On Sunday, November 23, 2025, His Eminence Mor Dionysius John Kawak, assisted by Rev. Fr. Gabriel Alkass, celebrated the Holy Liturgy at the church of the Virgin Mary in Paramus, NJ, on the occasion of the annunciation to the Virgin Mary. In his sermon, Archbishop Kawak reflected on the humble “Yes” of the Virgin Mary at the Annunciation, the simple words: “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38), which opened the door for God Himself to enter our humanity. He compared Mary with Eve in the Garden, explaining that Eve’s hidden “yes” to the serpent brought sin and spiritual blindness into the world, while Mary’s trusting “Yes” to God became, in the words of St. Ephrem the Syrian, the clear eye of humanity that sees the true Light in Christ. His Eminence reminded the faithful that God also speaks to our hearts in the concrete situations of daily life and waits for our free response, inviting us to stand with Mary by saying “yes” to God’s word, to truth, forgiveness, and purity, so that our hearts may become a little Nazareth where Christ can dwell.
