May Jesus Christ be praised and may his holy Mother pray for
us.
I saw her, and I wept.
In the summer of 2006, while I was studying the Spanish language in the
city of Guanajuato, I traveled to Mexico City, and there, in the Shrine
dedicated to her, I saw her, and I wept.
I wept because when I gazed at her miraculous image, I knew that the mother
of my Lord had come to me. In her and
through her, we rejoice, dear brothers and sisters, because in her and through
her, we have come to know him in whom we find salvation. It is through the Virgin Mary that we have
been able to receive the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tonight we are gathered together to honor the Virgin of Guadalupe
because she has given to us the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father, and because
she has called us her children.
When the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Juan Diego,
Our Lady gave him three things. Saint
Juan Diego was given a message, he was given beautiful flowers, and he was
given her image. The message was for the
bishop and it was a request that a chapel be built on that site. The beautiful flowers were the miraculous
proof that Our Lady provided with her request.
And the image, her beautiful image, was imprinted forever on the cloak
that he wore.
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus, we have come
here to this Church and to this celebration because we recognize that the
Virgin of Guadalupe is the Mother of the Lord.
The Virgin of Guadalupe is our Mother.
The Holy Catholic Church is our Mother, and we should never look
anywhere else for such a loving mother.
The message that we receive from Our Lady is that she wants a chapel
built. Our Lady wants a chapel built in
our hearts, in our homes and in our lives, for the honor and glory of her Son. She wants us to build this chapel with the
food that we receive when we assist every Sunday at the celebration of the Holy
Mass. She wants us to build this chapel
in your homes through the Sacrament of Marriage and through the constant and
consistent education of your children in our Holy Catholic Faith. She wants to build this chapel in our lives
as we imitate the love and the compassion of her Son who is Christ and Lord.
Today we bring her flowers, and we gently place them before
her. Today, the Blessed Virgin Mary
gives to us the prayers of her holy rosary.
In our meditation on the mysteries of the life, ministry, death and
resurrection of the Lord Jesus, in the company of the Blessed Virgin, we speak
to her, and we come to know him.
Today, we receive the gift of her image. The image of Our Lady is given to us so that we
may remember her love for us, and so that the image of the Lord Jesus may be seen
in us. Our Lady of Guadalupe invites each
of us to live our lives as reminders of her love for all people. When we reflect the love of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
then we share the love of Jesus Christ.
As we now celebrate the mystery of the Lord’s love present to
us in the Eucharist, let us commit ourselves to the Virgin of Guadalupe and to our
holy Catholic Faith. Let us receive the request
of Our Lady and build the Chapel that she desires in our hearts, our homes and our
lives. And let us ask for the grace to carry
her image within us, so that we may reveal the image of the Lord Jesus.
Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe! Viva Cristo Rey! Amen!
Preached in Spanish at Our Lady of Lourdes
Catholic Church, Monroe, NC
