The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, “Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom, there will be no end.” But Mary said to the angel, “How can this be since I have no relations with a man?” And the angel said to her in reply, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God.” Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.
REFLECTION
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.”
Who is Our Lady of Guadalupe? Why did she come to Mexico City in 1531?
The Virgin Mary appeared to an Azteca convert to Catholicism not as a young Jewish woman but as a mestizo. Mestizo's were the offspring of indigenous and the Spanish conquerors. Her clothing, her pose, and her pregnant state were a message to the Azteca people.
Her message was, "Dear little son, I love you. I want you to know who I am. I am the Virgin Mary, Mother of the one true God, of Him who gives life. He is Lord and Creator of heaven and of earth. I desire that there be built a temple at this place where I want to manifest Him, make him known, give Him to all people through my love, my compassion, my help, and my protection. I truly am your merciful Mother, your Mother, and the Mother of all who dwell in this land, and of all mankind, of all those who love me, of those who cry to me, and of those who seek and place their trust in me. Here I shall listen to their weeping and their sorrows. I shall take them all to my heart, and I shall cure their many sufferings, afflictions, and sorrows. So run now to Tenochtitlan and tell the Lord Bishop all that you have seen and heard."
Eventually, Juan Diego delivered Our Lady of Guadalupe's message to the Franciscan Bishop Zumarraga followed by a sign that the Bishop requested. Juan Diego's tilma showed the miraculous image of the Lady of Guadalupe and the rest of her message to the indigenous people. The image showed the Virgin Mother as the Queen of the Heavens and more powerful than their gods, because she was pregnant with the one true God.
As a result of her miraculous image displayed for all to come and see, there were 9 million indigenous people converted to Catholicism. A whole country converted and prayed for her help! They stopped giving human sacrifices to their gods. They stopped killing babies as sacrifices to appease their gods.
Let us thank God for sending His Mother who always brings us to her Son and her loving embrace.
"My little son, Do not be distressed and afraid. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the fountain of your joy? Are you not in the fold of my mantle, in the cradle of my arms?"
Let us pray for Our Lady of Guadalupe to intercede with the Most Holy Trinity to stop the killing of babies in the mothers' wombs. Pray for Her to change hearts and to end the atrocity of abortion.
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