Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Lectionary: 690A

Your deed of hope will never be forgotten
by those who tell of the might of God.

The birth of a child signifies hope, especially when times are difficult. Despite the war, hurricane, tornado or earthquake that has suddenly taken many lives and destroyed homes and villages, a woman gives birth. A child is born.

The event can be hugely inconvenient. Someone is bound to complain about the bad timing. A nerd like me might remark that American bison, caught by a late spring blizzard, put off bearing their young until the crisis has passed. And the young kangaroo, barely an inch in length, is tucked away in its mother’s pouch until a more convenient time. Few human females appreciate these observations.

It's no laughing matter to the people involved. Even as they struggle to save themselves they must care for the helpless woman and her defenseless child. Heroes are born in such moments. 

Christians have often reflected upon the inconvenient circumstances surrounding the birth of Jesus. According to Saint Luke’s narrative, he was born during a hurried trip to Bethlehem. Because there was no room in the inn, the child’s mother and father had to make do with a manger. Saint Matthew’s story reflects the poor timing of bearing a “new born king of the Jews” during King Herod’s reign of terror. The anxious Saint Joseph wakened his wife and child and rushed them into Egypt that very night.

The same narratives will insist the Child was born in the fullness of time, at the very moment God had chosen since time immemorial. The Messiah could be born in no other time, in no other place, to no other couple.

Your deed of hope will never be forgotten
by those who tell of the might of God.

During our Assembly
Friars placed vigil lights
in memoriam
before
Our Lady of Consolation

On this Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe we celebrate the Woman of Hope. A young woman stands upon the moon and eclipses the sun and she is pregnant with hope. 

The Scriptures testify that Mary was not simply caught up in the biological whirlwind of labor, a hapless girl overwhelmed by her biology. Rather, she “gave birth” and “brought forth” her firstborn son. This was a courageous act of generosity which is further demonstrated when she shows the baby to the shepherds and allows the old man Simeon to hold him. She is as confident as she is generous.

As we prepare to celebrate Christmas, we thank God for sending Mary to the New World. Ours is not a European religion; it is Good News for every nation, always new, always fresh and always welcome to the wise.