In
1910 Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared Patroness of Latin America, and in 1945
Pope Pius XII declared Her to be the Empress of all the Americas. She appeared
to an Indian convert named Juan Diego on December 9, 1531. She left a marvelous
portrait of herself on the mantle of Juan Diego. This miraculous image has
proved to be ageless, and is kept in the shrine built in her honor, the
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
"Hear me and understand well, my son the least, that nothing should
frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that
sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother?
Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within
my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by
anything." — Our Lady to Juan Diego
In the winter of 1531, a poor, 57-year-old Aztec Indian
living five miles outside of Mexico City encountered a miraculous happening on
his way to morning Mass. First he heard strange music coming from Tepeyac Hill,
and then he heard a woman's voice calling his name. Juan Diego climbed the hill
and encountered a young woman, appearing to be of his own people in physical
appearance and dress. The woman identified herself as the Virgin Mary, and told
Juan Diego to ask the bishop of Mexico City to build a church on the hill to
assist in the conversion of the nation and be a source of consolation to the
people.
Juan Diego obeyed the request, but the bishop was skeptical
regarding the message, even though he perceived that Juan was a humble and well
meaning Catholic. Juan reported the bishop's doubt to Our Lady at Tepeyac Hill,
and she asked him to return to the bishop once again, bearing the same message.
The bishop once again heard the story, and told Juan Diego to ask Our Lady for
a sign that it was indeed herself that wished for the church to be built.
When he returned to the hill, Mary gave Juan Diego such a
sign. Miraculously, roses appeared on the hill in the middle of winter, and
Juan gathered them in his tilma, or cloak. Our Lady arranged the roses in his
tilma with her own hands, and Juan returned to the bishop's presence. When Juan
released the tilma, allowing the flowers to fall to the floor, it was revealed
that a miraculous image of Our Lady had imprinted itself on his tilma (see
above).
The bishop immediately fell to his knees, and came to believe
in Juan Diego's message. A church was built on the spot of the apparition, as
Mary had requested, and 8 million people converted to Catholicism in a short
period of time upon hearing of or viewing the miraculous image of Our Lady.
The tilma of Juan Diego has been the subject of much modern
research. The tilma, woven out of coarse cactus fiber, should have
disintegrated after 20 years, but although over 500 years have passed the tilma
is still in perfect condition. The pupils of Mary in the picture reflect the
Indians and clergy present at the time of the first revelation of the image. No
paint was used, and chemical analysis has not been able to identify the color
imprint. Additionally, studies have revealed that the stars on Mary's mantle
match exactly what a Mexican would have seen in the sky in December of 1531.
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Lectionary: 690A - Bible Readings
Reading 1
ZEC 2:14-17
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion!
See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the LORD.
Many nations shall join themselves to the LORD on that day,
and they shall be his people,
and he will dwell among you,
and you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you.
The LORD will possess Judah as his portion in the holy land,
and he will again choose Jerusalem.
Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the LORD!
For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling.
Or
RV 11:19A;
12:1-6A, 10AB
God’s temple in heaven was opened,
and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.
A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
with the moon under her feet,
and on her head a crown of twelve stars.
She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in the sky;
it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
and on its heads were seven diadems.
Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky
and hurled them down to the earth.
Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
“Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed.”
Responsorial Psalm
JDT 13:18BCDE, 19
R. (15:9d) You are the highest honor of our race.
Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God,
above all the women on earth;
and blessed be the LORD God,
the creator of heaven and earth.
R. You are the highest honor of our race.
Your deed of hope will never be forgotten
by those who tell of the might of God.
R. You are the highest honor of our race.
Gospel
LK 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“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.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
Or
LK 1:39-47
Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
And Mary said:
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior.”
Resources: www.catholicculture.org and www.usccb.org
