Word to the Wise
Tuesday, December 12, 2023 - 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]Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord! [Zechariah] A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. [Revelation] "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior." [Luke]
If church attendance is any indication, the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe far exceeds the feast of the Immaculate Conception (a "holyday of obligation!") in any place in the USA where there are people of Mexican descent. I have been assigned to ministry in San Antonio three times and became accustomed to seeing reproductions everywhere of the famous "tilma" (cloak) with the image of Mary as a Mestizo woman, pregnant with Jesus and surrounded by symbolic imagery, which St. Juan Diego (whose feast was Dec. 9) received as a sign of her appearances to him at Tepeyac near Mexico City in 1531. This image has a powerful influence, assuring believers of Mary's maternal care for the poor and oppressed in the world. Millions of people every year visit the basilica in Mexico City where the "tilma" is displayed.
The scriptures assigned for this celebration speak to the role of Mary as assuring us of God's presence in our midst. She is portrayed as pregnant with Jesus - a sign of hope. She is portrayed as "mestizo" - the mixed ethnic heritage of Mexican culture, so many of whom are poor. The celebration of this feast in the season of Advent is a reminder of the hope we have in the celebration to come of the birth of Jesus Christ. "God has visited his people!" AMEN