Word to the Wise
Wednesday, December 12, 2012 - Dec. 12 - Our Lady of Guadalupe
[Zech 2:14-17, or Rev 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab and Luke 1:26-38, or Luke 1:39-47,1352]Sing and rejoice O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord. [Zech.]
When I was growing up in a small town in northern Louisiana, we Catholics celebrated the feasts of the Assumption (Aug. 15) and the Immaculate Conception (Dec. 8) and we had our annual May procession from the school down the street to the church, which is named after the Immaculate Conception. The feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe would not have been part of our Marian devotion. We knew Our Lady of Lourdes and Our Lady of Fatima! Of course in major urban areas where ethnic parishes were common, Polish and Italian and other nationalities all had their own "Lady" to celebrate. I don't recall paying much attention to Our Lady of Guadalupe until the grape picker strikes of the 1960's when banners with the famous image led processions of striking workers. The prominence now accorded to the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is testimony to the changing face of the Catholic Church all over the United States, but especially in the South. When I became pastor of a Mexican-American parish in San Antonio (1994-98) I learned in many ways the significance of OUr Lady of Guadalupe. One very simple measure stood out. On December 8th, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, a holyday of obligation (!), I would be celebrating Mass for a very small congregation. Four days later, on December 12th, I would be preaching to a full church at a very early hour in the morning! When I moved to New Orleans to become pastor at Tulane University, I asked Latino students at the Catholic Center how they wanted to celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. They shrugged and said, "She's not OUR Lady!" They were Central Americans! Given the prominence that the American bishops are attributing to this feast (the pope has referred to Our Lady of Guadalupe as the "star of the New Evangelization!), I'm not sure any of us can say in this country, "She's not OUR Lady!" anymore!
The famous image on the cape shows Mary as a humble pregnant Mestizo woman. She embodies the words of her canticle in the gospel, "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord...for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant!" Our Lady of Guadalupe represents hope and care for millions of Latino people now in this country. Even non-Catholic Latino churches celebrate her! Politicians and theologians pay attention alike. Whether we know it or not, Our Lady of Guadalupe has become OUR Lady. AMEN