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FEAST OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION MASS
HOMILY
DECEMBER 8 2016
Fr Karel San Juan SJ
Mother, Magnanimity, Mission
Are you an Ateneo basketball fan? Do you follow the UAAP basketball games in Manila? If you do, you know by now that the Ateneo Blue Eagles was defeated by La Salle Green Archers last night as UAAP champion. In every game, win or lose, both teams, the traditional rivals in basketball, will sing their school anthems. For La Salle, it goes like this: “Hail, hail, alma mater, hail to De La Salle. We hold your banners high and bright, a shield of green and white. We’ll fight to keep your glory bright and never shall we fail. Hail to thee our alma mater, hail, hail, hail.” That is La Salle. I know that very well because I spent five years in La Salle grade school.
How about the Ateneo team? The Ateneo de Manila school anthem is longer, and the refrain goes like this: “Mary for you, for your white and blue. We pray you keep us Mary, constantly true. We pray you keep us Mary, faithful to you.”
Hence, if we compare the two anthems, La Salle hails and honors the school, and Ateneo hails and honors Mary. This speaks a lot, and this is significant. Two outstanding Catholic schools, but one seems to be more devoted to Mary. Why is Ateneo, the Atenean, so devoted to Mary? Why is Mary very much part of the Ateneo way, the animo Ateneo? For example, why is keeping a rosary in the pocket a very Atenean habit? What is with Mary? What is with Mary that she is central to our University life, to our Ateneo spirit?
Many reasons why. But let us reflect on three points. Three “M’s.” One is Mother. Second is Magnanimity. Third is Mission. Mary is central to the Ateneo way because she is Mother, she is magnanimous, and because she is a model of mission.
Mother. Mary is the mother of Jesus, and hence the Mother of God. The Atenean feels a special affection to Mary because of this. In our difficult moments we run to our mothers. We seek acceptance and affection. We seek understanding. We long for unconditional love. The special, intimate connection of mother and child is incomparable. Mother knows child and child knows mother. The Atenean relates with Mary this way. In moments of desperation, of difficulty, of desolation, of confusion and sadness, of fear and hurt – many of us run to Mary. In our moments of crises, personal and social, we run to Mary, like the many crises we face in Zamboanga, we ask Our Lady of Pilar to help us. Many pray the Rosary. Praying the rosary quiets our minds and hearts. The rosary focuses us. It focuses us on Jesus alone and the life of Jesus. The repetition of Hail Mary’s in the rosary calms our soul and enables us to surrender to the love and power of God in our lives. We are assured that we are not alone and that we will be protected. Mary has that effect on us. As Mother, she assures us of her love, protection, support. She intercedes for us to God, which means, that Mary is our ally, our support in our petitions and prayers to God. And the Ateneans know that, because Mary is their Mother.
Second, Magnanimity. The root word of magnanimity is magis, a familiar term to the Atenean, magis, Latin for more. Magis is doing more, but more deeply, being more, and loving more. Mary is our model of magis and magnanimity. The magis of Mary is, again, incomparable. A teenager girl, surprised and shocked by the Angel Gabriel, announcing, almost compelling her that she will bear the Son of God, and quickly, saying yes, yes, overcoming her fear, and questions, and confusions, and doubts, just giving God the benefit of the doubt, because God is God, and God knows what is best and what is good. The great, great faith of Mary. The largeness of her soul and her heart. To receive this call from God, and quickly saying yes, “let it be done to me according to Your will.” That is magnanimity: the readiness to do God’s will, the largeness of your soul and heart to accept it and live it out, the sheer generosity and utmost availability to follow God, simply, yes simply, to follow God, and set aside all your fears and doubts. Magnanimity.
The Atenean, formed by the magis of the St Ignatius of Loyola, feels close to Mary because of this. The Atenean is stout-hearted, deep in spirit, restless in giving, dedicated to service, ever striving for excellence. The Atenean strives against the opposite of magnanimity, which is to be stingy or selfish of one’s time and talent, to be mediocre. Events like the recently concluded Atfest demonstrate this Atenean magis: how you worked hard and gave yourself to the task, shared your time and talent, worked for quality and excellence. And this is seen in other dimensions of our campus life: in our studies, in our service and outreach to the poor, in our community and relationships. Like Mary, we strive to be magnanimous all the time: we do more, we love more, we become more and more persons of depth, persons for others.
Third and last, Mission. Mary is the model of Mission. She is the first disciple of Jesus. What does this mean, and how is this part of the Ateneo spirit? Mission is simply, yet deeply defined as “helping others.” It means that you are not in this world simply to do things for yourself, but you are here because of a bigger purpose, a personal mission, a vocation of service, of helping others. All our activities and endeavors therefore, can have a dimension of mission. When you serve in your AO, your student organizations, when you do things for communities outside Ateneo, when you help your fellow student, when you serve your Church, when you assist your parents and your family, when you extend yourself to a friend – all these become part of your mission. Mission makes your life meaningful, and thus, a life of mission is a life of joy.
The mission of Mary was to be the Mother of Jesus, and she accepted it fully. Throughout her life, she was focused on this. Recall the events of her life: the difficult circumstances of the birth of Jesus, the long journey to Bethlehem, the escape to Egypt, raising up Jesus, both human and divine, following Jesus in His own mission of spreading the Gospel, up to the Cross. The Mission of Mary was difficult, and with the Cross, it was sorrowful. But Mary’s mission was blessed by God, and thus, she was full of grace, she was strong and faithful, and her mission was joyful and glorious.
As Ateneans, we are also called to discern our mission in life, and to live it out, with faith in God who gives us this mission. A Jesuit university like AdZU is an institution dedicated to mission, pro Deo et patria, in the service of God and country.
Mother, Magnanimity, Mission. Three reasons why to be devoted to Mary is to be Atenean.
Today, we celebrate the feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary. This means that Mary was conceived by her parents Anne and Joachim without the stain of original sin. Ordinary humans like you and me, when we came into the world, we were already stained by the sin: from our parents and ancestors, from the world. We need baptism to cleanse us from this original sin. And we struggle against the effect of sin in our lives. Mary came to the world free from original sin. This is to prepare her for her mission to be the Mother of Jesus, the Mother of God. The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception of Mary thus emphasizes the purity of Mary. The purity of Mary makes her free and available, to be unburdened by sin, to be Mother of Jesus, to be magnanimous in spirit, to be strong in her mission. Hence, mother, magnanimity, and mission flow from Mary’s purity, Mary’s immaculate conception.
In this Mass, we honor Mary, the patron of the Ateneo, the patron of Zamboanga City. May she protect us always. As Queen of Peace, may she help us in our struggle for peace in our city, in our country, in our world. As the hymn goes, “We pray you keep us, Mary, constantly true. We pray, you keep us, Mary, faithful to you.” We pray therefore, Hail Mary…