|
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe My dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ: Thank you very much for coming together tonight for our archdiocesan celebration of the great feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The feast is actually next Tuesday, Dec. 12. However, since most parishes plan a joyous celebration in your own churches on the actual feast day, we are holding the archdiocesan celebration tonight here at Our Lady’s Cathedral. Thank you for coming to praise God and to honor His mother under the glorious title of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The story of the apparitions of Our Lady at Tepeyac is fairly simple yet profound. Juan Diego was a simple man but deeply religious. He believed in God and he honored the mother of Jesus. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego on several occasions and entrusted him with a message. Juan Diego was told to go to the Franciscan bishop of Mexico and ask him to build a shrine in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Juan Diego picked the roses which were blooming out of season to present to the bishop as a sign. He carried the flowers in his tilma, unaware of the more spectacular sign to appear — the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary miraculously painted on his simple, rough tilma. When he opened his tilma, the roses fell out and the beautiful image of Our Lady of Guadalupe startled the bishop and his attendants. The miraculous image of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the tilma of Saint Juan Diego was a spectacular sign not only for Bishop Juan de Zamorraga but for the whole world. Hundreds of years later, Juan Diego’s tilma hangs over the high altar in the beautiful shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The painting cannot be explained by scientific or technical means. The tilma itself, simply made out of local plant products, should have long ago deteriorated. Yet, Juan Diego’s tilma continues to captivate millions of pilgrims and visitors. Indeed it is a sign, a sign from the Blessed Mother herself who is calling us to repent, to have faith and to trust God. Juan Diego’s tilma is a sign from God telling us how much He loves us, that the beautiful woman He chose to be the mother of His Son Jesus, would also be our mother. Juan Diego’s tilma is also a sign from Mary our mother. It is a sign of her great love for us that she wants all of us to become good and holy people. She wants us to listen to her Divine Son Jesus so that we might have life everlasting in heaven with her and with Jesus. Juan Diego’s tilma is a sign from God and from the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a sign for you and for me. While reminding us of God’s goodness and love, Mary’s motherly concern and care is a challenge for us to live the fullness of our Catholic faith. When the first missionaries brought Catholic teaching and practice to the Americas, the people gladly received it. They were hungering for the truth and they found it. So gladly and completely did the people of Mexico accept this Catholic faith that it became a part of your culture, a part of your tradition and practices, a part and a very, very important part of your daily lives. The challenge today is for us who venerate the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The challenge is to live and share the Good News of Jesus and of His Mother Mary. It is especially relevant today because many Hispanic people have drifted from the faith. Coming here to the United States has been very difficult for many people. A departure from your own culture leaves people frightened and unsure. Several other things affect our Hispanic people negatively such as: •Long hours and hard work •A new language that is hard to learn •Living in a secular society where there are few values and no virtues •Public schools that have banned God and no longer teach respect These and other negative factors can cause people to drift away from their family and religious traditions and practices. You who are here tonight should be very grateful to our Lord Jesus and His holy mother, Mary, for the gift of faith. You should practice our Catholic faith totally and completely. You need to encourage the members of your own families. You must teach your children these religious truths so that they too can grow in faith and in love. And you must also reach out to the many, many Hispanic people who are not active in the Church. Invite them to come to Mass and invite them to become active in your parish. Dear Brothers and Sisters, remember always the message of our dear mother, the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe. She assures us of God’s love and of her care and concern for us. Let us thank her and follow her all the days of our lives. Amen. Most Reverend |