Today the Church celebrates the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. When the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego on a hill in Tepeyac, Mexico, in December of 1531, she declared, “I am your most merciful Mother. I want to show my loving clemency and compassion to those who call upon me in their sorrows.” The miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that appeared on Juan Diego’s tilma is venerated to this day. There are different options for readings for today.
In Zechariah 2, we read, “Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord.” The fulfillment of this prophecy in Jesus is the crux of our faith. That God almighty, the creator of the universe, the Author of Life, came to dwell among us. And this is why the Church so honors the Blessed Virgin Mary. Because it was through her that this prophecy was fulfilled. And in the Gospel reading from Luke 1, we see that Elizabeth “got it.”
The words that Mary spoke to Juan Diego should echo in our minds. “I am your most merciful Mother.” Remember that we are all God’s children; His family. And, like a perfect family, we have a loving Mother. Let us come to her with our sorrows. For, if anyone knows about sorrows, it is Mary. And she, like a loving Mother, will give us comfort.
Father, we thank you for our loving Mother, Mary. We take comfort knowing that she shares in our sorrows, and intercedes for us through Her Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
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