Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord

1. Lectio

Ahaz wishes to get things done—
but he prefers the machinery of Assyria
to the mystery of God.

The Psalm corrects him gently, but firmly:

“Sacrifice or offering you wished not,
but ears open to obedience.”

And then comes the great reversal:

“A body you prepared for me.”

God does not merely command—
He enters.

And finally, in Nazareth,
a young woman speaks the most dangerous word in history:

“May it be done to me according to your word.”

She does not say,
“May it be done once I understand.”
Or,
“May it be done once I am prepared.”

Simply—done.

2. Meditatio

My father had a saying:

“Anything worth doing is worth doing right.”

Which, in practice, meant
I often did very little.

For I would wait—
wait until I had gathered enough confidence,
enough preparation,
enough inner certainty
to justify beginning.

And so many things remained…
undone.

Or worse,
done poorly at the last possible moment.

Then, somewhere along the way,
I encountered a far more liberating heresy:

“Anything worth doing is worth doing badly.”

It sounded almost sinful—
until I tried it.

And suddenly, things began to happen.

Not perfectly.
Not impressively.
But truly.

I began to act
before I was ready.
To pray
without waiting for the perfect mood.
To begin
without the perfect plan.

And something curious occurred:

What was once undone
became done—
and, in time,
done better.

I begin to suspect
that my greatest obstacle
is not weakness,
but hesitation.

3. Contemplatio (Chestertonian Synthesis)

Chesterton might say that the modern man is perpetually preparing to live,
while the saints are busy living.

We imagine that holiness requires
the perfect conditions,
the perfect clarity,
the perfect offering.

But God, in His infinite humor,
chooses a different method:

He waits for a yes.

Not a polished yes.
Not a fully informed yes.

Just a yes.

Mary’s greatness is not that she understood everything—
but that she allowed something to be done.

And once that is done,
everything changes.

For Christianity is not the story of man
getting things done for God—

but of God
getting things done in man.

4. Oratio

5. Actio — In Light of Laudato Si’ and Synodality

It needs to be said that, generally speaking, there is little in the way of clear awareness of problems which especially affect the excluded…Indeed, when all is said and done, they frequently remain at the bottom of the pile.

Laudato si’ §49

Transformation begins not with grand gestures,
but with small, faithful acts of responsibility.

Today, I will choose obedience over perfection:

• I will do one thing I have been delaying—simply and imperfectly.
• I will listen to others rather than waiting to have the “right” answer.
• I will walk synodally—trusting that God works through the imperfect steps of a community.

For communion is not built
by waiting until everything is perfect,
but by allowing something good
to be done.

6. Song Pairing 🎵

🎶 “Done” – Chris Janson (2019)🎵

7. Movie Pairing 🎬

🎬Movie: “Are We Done Yet?” (2007)

My Story

• Bishop Matthiesen, who rode the white horse of public activism even as he brought abusive priests into our diocese such as John Salazar—wounds that still mark us today. I spoke with him often, pleading with him to reconsider his “no regrets” about bringing those priests here…
• Bishop Yanta, who sought to enforce the Dallas Charter even when Bishop Matthiesen resisted him, and who bore the personal and pastoral cost of doing so. I met with Bishop Yanta about Bishop Matthiessen’s “no regrets” stance. He listened. He believed me. He acted where he could. And when he retired, he urged me—quietly but firmly—to keep speaking out.
• Bishop Zurek, who told the Diocese of Amarillo he had “no facts” about the Philadelphia report even as Amarillo’s connection to that tragedy was headline news. When I continued to speak out, as Bishop Yanta had once urged me to do, he later wrote that I was not among the faithful and loyal disciples whom the Lord Jesus desires.
• Bishop Daniel Cardinal DiNardo…

While we recognize your thoughtful suggestion for a renewed dialogue on Bishop Matthiesen, the present circumstances do not present an opportunity for it. I think it would foster division not dialogue. We remain confident in God’s providence and hopeful for what the future may bring.

from a letter dated March 5, 2026