December 12: The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

December 12: OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

Speak out for those who cannot speak, for the rights of all the destitute. Speak out, judge righteously, defend the rights of the poor and needy. (Proverbs 31:8–9)

In December 1531 Mary appeared to Juan Diego on a hillside near present-day Mexico City. She looked just like the native women of Mexico. To persuade a skeptical bishop that Mary had come to him, Juan Diego opened his cloak, and roses spilled out, a rarity in December. Much more significant was the miraculous image of Our Lady on his cloak. That image on cactus cloth has survived and is displayed at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. This event resulted in the conversion of nine million native Mexicans to Christianity. Jesus, as Mary revealed, belongs to poor people, not just to the powerful.

God, on this day set aside to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe, we pray especially for the people of Mexico and Central America. May Mary and Jesus continue to inspire them and give them hope.