Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord. (Zechariah 2:14)
Your deed of hope will never be forgotten by those who tell of the might of God. (Judith 13:19)
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” (Luke 1:38)
Piety
Sweet Mary, intercede for me with your beloved Son.
Study
Juan Diego recognized the Blessed
Virgin almost immediately as he approached Guadalupe’s Tepe
yac hill on his way
to Mass that day in December 1531. She wanted a chapel built. When Juan went
back the next day, he told Mary that he had gone to the bishop about her
request, but the bishop was less than supportive. She asked him to return the
next day for proof, but Juan was unable to do so due to a close relative’s
illness.
When Juan came back the following day, Mary said she would heal the relative. As for the proof, Juan was to pick flowers from the hill to take to the bishop. One didn’t typically find many flowers in Guadalupe in December, but Juan did his best, putting them in his cloak. When he opened the cloak before the bishop, an image of Mary’s face was visible. It took only a year to build the church. Today, a basilica stands near the site.
Waiting is what we do in Advent. Waiting is what it seems we’ve all mainly done since last March. But time is precious. It took less than a year for the faithful of Guadalupe to fulfill Mary’s request. They didn’t procrastinate. And I wonder—are there places where she or her Son have requested my action where I’m finding a reason not keep waiting?
Action
Don’t put off until tomorrow or the next day or next year what God desires you to do today.
No comments:
Post a Comment