My Soul Proclaims the Greatness of the Lord

December 12, 2007

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

By Melanie Rigney

“Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord.” (Zechariah 2:14)

“And Mary said (to Elizabeth): ‘My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior.’” (Luke 1:46-47)

Piety

Lord, give me the faith to see and proclaim your greatness in the gifts in all forms that you give me.

Study

Today's Readings

Our Lady of Guadalupe

When do we become skeptical about miracles? Why do so many of us, like Thomas, require visible proof of the presence of holiness among us?

According a Web site devoted to Our Lady of Guadalupe (http://www.sancta.org/intro.html), a “Lady from Heaven” first appeared northwest of present-day Mexico City in 1531. She identified herself as Mary, and asked that a church be built on the site. But the local bishop wasn’t sure; he needed a sign. So Mary gave him a couple: roses on the hill in mid-December, and an imprint of her image on a cactus cloth. They say the cloth should have deteriorated in twenty years; it shows no sign of decay even today (see image).

Sure, there’s a sucker born every minute. Sure, a fool and his money are soon parted. But a little suspension of disbelief is a good thing... and may be a glorious thing.

“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast,” the White Queen told Alice in Through the Looking Glass. Think about the number of things you believe every morning before breakfast that you would have thought impossible just ten years ago: the ubiquity of the Internet. A woman as the front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination. Three-dollar a gallon gas. Is it really so difficult to believe that God sends visible signs of holiness to earth?

Action

Don’t be as ambitious as the White Queen. Believe before breakfast in one impossible thing today: that you can ease the suffering of a troubled friend; that you can spend two hours shopping with a member of your parish in whom you do not always see Christ; that an extra $50 donation to your Parish, Cursillo, or another worthy cause won’t strap your budget. Then prove to yourself that it’s possible.