Feast of Our Lady
of Guadalupe
(Zechariah 1:14-17; Luke 1:39-47)
When someone compliments us, it is only polite to say
something gracious in return. But
surprisingly this is not what happens in the gospel today. When Elizabeth greets Mary, “Most blessed are
you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb…,” Mary turns to God and
says, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord…” Mary first thinks of God, not herself and not
of other people as manners dictate.
Something similar takes place in the account of the
appearance of the Virgin Mother to Juan Diego on Mount Tepeyac. When the woman whose clothing shined like the
sun introduces herself, she says, “I am truly the ever perfect Holy Virgin
Mary.” Then her words shift to God
almost entirely, “…who has the honor to be the Mother of the one true God for
whom we all live, the Creator of people, the Lord of all around us and of what
is close to us…” And when she explains
the purpose of the shrine which she is requesting, it is solely to give glory
to God. She says, “In (my sacred little
house) I will show Him, I will exalt Him upon making Him manifest, I will give
Him to all people in all my personal love.”
We venerate Our Lady of Guadalupe today because she has
given us Jesus Christ, the God-man who has saved us from our sins. She brought him into the world for us, of
course. But even more than that, she has
given him to us by exemplifying how we are to live with him as the center of our
life. She followed his law; she deferred
to him when in need; and she imitated his love for all.
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