In 1531, almost 500 years ago, a Lady from heaven appeared
to poor and humble Juan Diego on Tepeyac hill in Mexico. She identified herself as the Blessed Virgin
Mary, the Mother of God. She requested
that a church be built on that site, but the bishop asked Juan to bring him a
sign that this was really the Blessed Mother.
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 made from cactus fibers. When Juan
unfurled 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 in the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.
Even 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 & cures are attributed to
her healing power. Millions of pilgrims
visit the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico each year, making it one of
the major Christian pilgrimage sites in the world.
Even today, Our Lady of Guadalupe is the image of hope and
liberation in Mexico and other countries in the Americas. Even the Knights of Columbus
have adapted the image and story of Our Lady of Guadalupe as a symbol of the
pro-life movement in the United States. The
image that Juan Diego brought into the world has so much meaning on so many
levels even for us today.
This feast shows how important Mary is as the mother
of our Church. It also helps us to
appreciate the Hispanic culture in our county today and the gifts that they
bring to our Church & to our society.
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. In our faith, we may look to Juan Diego and
Our Lady of Guadalupe as examples of faith, speaking out to us from a time and
place so different from modern America, but the message they bring to us still
resonates so clearly today.
May
the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the image of a poor native woman who will
bear a child, help us to prepare a place in our hearts for the upcoming birth
of Christ into our world. May Our Lady
of Guadalupe inspire us to help others in our community & in our
world. May she be a symbol of unity for
all of us who live in the Americas. 
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