Dear fellow Christians! Is Jesus safe for us to approach him? Well, he will show you the truth of yourself. Are you ready for that? You will be like Adam and Eve after they sinned. You will see the naked truth of yourself. But Jesus is good. He will call you to repentance and new life. He will offer to shepherd you. What do you choose?
When you choose to follow Jesus, even if the whole world collapses Jesus’ words are: ‘Stand erect, hold your heads high, because your liberation is near at hand.’
My Dear Sisters and Brothers! We begin Advent and a new Christian year this Sunday by receiving the message of God that the world which is our home will not last forever. All that is affected by sin will eventually be wiped away. However our rescue is ‘the Son of Man who will come in a cloud with power and great glory.’ Hold fast onto him today as you Lord and Saviour, the powerful Lion of Judah. Let him shepherd you along the way to eternal life.