Probably more important than Christmas is the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. Even Protestants support the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe because this story is part of the heart and soul of the Mexican people. I celebrated several Masses in honor of OLG and the Brothers were very busy going from factory to factory offering Communion Services to the workers in honor of this woman who captured the mind, heart and soul of the people of Mexico. One aspect of the Guadalupe story that is vey important is the fact that all people have dignity. Mary chose Juan Diego, an indigenous man of faith to speak truth to power when she advised him to speak to the Bishop to build a Church in her honor. The miracle of the tilma, and roses in winter continued to reinforce that with God all things are possible! With that hopeful message, I celebrated two Masses on the 11th at 7pm and 10pm in anticipation of the Feast Day... and yes if you know me well, the 10pm was well passed my bed time! The following day I celebrated a solemn Mass at the Chapel at 1pm and two other Masses for workers in neighboring factories and places of employment. It was a great day to preach about the importance of Mary for our Catholic faith. Needless to say, all of us were exhausted at the end of the day. It was one of those days when everyone worked hard and acknowledged our exhaustion but also felt proud for the work we accomplished! I think we made Mary proud!
Here is my homily for the Feast Day
Our
Lady of Guadalupe
Good Evening Church! If you are happy to celebrate
this great feast of the Virgin, say Amen! Yes, this is a great night indeed,
Amen? Tonight we gather as community to celebrate our Mother, the compassionate
and tender Virgin who walks with us on our journey. This is particularly an important feast for
all of Mexico, but over the past fifty years, this feast has become important
in many countries in Latin America and the United States too. All over the United States in cities such as
Chicago, New York, Atlanta, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Phoenix, Boston, Dallas
and San Antonio, and in cities in Mexico such as Puebla, Mexico, Guadalajara
Monterey, Tijuana, Cuernavaca, Leon, and Queretaro, men and women of faith
rejoice in their Mother, Maria de Guadalupe.
Although we may all be different in skin color, language and culture, we
share our love for Mary and constantly ask for her protection. In Mary, our differences cease. We are her children and she is our mother,
Amen? Today we rejoice and celebrate the woman who visits the outsider and the
marginalized, the young and the old, the rich and the poor, the educated and
uneducated. We rejoice because we celebrate this woman who shows us how to
love, how to learn, how to be persistent, and how with God nothing is
impossible, Amen?
And so, I stand here today realizing how awkward it
must be for you to hear an American preach about the Guadalupe story which is
part of the heart and soul of Mexico.
Each one of you could probably do a much better job at telling the story
and relaying how this story is important for your life and for the people of
Mexico. So, in humility I stand before
you and will try to give my “outsiders” perspective on this event, and how this
event and the Word of God may inform how we live our lives today and into the
future.
In 1993 I came to Mexico to be part of an immersion
experience for Marianist Brothers and Sisters in temporary vows. There were 10 of us who came to deepen our
Marianist commitment and to learn the Guadalupe story. This three week experience was life changing
for me. I did not really know the
Guadalupe story prior to coming to Mexico.
I heard the story told from different people from different points of
view. We went to visit the Basilica and
I had a profound experience while walking through the grounds. Seeing the image in the Basilica was also
very touching for me. What impressed me
the most about the Guadalupe story is the Mary asked for help not from the rich
and mighty but from the common people.
She appeared to Juan Diego, an indigenous man of faith, and asked him to
speak on her behalf to the Bishop. The
lowly speaking to power. Mary thought
enough about Juan Diego to ask him to do this.
She saw something in him that he did not see in himself….isn’t that what
mothers do? Amen? In faith, Mary let the voices of the lowly be heard. She believed in the dignity of Juan Diego
even if the larger culture did not think his opinion was worth much. She consoled Juan Diego when she said to him,
Am I not your mother? The Guadalupe story reminds all of us, that everyone is
important, that everyone has dignity, and that all of us can be used by God to
something important. No one is excluded
from the love of the Virgin, Amen? This
story had a great impact on my life back in 1993 and continues to influence me
today. This story of Mary has nurtured
my Marianist vocation. It has brought me
closer to Mary. And especially since my
mother died three years ago, Mary as my Mother is even more important to me
today! In the Guadalupe story Mary becomes the mother of flowers, mother of
love, mother of fear, mother of knowledge and mother of holy hope that we hear
today in the Book of Sirach. If you believe that Mary is your mother, say
Amen!
The Gospel of Saint Luke provides us with an image of
what is important to Mary. Mary is a
relational person. Mary cares about
others. Mary visits. I really like the story of the
Visitation. It is an encounter between
two people who have experienced marvelous things in their life. It is a story about the importance of being
present to one another. After Mary says
yes to God, she goes in haste to visit her cousin Elizabeth. The two women rejoice in the presence of one
another. A young virgin and an old
barren woman find themselves pregnant. Incredible,
Amen? With God, nothing is impossible, Amen?
Mary visits with Elizabeth. I
imagine the days were filled with telling stories, sharing joys, sharing fears,
asking questions and just supporting one another during this incredible
time. Mary does what Mary does best, she
visits and relates with Elizabeth. In
the same way, Mary visited and related to Juan Diego. She reassured him, she consoled him, and she
expressed her love for him. Mary
visits. That’s what she does. She shows us the importance of being present
to others in joyful and sorrowful times.
And during this feast day we will all have the opportunity to visit with
one another. Families, friends and
coworkers will come together to celebrate this great day. As we spend time with one another, let us
remember that when we visit with one another, we do what Mary does best. We unite our visits with her visit with
Elizabeth. We unite our visits with her
visit with Juan Diego. We unite our
visits with the many people in the world who have seen the marvelous deeds of
God. And like Mary we too sing, My soul
proclaims the greatness of God, my Spirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he has
looked upon his lowly servant. In our visits with one another, may we proclaim
the greatness of God, Amen?
So Church, today is a great day, Amen? We celebrate
Mary who is our compassionate Mother. We
celebrate Juan Diego who trusted in the Word of God. We celebrate the Church for recognizing this
important event in the history of Mexico.
We celebrate ourselves for having faith in the impossible. And like Mary and Elizabeth, we celebrate the
holy visits that we will have with family, friends, and coworkers, Amen? And with joyful hearts let us praise Mary as
we pray together:
Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit
of your womb Jesus
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and
at the hour of our death…Amen
Ven con nosotros al caminar, Santa Maria ven
Ven con nosotros al caminar, Santa Maria ven!
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