12/12/2014 – Our Lady of Guadalupe - – Luke 1:39-47

         In 1531, a Lady from heaven appeared to the poor and humble Juan Diego on Tepeya hill, just outside of present-day Mexico City.  She identified herself as the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God.  She requested that a chapel be built on the site where she appeared, but the bishop asked Juan to bring him a sign that this was really the Blessed Mother of God.  Mary sent Juan Diego to the top of the hill to collect roses to give to the bishop as his sign, since roses wouldn't normally grow there in winter.  Juan collected the roses in his tilma, a type of poncho made from catus fibers.  When Juan unfolded his tilma to give the roses to the bishop, an image of Our Lady was revealed, miraculously printed on the tilma.  This image that still appears on the tilma today as it is on display at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, even though the tilma should have normally decayed in a short period of time. 

         Our advanced modern technology cannot explain the image and apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe that appeared so long ago.  Over the centuries, Our Lady of Guadalupe has appealed to the hearts of the faithful throughout the world.  Many miracles and cures are attributed to her healing presence.  Approximately 20 million pilgrims visit the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico each year. Pope John Paul II visited her shrine on 4 different occasions.  On his visit there in 1999, he declared December 12 to be the liturgical feast for the Americas for Our Lady of Guadalupe in our Church's calendar. 

         The Mexican writer Carlos Fuentes wrote: “You cannot consider yourself a true Mexican and not believe in Our Lady of Guadalupe.”  Her image is everywhere in Mexican American communities here in the United States, as she is a symbol not only of the Virgin Mary among us and of our Catholic identity, but she's also a symbol of justice and the liberation of the poor.  Along with the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception that we celebrated earlier this week, this feast shows how important the Mother of our Savior is in the history of salvation.  Just as Elizabeth called Mary blessed among women, we proclaim Mary blessed as well as we honor her in a special way on this feast day.

         Mary has appeared throughout the centuries in different historical periods and in different cultural settings.  Today, in Mississippi and throughout our nation, we have a much greater Hispanic presence; we are called to appreciate the gifts that the Hispanic community brings to our Church and to our parish. May the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the image of a poor native woman who will bear a child, speak to us today, especially as we prepare a place in our hearts for the upcoming birth of Christ into our world.  May Our Lady of Guadalupe inspire us to work for justice in our community and in our world.  May she be a symbol of unity for all of us who live in the Americas.