Today is the feast
of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Let us examine a few lines from her apparitions to
Juan Diego. For a complete history of the apparitions, and an explanation of the
image, see the links at the end of the blog.
“My dear little son, I love you. I desire you to know
who I am. I am the ever-virgin Mary, Mother of the true God who gives life and
maintains its existence. He created all things. He is in all places. He is Lord
of Heaven and Earth.”
“My little son,
there are many I could send. But you are the one I have chosen."
"My little
son, am I not your Mother? Do not fear.”
"Do not be
distressed, my littlest son. Am I not here with you who am your Mother? Are you
not under my shadow and protection?
My thoughts: Our
Lady of Guadalupe gave Juan Diego several messages, yet one theme emerges from
them all: “I am your mother. Do not be afraid”. We need to hear these words
today, as many fears plague us in our daily struggles to be holy, healthy,
happy and financially secure. We seem to always be on the precipice of
disaster, yet here is Our Blessed Mother, coming to us in a vision, and
reminding us that we are “under her shadow and protection”. Our hearts should
be calm, our spirits light, as we reflect on the fact that this is Our Lady of
the Americas. We are in good hands. Let us not tremble at the thought of being
chosen by Mary to do her work, and that of her Son. Just as she gave Juan Diego
all he needed to fulfill her requests, so, too, will we be given all we need
when we say yes to Mary and do the work she asks of us. Our Lady of Guadalupe,
pray for us.
Prayer: Prayer
to the Virgin of Guadalupe
By Msgr. Eduardo Chávez
Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe,
mother of the true God for whom we live, Bearer of
Jesus Christ who gives us his Spirit and life in the
Church.
We thank you for being our loving and compassionate
mother; because you hear our weeping and our sorrow;
because you are the remedy and the cure for our grief,
our misery and our pain.
Thank you, Mother, for placing us in your heart, for
allowing us to be under your shadow and your
protection, for being the source of our joy, and for
keeping us in the hollow of your robe and the crossing
of your arms.
Thank you, our Mother, for sending this message
through your humble son St. Juan Diego, and through
his intercession we ask that you fortify us in Peace, in
Unity and in Love.
Amen.
For a description of the Tilma image:
For a brief history of the apparitions:
No comments:
Post a Comment