As we begin each day’s reflection, invite the Lord to come be with you as you read and meditate on His Word. Take a moment and read the bible passage slowly, allowing the Lord to draw you to any word or phrase that speaks to you.

Luke 1:26-28

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore, the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her. 

Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. What a wonderfully rich story surrounds this apparition in Mexico. Here are a couple of points for us to ponder this day. 

First, in this vision, Mary is wearing a traditional native garment worn by women who are pregnant. So, within this vision, Jesus is present as well. Knowing that she came showing herself already carrying the Savior reveals her fiat in a tangible way for us to see. Read Revelation 11:19-12:6 and see the similarities between that passage and the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe. St. John describes seeing the Ark of the Covenant in heaven as “a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child…” The Ark held three things: a copy of the Ten Commandments, manna, and the staff of Aaron, the high priest. As the new Arc, Mary carried these things as well in the form of Jesus. Why? Because He is the Word of God, the Bread of Heaven, and our High Priest. Let your mind sit with this for a while. 

The second thing to ponder is the result of this visit from our Lady. At the same time as Mary appeared to the people of Mexico, the Protestant Reformation was going on in Europe. In 1531, the year of the apparitions, the reformation had taken thousands upon thousands of Catholics out of the faith as they moved to Lutheranism, Anglicanism, and other denominations that continued to divide Christianity. Yet in this other part of the world, Mary appeared to Juan Diego and the miracle of the tilma occurred with her image revealed and up to nine million natives converted and were baptized. 

As we consider all that God did by allowing Our Lady of Guadalupe to visit Mexico, we see that He can conquer division with His truth. That He does care for each soul and wants us to know His love. And our Lady is part of His plan. He needed her yes at the beginning for without that Christ wouldn’t have His humanity. And He needed her appearance to Juan Diego to bring about the conversion of a nation that still to this day, shows their devotion to Jesus through their love for His mother. Always remember that Mother Mary wants to be your mother because she wants to introduce you to her Son. She is not just some small part of God’s plan and replaceable by anyone else, if she had said no. She was chosen and as we celebrated earlier this week, was filled with grace to be able to say yes. And now she is calling us to say Yes to her invitation to get to know her Son, who is our savior. 

Reflection Questions: Take some today to learn more about this apparition. You can check our website or visit Guadalupe: The Miracle and the Message - Formed to watch a documentary. The history of this visit should be known by all. As you learn more, pray about what you hear and see and ask the Blessed Mother to reveal more of her Son to you. 

Prayer: Lord Jesus, thank you for the gift of your mother. Help me to get to know her better, knowing that it will not detract from my love for You, but only help me love you more deeply. Who knows you better than Your mother? Amen.