Location: San Fernando Cathedral
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ; on this sacred night, as the stars keep vigil over us, we celebrate the extraordinary love of God made manifest in Our Lady of Guadalupe. This Feast reminds us that heaven is not distant but ever close, revealed through Mary, the Mother of God and our mother. Her message at Tepeyac echoes the readings we hear tonight: Heaven is always waiting for us.
In the first reading, from the Book of Revelation, we behold a great sign: a woman clothed with the sun, the moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars. This woman, the Mother of the Messiah, also represents the Church – God’s people called to bring His light to the world. Like Mary, the Church gives birth to Christ in every age, often amidst struggle and danger. But victory belongs to God!
The apparitions of Mary to Saint Juan Diego, and her miraculous image on his “tilma,” assure us that we, too, are destined for eternal life.
In the Gospel, we heard how, immediately following the Annunciation, Mary traveled in haste to announce the greateness of God. Her attitude and her words foretell the program for the mission of Christ and the Church – a call to humility, trust, and service, to announce the good news of the Incarnation of the Son of God. We heard the first verse of Mary’s Magnificat, a song born of faith and profound humility. She magnifies the Lord, not herself, for it is His grace that works through her. She rejoices because God has looked with favor upon her lowliness and chosen her to bear the Savior. She cannot keep God’s work to herself.
The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe continues this message.
When she appeared to Juan Diego, she chose a simple, humble man to carry her message of hope and love to the bishop and the people. “Am I not here, I who am your mother? (…) What else do you need?” she asked him. Her words remind us that Mary always walks with us, especially in times of fear or doubt. She is the radiant woman clothed with the sun, a sign of God’s enduring love for His people, especially the poor and marginalized.
“This ‘being’ of the Virgin,” says Pope Francis, “this ‘being there’ is to remain permanently imprinted on those poor garments that emanate virtues gathered in a world that seems incapable of producing them. Virtues that fill our poverty in the simplicity of small acts of love that illuminate our ‘tilma’, without us realizing it, with the image of a Church that carries Christ in her womb.” (end of quote).
Tonight, let us honor Our Lady of Guadalupe by embracing her example of faith and trust.
Like her, may we magnify the Lord in our lives, proclaiming His mercy and justice to a world in need. Through her intercession, may we be a sign of hope and unity, bringing Christ’s love to all we meet.
