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.”
The Gospel of the Lord
Our Lady of Guadalupe
1. Set out. Mary was fully aware of her purpose and what she was capable of, yet she also recognized her limits. She went out to offer help and serve Elizabeth, not with the intention of making anyone reliant on her. Her presence was to comfort and assist her cousin when she needed, but she also knew when to step back. It’s healthy to realize that help is meant for a particular season in someone’s life, not forever. It’s like giving a car a jump start: you provide a push so it can move forward on its own. Genuine help empowers the other person to continue their own journey. On the other hand, making someone dependent through service can disrupt their life and create long-lasting imbalance.
2. Joy. True service brings about joy and a spirit of hope. A person who assists you sincerely does so without expecting anything in return. This kind of service produces great joy, as joy naturally springs from acts of kindness. On the other hand, if someone’s help leaves you feeling sad each time, it may be because their intentions are self-serving or misplaced. True, heartfelt service generates happiness, and real joy inspires more selfless acts.
3. Blessed. In Acts 20:35, St. Paul reminds us, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” We see this beautifully demonstrated in Mary of Guadalupe. Her love is summed up in her words, “Am I not your mother?” Because of this, God continues to strengthen your heart and urges you to live a life of generous giving.
Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of Latin America and the Philippines! Long live Mary! May our world be filled with more tenderness and less hatred.
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.
