Our Lady of Guadalupe

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Saturday, 12 December 2015 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of our Lady of Guadalupe (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Memorial of our Lady of Guadalupe)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we celebrate the second feast of this month celebrating Mary, the mother of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, that is Mary, who appeared approximately five hundred years ago to a simple and devout servant of God, St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin at what is known now as the site of Guadalupe, where a great Basilica now stood, the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Mother of our Lord appeared to St. Juan Diego in a series of visions, all of which related the concerns which she had for mankind, for the people of our Lord, her own adopted children by virtue of our Lord Who had entrusted us to her, and how she wanted as many as possible to repent from their ways of sin, and she showed that as our mother, she cares for us and wants for us to be saved and not fall into damnation.

The story of the devotion to our Lady of Guadalupe began with St. Juan Diego himself, who received the visions from the Blessed Virgin Mary, on the place where now stands great the Basilica dedicated to her. She herself asked that a church ought to be built at that site, and this was truly a premonition of the time to come, when countless peoples would pass through its gate, and how through her, many were saved.

St. Juan Diego related what he had seen and heard, the visions he received, and how miraculous things had happened, including the miracle healing of one of his relatives, but the governor and the Archbishop would not believe the visions that St. Juan Diego had received. He asked for a sign and a proof. And when St. Juan Diego related the request to the Blessed Virgin, he was instructed to gather rare flowers that then miraculously grew on the site, and place them into his tilma of cloak.

And after he had returned to the Archbishop, he laid down the flowers before him, and not only that those flowers did not belong among the local flowers, but also that, the tilma that St. Juan Diego wore became imprinted with the image of the mother of God herself, which since then had been known as the image and the icon of our Lady of Guadalupe.

And today, as we commemorate that moment, some of us may ask why we gave so much honour and attention to Mary, even though she was just a human being like us, similar in flesh and blood, and having the same Spirit of God dwelling in us. However, we honour her because firstly, as we have just commemorated another of her feast a few days ago, she was special, for she was conceived without the taint of sin, pure and immaculate since the day of her conception.

She had been prepared ahead by the Lord to be the vessel and the bearer of our Lord, as the Ark of the New Covenant. But it was not just because she was conceived without sin that she is honoured, but because of her actions, where she faithfully carried out her duties and all that has been expected of her and even more, carrying herself properly and faithfully as inspiration for many others.

By looking at her and what she has done, how she had lived her life, how she had loved her Son, Jesus our Lord and Master, and correspondingly, how she also loves all of us her adopted children, as proven by her numerous and countless apparitions to men, in various places and at various times, pleading and calling on them to repentance and to change their ways lest they be swallowed by sin and darkness.

The celebration of our Lady of Guadalupe today is a reminder for us, and a wake up call for many, that all of us ought to reflect on our own lives, on our own actions and deeds. Have we been faithful in what we say, in what we do and in what we commit ourselves in our own lives? Or have we been rather disobedient and following our own hearts’ desires as the first men were, and thus risking falling into sin and damnation.

Let us realise how important it is for us to seek God’s forgiveness for our sins, and for us to do that, we need to have genuine repentance and change of heart, or else, we will remain in the trap of sin, and we will remain in darkness forever. And in this, we have a great ally in the mother of our Lord, Mary, our Lady of Guadalupe. After all, which good and faithful son does not listen to his mother? And Jesus too will surely listen to His mother praying for our sake. Now what matters is, for us to make the effort for the change for the better.

Let us all devote ourselves, our time and our works for the sake of the salvation of our souls. Let us no longer be filled with sin, evil and darkness, but instead replace these with obedience, faith and light. May God Who loves His blessed mother Mary, will love us all too, who devote ourselves with equal love to her. Amen.

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Saturday, 12 December 2015 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of our Lady of Guadalupe (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Memorial of our Lady of Guadalupe)

Matthew 17 : 10-13

At that time, the disciples of Jesus asked Him, “Why do the teachers of the Law say that Elijah must come first?” And Jesus answered, “So it is : first comes Elijah to set everything as it has to be. But I tell you, Elijah has already come, but they did not recognise him, and treated him as they pleased. And they will also make the Son of Man suffer.”

Then the disciples understood that Jesus was referring to John the Baptist.

Alternative reading (for the Mass of our Lady of Guadalupe)

Luke 1 : 39-47

At that time, Mary then set out for a town in the hill country of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb.

Elizabeth was filled with Holy Spirit, and giving a loud cry, said, “You are most blessed among women, and Blessed is the Fruit of your womb! How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy. Blessed are you who believed that the Lord’s word would come true!”

And Mary said, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God my Saviour!”

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Saturday, 12 December 2015 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of our Lady of Guadalupe (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Memorial of our Lady of Guadalupe)

Psalm 79 : 2ac and 3bc, 15-16, 18-19

Listen, o Shepherd of Israel, You who sit enthroned between the Cherubim. Stir up Your might and come to save us.

Turn again, o Lord of hosts, look down from heaven and see; care for this vine, and protect the stock Your hand has planted.

But lay Your hand on Your instrument, on the Son of Man Whom You make strong for Yourself. Then we will never turn away from You; give us life, and we will call on Your Name.

Alternative reading (for the Mass of our Lady of Guadalupe)

1 Samuel 2 : 1, 4-8

My heart exults in YHVH, I feel strong in my God. I rejoice and laugh at my enemies for You came with power to save me.

The bow of the mighty is broken but the weak are girded with strength. The well-fed must labour for bread but the hungry need work no more. The childless wife has borne seven children, but the proud mother is left alone.

YHVH is Lord of life and death, He brings down to the grave and raises up. YHVH makes poor and makes rich, He beings low and He exalts. He lifts up the lowly from the dust, and raises the poor from the ash heap; they will be called to the company of princes, and inherit a seat of honour. The earth to its pillars belongs to YHVH and on them He has set the world.

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Saturday, 12 December 2015 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of our Lady of Guadalupe (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Memorial of our Lady of Guadalupe)

Sirach 48 : 1-4, 9-11

Then came the prophet Elijah like a fire, his words a burning torch. He brought a famine on the people and in his zealous love had them reduced in number. Speaking in the Name of the Lord he closed the heavens, and on three occasions called down fire. How marvellous you were, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! Who could ever boast of being your equal?

You were taken up by a whirlwind of flames in a chariot drawn by fiery horses. It was written that you should be the one to calm God’s anger in the future before it broke out in fury, to turn the hearts of fathers to their sons and to restore the tribes of Jacob. Happy are those who will see you and those who die in love, for we too shall live.

Alternative reading (for the Mass of our Lady of Guadalupe)

Isaiah 7 : 10-14 and Isaiah 8 : 10c

Once again YHVH addressed Ahaz, “Ask for a sign from YHVH your God, let it come either from the deepest depths or from the heights of Heaven.”

But Ahaz answered, “I will not ask, I will not put YHVH to the test.” Then Isaiah said, “Now listen, descendants of David. Have you not been satisfied trying the patience of people, that you also try the patience of my God? Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign : The Virgin is with Child and bears a Son, and calls His Name Emmanuel, for God-is-with-us.”

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Wednesday, 9 December 2015 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, on this day we heard about the Lord Who calls all His people to Himself, that they should put their trust, hope and commitment to Him, for His way is salvation, and in Him they will find rest and the solution of their troubles. The Lord reminded us that after all the sufferings and troubles we may encounter on our path of being faithful to Him, we shall find our eternal rest in Him.

In the first reading today, taken from the Book of the prophet Isaiah, God spoke to us through the prophet of the importance our putting our trust less in ourselves and in our own abilities, and placing more trust in the Lord and in what He can do for us. This is what we have to learn and what we have to accustom ourselves to, as in following our own path, or the path shown by the world, only uncertainties lie ahead of us.

We often did not realise that we have so many limitations with us, our shortcomings and vulnerabilities, and yet we are easily swayed with pride and hubris, thinking that whatever good and great things we have achieved, they were due to our own abilities and our own strengths. And as a result, this is why many of us have this tendency today to forget about God and all the good things He has done for us.

And many of us only seek the Lord and try to find Him, begging and beseeching Him whenever we are in distress and in times of difficulty, but when good tines are upon us, many of us readily forget about the Lord and instead become focused on satisfying our ego and our hearts’ desires first above all. And this is why we tend to be swayed away from God, as we only remember God when we are in need, and if what we wanted are not fulfilled by God, we tend to become angry against God.

This is not the way for us to relate to our God, our loving Lord and Father. And neither is the way that follows our own whim and desires. For God is a loving God, Who cares for us all especially because we are His beloved ones, the most beautiful and beloved among all of the things and life that He has created, and yet many of us did not show the love that we ought to give Him.

God has given us so many good things, all the blessings and graces that filled our lives on this earth, and the greatest of all being this life that we have been blessed with, is also a gift from God, and yet many of us do not realise how thankful we are to breathe every single seconds of our lives. Instead, we become preoccupied with ourselves, with our desires and the things that we want in this world, and we fail to give thanks to Him Who had made everything possible for us.

Let us take note of the examples of the saint whose feast day we celebrate on this day, St. Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, also known as St. Juan Diego, a Native American saint whose life was spent in total and complete dedication to God and to His blessed mother Mary. And he also spent many hours in prayer and spiritual devotion, while also being loving and charitable to his brethren around him.

He dedicated his whole life, together with that of his family, his properties and possessions, for the sake of the Lord and His Church. And his piety was truly renowned, and many people became inspired by the faith that St. Diego has shown. And he received many visions and inspirations of faith that helped to deepen his faith and the faith of those who are around him further.

On one occasion, the Blessed Virgin Mary herself appeared to him in a vision telling him to go to a hill and gather flowers that grow on the hill, and wearing his cloak, also known as tilma, he went to the hill and found flowers that did not normally grow on that location. He gathered them back and went back to the governor, to whom St. Juan Diego had related his vision.

The governor doubted the veracity and authenticity of the vision, and he asked for a proof. St. Juan Diego gathered the flowers as a proof as directed by Mary, and when he showed the flowers to the governor, what shocked the governor was not so much the flowers but the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary herself that was printed upon the tilma or the cloak, which from then on were known by its more popular name of our Lady of Guadalupe.

From this example, we can see how the Lord rewards those who are faithful and devoted to Him. And He will bless and love all those who commit themselves to Him in faith. And He will show His favour to all those who belong to Him, and He will never abandon them to the darkness. The examples, the piety and the dedications of St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin should be an inspiration to all of us, to lead a life devoted to the Lord in all things.

Let us all learn to place our trust in the Lord and commit ourselves to live in accordance with the will of God, so that all of our words, deeds and actions will always be pleasing to God, and He Who sees all and knows all, will keep us forever in His grace, and grant us eternal life and happiness that He has promised to all of His beloved ones. God bless us all. Amen.

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Wednesday, 9 December 2015 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)

Matthew 11 : 28-30

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples and to the people, “Come to me, all you who work hard and who carry heavy burdens, and I will refresh you. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble of heart and you will find rest. For My yoke is good, and My burden is light.”

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Wednesday, 9 December 2015 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (Psalm)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)

Psalm 102 : 1-2, 3-4, 8 and 10

Bless the Lord, my soul; all my being, bless His holy Name! Bless the Lord, my soul, and do not forget all His kindness.

He forgives all your sins and heals all your sickness; He redeems your life from destruction and crowns you with love and compassion.

The Lord is gracious and merciful, abounding in love and slow to anger. He does not treat us according to our sins, nor does He punish us as we deserve.

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Wednesday, 9 December 2015 : 2nd Week of Advent, Memorial of St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (First Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (Saints)

Isaiah 40 : 25-31

“To whom, then, will you liken Me or make Me equal?” says the Holy One. “Lifted up your eyes and see : Who has created all this?”

He has ordered them as a starry host and called them each by name. So mighty is His power, so great His strength, that not one of them is missing. How can you say, o Jacob, how can you complain, o Israel, that your destiny is hidden from me, that your rights are ignored by YHVH?

Have you not known, have you not heard that YHVH is an everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth? He does not grow tired or weary, His knowledge is without limit.

He gives strength to the enfeebled, He gives vigour to the wearied. Youth may grow tired and faint, young men will stumble and fall, but those who hope in YHVH will renew their strength. They will soar with eagle’s wings; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and never tire.

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Friday, 12 December 2014 : Second Week of Advent, Memorial of our Lady of Guadalupe (Homily and Scripture Reflections)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (our Lady of Guadalupe)

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, today we celebrate a great feast day of the Church, celebrating the feast of Mary, the Mother of our Lord and God Jesus Christ, who manifested and showed herself about five hundred years ago, to a simple, humble but holy man in what is now Mexico, at the site called Tepeyac hill, now where the Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe stands proudly as the centre of devotion and pilgrimage, and source of salvation for many in the centuries past since its establishment.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is the name given to this apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who appeared to St. John Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, the first native saint of the New World, now known as the American continent. According to the tradition, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. John Diego and revealed herself to him at a place known as the Tepeyac hills, as the Mother of our Lord and as the Mother of us all. She asked St. John Diego, if there is anything he needed, and that if there was anything he needed, he would have to just ask her, and through her intercession, everything would be made full.

St. John Diego immediately sought the local bishop and told him about what he had witnessed, but the bishop was skeptical, and did not believe him at first. Therefore, the bishop asked St. John Diego for a proof that the apparition was authentic, and thus, St. John Diego then rushed back to see the Lady once more for this purpose. The Blessed Virgin Mary had indeed mentioned to St. John Diego at their first meeting, of the time she would appear again.

But on the way, St. John Diego was told that his father was very sick, and thus he was forced to miss the meeting with the Blessed Virgin Mary, rushing to his home to be at the side of his sick father instead. However, on the way home, at the very exact time that he was to meet Mary once more, the Blessed Virgin appeared to him on the road, and told him that his father has been healed, and indeed, when St. John Diego reached home, he found that his father had been healed.

For the proof that the bishop asked St. John Diego, the Blessed Virgin Mary asked him to go to the hill, and there he found a cluster of flowers, Castilian roses, which are not naturally found in that land, but in Europe. Then St. John Diego gathered the flowers in his cloak, or also known as tilma, and then rushed back to show them to the bishop.

When St. John Diego showed the bishop what the Blessed Virgin Mary, our Lady of Guadalupe had shown him, what surprised the bishop was not so much the flowers, but in fact that when St. John Diego opened his tilma or cloak, there he saw the glowing and very beautiful image of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which we now know as our Lady of Guadalupe, in reference to the occasion and the place where this had taken place.

So whenever we see an image or pictorial representation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in a cloak and adorned by beautiful flowers, it is likely to be a representation of our Lady of Guadalupe. And it is in her honour that we celebrate this day with great joy, for through this great woman, many good things have been made possible for mankind, the greatest of all is, the freedom of mankind from the tyranny of sin and the promise of everlasting life through Jesus, her Son.

Many of the heretics and those who misunderstood the Faith wondered why we honoured Mary so much, if she was just a mere human, perhaps more special in a way because she is the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ. But surely that is as far as things should go right? Do we Catholics and members of the Faith commit idolatry by worshipping and adoring Mary as if she is a goddess? No, and this is where all of us the faithful must be very clear in our Faith, lest we allow the same confusion to lead us astray.

Like the song of Hannah showed in the Psalm today, the song of joy and thanksgiving by Hannah, the mother of the prophet Samuel, who was granted her wish of having a son by God after years of barren marriage, and being ridiculed by the other wife of her husband. She was given Samuel, whom she gave up to be consecrated to God, and then she was given even more children, as the fulfillment of God’s love.

Hannah was humble, and she sought the Lord’s help through sincere prayers after she was bullied constantly by the first wife, who was proud of her many children. The proud was therefore rejected by God, but the humble, the meek and most importantly, the faithful ones are rewarded richly by God. He blesses those who are not proud with themselves and their achievements, but those who put their trust completely in the Lord.

Thus, Mary is truly blessed and she was honoured beyond any other men. Thus, Elizabeth her cousin said about her, ‘Blessed are you amongst women,’ for indeed, Mary was special and honoured, not just because she is the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ and not just because she was prepared to be special by the Lord, free from the taint of sin as the Immaculate Conception, but also because of her exemplary faith, humility, devotion and total trust in God and in His plans.

Therefore, on this feast of our Lady of Guadalupe, we look up to the Blessed Virgin Mary who had given her grace to appear before St. John Diego, so that all of us mankind may know more about her and her exemplary faith, and through her therefore, for us to find Jesus our Lord, and that we may be granted rich graces of God, the same grace which God had blessed Mary with, the one who is called blessed among all men and women, for all ages.

What we can learn from this sacred occasion is that, while Mary was created special by God, and prepared by the Lord to be the Mother of the Lord, but it is her examples, her faith, her actions and her loving dedication to God which all of us can emulate. God’s grace flows through Mary by her devotion and faith, and her undying dedication towards her Son, even unto following Him on the path of suffering to the cross at Calvary.

Thus, God had also given us all the singular and most important of all the saints, as the greatest among our intercessors, the one who prays for us without cease, for the sake of all of us sinners who still dwell in this world. That is why Mary, our Lady of Guadalupe, asked St. John Diego, ‘Is there anything that you still need’ and gave him her assurance that whatever he asked through her, he will get it, so long as it is within the bounds of the will of God.

She is the closest among all to the throne of her Son in heaven, and hers is the words which her Son will listen to the most. Remember the wedding at Cana? Jesus listened to the request by Mary, for Him to help the wedding couple in trouble, and performed His miracle of changing the water into wine, His very first miracle. If He would listen to His mother’s request there, then the same too will be the case for us, if we ask Mary, our mother, to help with our needs.

Mary is also our mother, for our Lord Jesus had entrusted His disciple John to His own mother, just as He entrusted her to him to be cared for. Through the entrusting of John to Mary, Jesus our Lord also entrusted all mankind to the care of His mother, who then becomes our Mother too. And if she is our mother, will she not care for us, fight for us and intercede for us? She loves all of us, and she does not want any of us to be lost to her Son.

Hence, let us all from now on reflect on our own lives. Have we done what the Lord had asked of us to do? Have we all been faithful as Mary our mother had been faithful? When we err, let us all correct our ways and also seek help. Our mother Mary, just as when she appeared to St. John Diego as our Lady of Guadalupe sincerely sought our salvation and liberation from sin. Therefore, shall we all accept her offer of grace, which may then flow from the Lord through her, and into us?

Let us all be righteous and be faithful in our actions, showing the love which we ought to show our Lord and which we also should show one another. May our Lady of Guadalupe, Mary our mother intercede for us sinners before the throne of her Son, the Divine Mercy, that He shall forgive us our sins, and in our sincere faith, may He grant us all eternal life. Amen.

 

First Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/11/friday-12-december-2014-second-week-of-advent-memorial-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe-first-reading/

 

Psalm :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/11/friday-12-december-2014-second-week-of-advent-memorial-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe-psalm/

 

Gospel Reading :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/11/friday-12-december-2014-second-week-of-advent-memorial-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe-gospel-reading/

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Friday, 12 December 2014 : Second Week of Advent, Memorial of our Lady of Guadalupe (Gospel Reading)

Liturgical Colour : Purple/Violet or White (our Lady of Guadalupe)

Matthew 11 : 16-19

At that time, Jesus said to His disciples, “Now, to what can I compare the people of this day? They are like children sitting in the marketplace, about whom their companions complain : ‘We played the flute for you, but you would not dance. We sang a funeral song, but you would not cry!'”

“For John came fasting, and people said, ‘He is possessed.’ Then the Son of Man came, He ate and drank, and people said, ‘Look at this Man! A glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ Yet the outcome will prove Wisdom to be right.”

 

Alternative reading (Mass of our Lady of Guadalupe)

Luke 1 : 39-47

At that time, Mary then set out for a town in the hill country of Judah. She entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leapt in her womb.

Elizabeth was filled with Holy Spirit, and giving a loud cry, said, “You are most blessed among women, and blessed is the Fruit of your womb! How is it that the mother of my Lord comes to me? The moment your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby within me suddenly leapt for joy. Blessed are you who believed that the Lord’s word would come true!”

And Mary said, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit exults in God my Saviour!”

 

Homily and Reflection :

https://petercanisiusmichaeldavidkang.com/2014/12/11/friday-12-december-2014-second-week-of-advent-memorial-of-our-lady-of-guadalupe-homily-and-scripture-reflections/