teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness. At the sight of the crowds, his heart was moved with pity for them because they were troubled and abandoned,like sheep without a shepherd.
Then he said to his disciples,"The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;
so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest."
Then he summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus,
"Go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: 'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons. Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give."
REFLECTION
Withou cost you have received and without cost you are to give.
As an adult Juan Diego and his wife embraced Catholicism and left the brutal Aztec sacrifices. Everyday he made the long trek to the Church for Mass. The Mother of God chose Juan Diego to be the representative for his nation, to see and converse with her.
On December 9, 1531, The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to this Aztec Indian by the name of Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin ("eagle that talks") . She requested he appear before the Bishop and request a church to he built at the site of the apparition. The Bishop was reluctant. At the second apparition Our Lady told him to repeat the request. The Bishop now needed proof. At the third apparition, Our Lady said to come back the next day for proof. Unfortunately his uncle, Juan Bernardino, was ill and Juan Diego did not go back to see her. In fact he took a detour, avoiding the beautiful lady in hopes of finding a priest for his dying uncle.
He tried to avoid the meeting. But he was no match for the mother of God as she met him on Tepeyac hill. After defending himself with childish excuses, she said, "Listen, my son, to what I am telling you. Do not be disturbed or afflicted by anything. Do not fear illness or any other accident or pain. Am I not here, I who am your mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not life and health? Are you not on my lap and under my care? Do you need anything else?" Her sweet words to him brought him great comfort. She already had visited his uncle and healed him.
She found him and directed him to go to the top of Tepeyac hill and gather flowers. This site had been the sanctuary of the Aztec goddess, Tonanzin. He knew it was impossible to find flowers because of the winter frost and a dry rocky terrain could not sustain life. He found beautiful roses! Our Lady arranged them on his tilma. When he presented the flowers to the Bishop, her imprint was on the fabric. The Church was built.
There was a massive conversion of 9 million people over ten years since the apparition of Our Lady. The brutal sacrifices of the Aztecs came to an end.
We are told time and time again to be humble, simple and to pray more and more for faith, hope and love. With her sweet and kind words we enter, as Juan Diego, into God's love as she lays our hearts before our Father .
Comments