BLESSED ARE THEY WHO BELIEVE
"My soul proclaims the
greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."
May this also be our prayer
today as well!
I'd like to begin with a
quote from an ancient chronicle: "Mary to Juan Diego, '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... and it is my desire that a
Church be built here in this place for me, where, as your most merciful Mother
and that of all your people, I may show my loving clemency and the compassion
that I bear to the Indians, and to those who love and seek me...'"
This feast in honor of Our
Lady of Guadalupe goes back to the sixteenth century. Chronicles of that period
tell us the story. Our Blessed Mother appeared to a poor Indian boy named Juan
Diego. She instructed him to go the bishop and tell him that a shrine should be
built in her honor at the site where she appeared. Juan Diego, understandably,
did not think the bishop would believe him, and of course, he was right. He
asked Mary to send another messenger in his place but she insisted that he go
back to the bishop. This time, the bishop demanded that, if this was true, a
sign be given.
Mary appeared to Juan Diego
again, reassuring him that his uncle's poor health would improve. She told him
to gather flowers from the top of the hill, place them in his tilma, and take
them to the Bishop. He obeyed and when he opened his tilma to show the roses to
the Bishop, an image of Our Lady as she had appeared at Tepeyac was present on
his tilma. Immediately, the Bishop believed, and the Shrine of Our Lady of
Guadalupe was constructed at his order. It is still a site of great devotion to
our Mother Mary.
As we reflect upon this
story, what is most significant? It is the faith of both Juan Diego and the
Bishop. Today's Gospel tells the story of Mary's own faith in God's loving
power at work in her. Mary didn't understand, but she trusted the messenger of
the Lord and responded, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be
done to me according to your word." What courage! What faith! What a role
model for us all! At the end of Luke's
Gospel, this is Mary's prayer: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the
Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior."
May this also be our prayer
today as well!