By Susan Ciancio
On December 12, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. And on this special feast day, we are once again reminded of the love our spiritual mother has for us. She isn’t a standoffish mother. She isn’t a mother who selfishly demands our love or obedience. She is a mother whose pure and perfect love for her Son radiates from her very being and guides us as we strive to love Him more perfectly.
Mary came to us at Fatima; at Lourdes; in Champion, Wisconsin; and in numerous other places. But her appearance to Juan Diego at Guadalupe resonates with us at CLSP. Why? Because the black band she wears in the image on Juan Diego’s tilma symbolizes her pregnancy with Jesus. Additionally, the wonder on the part of Juan Diego fills our hearts with joy. Here is a faithful man—a convert—who had lost his wife and who walked miles just to go to Mass. He didn’t forsake God in times of trouble; he sought Him out.
And one day on his way to Mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Mary appeared to him. He must have been astounded by her appearance and by her request that he speak to the bishop about building a church on that exact spot. Yet he remained an obedient servant of God and His mother and did what Mary asked.
When he talked with the bishop, the bishop asked for proof of this “lady” he had seen. So a few days later, Juan Diego relayed this message to Mary, who directed him to pick roses—roses that were not indigenous to the area and that somehow grew in the cold December weather. He gathered them up, and Mary lovingly wrapped them in his tilma and sent him off to the bishop.
Later, when Juan Diego stood in front of the bishop and let his tilma unfold, Our Lady’s image on the tilma caused the bishop to fall to his knees. At first Juan Diego didn’t understand his reaction, but then he too saw the stunning image of our Blessed Mother.
Put yourself in that situation and imagine seeing firsthand the image of the Virgin Mary. It was obvious that this was something no human at the time could have done. This miracle was unfathomable, yet here it was right in front of him.
This is our God. Awe-inspiring. Magnificent. Glorious. And so filled with love. All He wants is for us to love Him back and follow His laws.
So as we celebrate this feast day, let us ponder how Mary lovingly wraps us in her own mantle, just as she wrapped the roses in Juan Diego’s tilma. She is our spiritual mother who holds us lovingly in her arms. She guides us to her Son, she cares for us, and she nurtures us. We are the flowers who can produce beautiful images, but we can only do that with God’s help.
Today and every day, let us open our hearts and minds to our Blessed Mother and to God and allow their love and light to flow through us and spill out to others. Mary appeared to Juan Diego to bring her Son to a corner of the world where many still did not know Him. Let us ask ourselves how we can bring Jesus to those around us who do not know Him. And then let us act as Juan Diego did—out of faith, out of obedience, and out of a desire to share Christ’s love with all people so that they can know, love, and serve Him in this world and live for all eternity with Him in the next.
CLSP has a beautiful lesson about Our Lady of Guadalupe. Find it at shop.all.org/collections/culture-of-life-studies-program/products/our-lady-of-guadalupe-honoring-the-patroness-of-preborn-children-download.