OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE (FEAST)

May it be done to me according to your word.

If we reflect on today’s Gospel reading (Luke 1:26-38), we might find striking similarities between Mary’s response to the angel and St. Juan Diego’s response to his vision of Mary on Tepeyac Hill.

When Gabriel appeared to Mary and told her she would be giving birth to the Messiah, she was “greatly troubled” (Luke 1:29). Despite her faith, this was probably not something Mary had anticipated. Understandably, she was perplexed and questioned the angel. But once the angel reassured her, she said yes.

When Mary appeared to Juan Diego on a hillside near Mexico City in December 1531, he was startled and afraid. Again, despite being a man of deep faith, he probably had not anticipated something like this. But just as the angel Gabriel did with Mary, Our Lady reassured him. “Am I not here” she asked him in his own language, “I who am your mother?”

And like Mary, Juan Diego said yes. He went to the archbishop to request that a chapel be built on the very spot where she appeared. When the archbishop asked for a sign, roses appeared in winter on that same hillside. Juan Diego gathered them into his tilma to show the archbishop, and when he opened it, the roses tumbled out, leaving a miraculous image of Mary on the cloak.

How would you respond if God surprised you by asking you to do something that seemed beyond your ability? You might be tempted to see only the obstacles and not the grace that God promises. You might need to ask questions and get some reassurance. In the end, though, it would come down to a choice. Would you say yes, despite your doubts?

When Mary said yes, Jesus came into the world and saved us from sin and death. When Juan Diego said yes, millions of Aztecs became Christians. You never know what might happen through your own yes, but you can count on this: God wouldn’t ask if he didn’t have something great in mind!

“Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!”

Luke 1:26-38
Zechariah 2:14-17
(Psalm) Judith 13:18, 19

WORD AMONG US