Patroness
of the Americas
Feast Day: December 12
Our
Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, pray for us...
When
we reflect on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe we learn two important
lessons, one of faith and one of understanding.
Missionaries
who first came to
Mexico
with the conquistadors had little success in the beginning. After nearly a
generation, only a few hundred Native Mexicans had converted to the
Christian faith. Whether they simply did not understand what the
missionaries had to offer or whether they resented these people who made
them slaves, Christianity was not popular among the native people.
Then
in 1531 miracles began to happen. Jesus' own mother appeared to humble
Juan Diego. The signs -- of the roses, of the uncle miraculously cured of
a deadly illness, and especially of her beautiful image on Juan's mantle
-- convinced the people there was something to be considered in
Christianity. Within a short time, six million Native Mexicans had
themselves baptized as Christians.
The
first lesson is that God has chosen Mary to lead us to Jesus. No matter
what critics may say of the devotion of Mexicans (and Mexican descendants)
to Our Lady of Guadalupe, they owe their Christianity to her influence. If
it were not for her, they would not know her son, and so they are
eternally grateful. The second lesson we take from Mary herself. Mary
appeared to Juan Diego not as a European madonna but as a beautiful Aztec
princess speaking to him in his own Aztec language. If we want to help
someone appreciate the gospel we bring, we must appreciate the culture and
the mentality in which they live their lives. By understanding them, we
can help them to understand and know Christ. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the
Patroness of the Americas.
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