Homily of Fr. Jeff Stegbauer from December 8th

Though over a month has passed since Sr. Maria Faustina’s Perpetual Profession, we couldn’t miss sharing one last “gem” from that wonderful day. On the evening of December 8th, we invited our Profession guests to join us for Eucharistic Adoration and Solemn Vespers, with Fr. Jeff Stegbauer as the presider. Fr. Jeff is a friend of Sister Maria Faustina’s and a priest from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and he gave a beautiful homily about the Immaculate Conception of our Blessed Mother, and what this great mystery can teach us in our own walk with God. With Father’s permission, we share the text of that homily in the hope that it will lift your hearts and draw you closer to Our Lord and His Mother!

Homily for II Vespers of the Immaculate Conception - December 8th, 2023

Despite the increase of sin, grace has far surpassed it, so that, as sin reigned through death, grace may reign by way of justice leading to eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:20-21)

(Acknowledge our Blessed Lord in the Monstrance.)

Thank you Mother John Mary for this opportunity to preach and give honor to our Blessed Mother and her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ on this joyful day. What a beautiful day that we have shared, Holy Mass and the Perpetual Religious Profession of Sr. Maria Faustina of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus and the Sorrowful Heart of Mary.

On the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, perhaps a fitting starting point would be to remind ourselves that we are all sinners in need of God’s mercy–we all need our Savior Jesus Christ. As St. Paul says earlier in the 5th chapter to Romans, Indeed, if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, how much more, once reconciled, will we be saved by his life. We have been blessed beyond measure to be justified by faith through dying and rising with Christ in the waters of Baptism, so that we have peace with God…and we boast in hope of the glory of God. The bold reminder that despite the increase of sin, grace has far surpassed it. It is from this position of humility, littleness, and dependence upon God that we begin on this solemn feast–that we are sinners in need of God’s mercy and it was through the radical, free, total gift of Himself on the Cross that He won for us our salvation.  It is from this littleness that we imitate and draw close to our Blessed Mother Mary. It is from this littleness that the grace that far surpasses will lead us to be the saints that God created us to be.

Our Blessed Mother, Immaculately Conceived, preserved from the stain of Original Sin, knew this littleness–Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to Your word. Always pointing towards God and giving him glory and praise, My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. In her maternal and tender love, she desires to teach us this littleness. To follow God, surrender to Him, trust in Him, and remember that it is right and just always and everywhere to give Him thanks and praise. However, let us not mistake this Marian littleness with being weak, cowardly, insignificant.

It is through this littleness that our Blessed Mother gives us such a powerful example of what it means to deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow Him. In her purity and humility, she shows us how to be thankful for even the heaviest and most difficult crosses–how to embrace them and love them as her Son embraced His cross. How to not fall into the mistaken practice of trying to carry these crosses only with our own effort and merit, but rather in our littleness to approach our Tender Mother for help. She gives us what we need to carry these burdens while giving thanks and praise to God. To further develop this, let’s turn to John 19:25-27:

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved, he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.

The Immaculate Conception, our Blessed Mother, remained at the foot of the Cross. In her humility, not intervening, only sorrowfully praying and consoling the agonizing heart of Jesus. While our Lord could have given her to the disciple whom he loved, and by extension, all of us, at any point in His life, He waited for His final moments. He waited for when He hung upon the Cross with her standing below. He waited for her sorrowful heart to be pierced with a sword to proclaim these words: Woman, behold, your son…Behold, your mother.

With those simple words, with Cavalry as their setting, Mary, the Immaculate Conception is now our Mother as well. And it seems that she is most our Mother when we are united with her Son, our Lord, on the Cross–when we deny ourselves, pick up our crosses, and follow Him. In our suffering, sacrifices, purification. Our Blessed Mother, in her tender, maternal love, helps us to have the bold courage to stay close to the Cross. In our humility to see our need for a Savior, to see the immense price of our salvation. To see the graces that have far surpassed. And beautifully, she who is Immaculately Conceived, helps us to have the courage to stay close to the Cross so that we sinners may be purified by His precious blood. Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow. To let His Precious Blood wash over us and seek the forgiveness of sins, victory over temptation, and the growth of virtue. That we may be made Holy by the Blood of the Lamb.

How Blessed are we to have such a beautiful Mother who does so much for us? That when we approach her with our littleness, the Immaculate Conception herself, is so abundantly generous in helping us to be Immaculate and Holy. Helping us to be conformed and united to the Pierced Heart of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. In our littleness, our Blessed Mother, helps us to persevere at the foot of the Cross. Then we join her, in her humility, sorrowfully praying at the foot of the cross, consoling the agonizing Heart of Jesus. So, we can boldly proclaim to the world through our littleness, despite the increase of sin, grace has far surpassed it.

And how blessed are we to see this played out before us this day as Christ has a new perpetual bride in Sr. Maria Faustina–to perpetually be at the foot of the Cross with the Immaculate Conception–being purified by the Blood of the Lamb. In her littleness, as we are all sinners in need of God’s mercy, to allow the Lord to continue to work on her while she remains at the foot of the Cross. And, one of the many reasons I am thankful for the religious vocation, for these Passionist Nuns here, is that they pray for the rest of us, the Church. In their humanity, in their humble littleness, they pray for the rest of us, so we may have the courage to be humble and run to the Immaculate Conception. That we may have the courage to stay at the foot of the cross. That we may have the courage to persevere through the purification to be the saints that God desires for us to be. That we may have the courage to radically follow the Lord’s will for us and show the world the power of Christ’s mercy. And in response to their prayers, we respond to these graces abundantly and give thanks to God always and everywhere.

 As it is a journey together as the entire Church, the mystical Body of Christ, all for His praise and Glory for the salvation of souls. Now we pray for one another, that in our littleness we may approach our Blessed Mother, the Immaculate Conception, and she may help us to have the courage to persevere in staying close to the Cross so that we sinners may be purified by His Precious Blood. So that the Blood of the Lamb may make all of us holy and immaculate to give God praise and Glory.