Where are you?

Physical Location

God asks the man, “where are you?” “I knew where you were, so I was not there, by the way, I’m naked.”

God: “I didn’t ask you what you were wearing, I asked where you were. But your answer, even though you were trying to be normal, like we do everyday, is anything but normal. I knew where in space you were. But I also know that where you are spiritually further away from me than you ever have been before, and there is nothing you can do to draw nearer. I must draw you back, not now, you must go, you and the woman. Goodbye.”

“To you Serpent, you will be on the ground eating dirt.” That is to say, I know where you will be, You will be cast down from heaven to earth, crawling around like a serpent, devouring dirt.”

Sounds like good news at first, but what is Man? What is Adam? He is man of red earth. He is dust. We hear every Ash Wednesday, “From dust you came to dust you shall return.” Adam was made from dirt, and Eve from him. Satan’s curse would be devouring humans since his sin. His pleasure would now be twisted. “Wherever you are God, I don’t want to be there, whatever is good is despicable to me.”

What a preposterous situation we have found ourselves entangled in.

We say we want to do good. At least we’re not like Satan, right? No, we want to do God’s will, right?! “I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints?” NO! Whatever you want, Jesus, I want it too! - Bl. Chiara Badano.

But like Adam after the Fall, we cannot do what’s right or say what we think or mean because of sin and the lack of grace. We need God’s grace to do good, to love.

Our Second reading says, “Ephesians 1:3-5

Ephesians 1:3–5 (NABRE)

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will,

The only way to receive this grace is to belong to the Church, to be a part of the unblemished Church, the pure and spotless bride of Christ (1 Peter 1:19 & Ephesians 5:27

Ephesians 5:27 NABRE

that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.

1 Peter 1:19 NABRE

but with the precious blood of Christ as of a spotless unblemished lamb.

“Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word!”

Here I am, Lord.

I’m right here doing your will.

Where am I? I’m where you need me to be. (I really like Egypt this time of year! No! Joseph says, “let’s go,” they go. Mary said to Jospeh, “Let’s go to my cousin’s house.” They go).

Ultimately, we sin because we tell God where we want to be and what we want to do. God asks, “Is that a good thing you want to do according to the laws of Christ and His Church?” We say, “i don’t care!... Because where I’m at, Lord, you just wouldn’t understand.”

Or

We could sin because of fear. What will happen to me if I don’t fulfill this need?

A woman called and we talked about why she didn’t go to Church anymore. She told me she disagreed with the Church’s stance on abortion. I told her, “I see what you’re saying, where you’ve drawn the line, but I’m not just against abortion, let’s go back 100 steps. I’m against all sexual sin outside of marriage, including masturbation!”

“What?!!!! but its a need, its so natural! I don’t know if I can get on board, Father.”

If it is than I’m dead! (Abortion is wrong because we value conception and treat the conceived child with the dignity of a human person).

A need… a perceived need? A natural need vs supernatural capacity?

“I fear what would happen to me if I were to go without.” Jesus and Mary show us that at least two people never sinned. [I might throw Joseph and Therese of Lisieux and St. Anne and John the Baptist on the list as well]. But at least two, and so it is fitting that both of them, Jesus and Mary are conceived without Original Sin. It is as if to say, you will be new Father and Mother to the whole human race, but unlike Adam and Eve, you will be the parents of all the living supernaturally, into eternal life.

IT IS FITTING, then, that Mary too would be born with the same opportunity as Adam and Eve. It is beautiful too, but fitting that she would conquer where Eve failed (Dec. 24th).

What if Mary had said, “Nah, I’m good, that supernatural life, that just ain’t me! I just want to be a regular girl in my normal little life. No thanks.” The angel would say, “But you already have this grace. This grace is yours and yet its for all people of all time!”

There are no ordinary people in the Church. Sure you might not have been called to be the Mother of all the Eternally Living and the Theotokos, the God-bearer, BUT we mustn’t fear. If God knows exactly where that invisible conception is, in the womb of St. Anne, and was creating Mary at that moment, and could pin point the sperm and egg meeting, then God knows also where you are and where to deliver grace. And He wants you to know where you are, not just in Murrieta this morning, (or Julian this evening) but at Jesus’ right hand, where the Holy Spirit is, in the Church, the Bride.

Where are we? We are doing God’s will and happy to do it, fearless to do it, because what would happen to our souls and our friends if we say NO to God’s will. I think we should be more afraid of that!