Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
That
all may see and know, observe and understand, that the hand of the Lord
has done this, the Holy One of Israel has created it. — Isaiah 41:20
Today we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. If you are unfamiliar with her story, here it is in a nutshell:
Despite the presence of Catholic missionaries in Mexico over a period of many years, there were very few local converts
to the faith. Not until 1531, when our beloved Mother Mary appeared to
Juan Diego, an Aztec Indian. The signs that accompanied her apparitions —
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. (Source: www.catholic.org)
The conversion of six million people in such a short time surely must
have been done by “the hand of the Lord, the Holy One of Israel!” Our
Lady was His instrument of conversion, and so was Juan Diego. It just
goes to show that we human beings, imperfect as we may be, can be used
powerfully by the Lord, especially when we serve Him hand in hand with our Blessed Mother. Tina Santiago-Rodriguez (teachermamatina@gmail.com)
Reflection: Do you allow God to use you just like He did with Saint Juan Diego?
Lord, use me as Your instrument of conversion every day — and may Mama Mary be my guide every step of the way.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us. Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
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