A reminder of God’s unfathomable love for each and every one of His people
Reflections on the readings for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (December 12, 2020): ZEC 2:14-17; JDT 13:18,19; LK 1:26-38
MISSIO offers “Mission In Scripture” to nurture a missionary heart, providing reflections on the missionary themes in the readings of Sundays, Feast Days and Holy Days
The story of the Annunciation of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ that we hear in the Gospel speaks of the intimate union between God and the Blessed Virgin Mary in the history of salvation...
The appearances of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego almost five centuries ago made a great difference to the history of the Americas. She told him, “My dearest son, I am the eternal Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God, Author of Life, Creator of all and Lord of the Heavens and of the Earth.” More than that, the Blessed Virgin Mary revealed the depth of Almighty God’s love for those who are suffering, who are poor, who are subjugated, and who are looked down upon. Juan, an Aztec who had become a Christian, saw that in her appearance and dress various symbols showed that she was both a virgin and bearing a child. Mary came to him and his people to invite them to experience the Divine love by embracing faith in her Son, the Redeemer of all people in every corner of the world. When Our Lady sent St. Juan Diego to the Bishop, directing him to build a church where she stood, the Bishop wanted a sign. So a bouquet of roses that grew on the hill, despite the December cold, were sent off to him in Juan’s tilma. When he spread wide this cloak, far more than the roses were revealed. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe as Juan Diego had seen her was impressed on the inside of the tilma. Within the next seven years, six million native people accepted the Catholic faith.
The story of the Annunciation of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ that we hear in the Gospel speaks of the intimate union between God and the Blessed Virgin Mary in the history of salvation – and the maternal relationship she would have with all His children. Gabriel, the angelic messenger, told her that “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God” (Luke 1:35). In 1999, Pope St. John Paul II proclaimed Our Lady of Guadalupe, already patron of Mexico and the Americas, as the Patroness of the Unborn.
Suggested missionary action: Let us ask Our Lady of Guadalupe to protect all her children from harm. We can honor her by loving and respecting all of our sisters and brothers.
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