Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Luke 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.”
Our Lady of Guadalupe
1. Juan Diego. Mary didn’t appear to the Cardinal, nor to the Bishop of Mexico. She appeared to a simple peasant who got up every day to go to work, who had a sick relative, who struggled every day and even felt that he was part of that divided society, between Spaniards and indigenous people. That Juan Diego might be you, a working person, with plenty of worries in a society that troubles you. Mary’s apparition to Juan Diego teaches us that God looks for simple, humble hearts and that his work is shown in those who we least imagine, so much so that not even the bishop believed Juan Diego. This must lead us to value every single person who walks alongside us, because God works in whom He wants and when He wants.
2. Tenderness. What moves me most about this devotion is the tenderness with which Mary treats Juan Diego. It’s that tenderness that heals and gives confidence. Nowadays we live in a world that lacks tenderness; we have become hard people; we live in a heartless society and even the Church seems insensitive many times. Ask yourself if you are being very hard on those around you, ask yourself if you are showing tender gestures towards those who are with you. May Mary help us to be more tender and closer to all those around us.
3.The cloak. Mary appears pregnant when she comes to Juan Diego. In her womb there’s a tiny baby that has a heart that beats strongly. Mary carries the greatest thing in the world: God Himself. Her eyes show a tender look, to such a degree that the image of Juan Diego’s face remains in her pupils, because Mary looks at you as your Mother, and for her you are unique, you are her son or her daughter. Her countenance is typical of the indigenous people Juan Diego belonged to because Mary comes close to the culture of her people, because she walks along with us, and she comforts us along the way. Mary takes care of us.
Long live Mary! Long live Mexico! Long live Latin America! Long live a world with more tenderness and less hate!
Remember that something good is on the way!
God bless you, be with you and protect you in the name of the Father, of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
