Our Lady of Guadalupe

OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE

Every December 12th, the Church celebrates Mary under the title of "Our Lady of Guadalupe"

On December 9th, 1531, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego and asked him to buld a church on the site of the apparition. The famous image of our Lady of Guadalupe is actually the image left behind by Mary on the tilma (cloak) of St. Juan Diego.

It is estimated that over 9 million indigenous people of Mexico became Catholic due to our Lady's appearance there. Our Lady of Guadalupe is venerated throughout the world, but particularly among Mexicans. Under this title, Mary is the Patroness of the Americas - South, Central and North. In addition to being the patroness of the Americas, our Lady of Guadalupe is also the patroness of the Pro-Life movement. It is the only apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary that shows her as an expectant mother.

St. John Paul II visited Mexico City in 1979 (he had just been elected pope in October of 1978). In fact, this was the first papal overseas trip for St. John Paul II. He would become known for his apostolic visits to numerous countries after his visit to Mexico. Pope Emeritus Benedict XIV has also visited the site.

Pope Francis is scheduled to visit Mexico and the shrine of our Lady of Guadalupe in coming months.  He wrote these words in 2014 about Our Lady of Guadalupe:

Tomorrow is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas. On this occasion, I wish to greet the brothers and sisters of this continent, and I do so thinking of the Virgin of Tepeyac. 

When she appeared to St. Juan Diego, her face was that of a mestiza (mixed race) woman and her clothes were full of symbols of the indigenous culture. Following the example of Jesus, Mary is close to her children. She accompanies them on their way as a solicitous mother, and shares the joys and hopes, sufferings and anxieties of the people of God, who are called to form part of all the peoples of the earth.

 The appearance of the image of the Virgin on the tilma of Juan Diego was a prophetic sign of an embrace, Mary’s embrace, of all the inhabitants of the vast American lands, both those who were already there and those who came after.

This embrace of Mary pointed the way that has always characterized America: a land where different people can live together, a land capable of respecting human life at all stages, from birth to old age, able to welcome immigrants as well as the people and the poor and marginalized of all ages. America is a generous land. 

This is the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and this is my message, the message of the Church. I encourage all inhabitants of the American continent to have open arms like the Virgin Mary, with love and tenderness. 

I pray for all of you, dear brothers and sisters across America, and please pray for me, too. May the joy of the Gospel be always in your hearts. May the Lord bless you and the Virgin be with you.

A prayer for the Memorial of our Lady of Guadalupe:

God of power and mercy,

you blessed the Americas at Tepeyac

with the presence of the Virgin Mary at Guadalupe.

May her prayers help all men and women

to accept each other as brothers and sisters.

Through your justice present in our hearts,

may your peace reign in the world.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever.  Amen.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

MUSIC NOTES FOR DECEMBER 11

Every year, the challenge of the third Sunday of Advent is to rejoice. Such is the exhortation of today’s entrance antiphon, which we sing as a traditional round, and of the letter to the Thessalonians. As in last week’s scripture, joy springs from a commitment to justice: lifting up the poor, healing the depressed, liberating hostages, ministering to the imprisoned, assuring all that God has not abandoned them. We might even sum it all up as “making spirits bright,” but for the fact that that phrase has been co-opted for commercial ends. All of this arises from a hearty sense of joy in God, rejoicing that runs deep in the soul. Today’s psalm, the Magnificat, applies as much to the mission of John the Baptist as to Mary, and the same is true of the passage from Isaiah. His picture of one “clothed in a robe of salvation, wrapped in a mantle of justice, adorned . . . , bedecked . . .,” evokes the image of Mary as she appeared at Guadalupe, and we celebrate that feast on Monday. We will sing the blue-sheet “Song to Our lady of Guadalupe” as we did for the holy day last week. Also repeated will be “Canticle of the Turning,” based on the Magnificat, and at 10:00 “Days of Elijah,” with its references to today’s gospel. And again, we go out of church to the Baptist’s cry, “Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord.”

       The deep joy described by Paul and Isaiah stand in counterpoint to the frenetic partying and compulsive shopping that sneak up on us in the run-up to Christmas. Real joy requires us to slow down ands take the time to be in touch with what see and hear: the sight of a cardinal or a bluejay in the backyard. Besides prayer and thanksgiving, Paul advises us to have a keen ear for prophecy, to test everything, to discern the good from the bad. We must take care not to stifle the spirit, and that implies giving worship the time it needs, especially with our revised liturgy, not rushing through the prayers or songs, paying attention, listening closely. In contrast to the instant gratification of the commercial Christmas, Advent demands waiting, patience and time. We are given “time-outs” during this busy season, like the holy day last week, and Monday’s feast of Guadalupe. These are heaven-sent opportunities to “smell the roses” — or to “wake up and smell the coffee,” as the case may be!

       We need to appreciate what a precious gift time is. Someone attributed to Thomas Merton the saying: “Life and time are our only real possessions.” Death is no respecter of seasons. My father’s cousin was a Trappist monk at Our Lady of the Genesee Abbey. Br. Henry died on December 1, “a good day to die,” said the abbot in his eulogy. He baked Monk’s Bread, kept the bees that provided the honey, and, true to his roots, if not to Trappist spirituality, collected stuff. As Christmas approaches, some of our families will lose a loved one. The antidote to our loss, the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of our joy is the bottomless generosity of our parishioners, who manage to provide the requests from two Giving Trees and bags and bags of groceries for local food pantries.

Respect Life Ministry - St. Benedict's

RESPECT LIFE MINISTRY:

The Respect Life Ministry endeavors to increase the Culture of Life through our participation in the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. In order to do this, we focus on prayer, education, community outreach and civic participation on a range of life issues including, but not limited to:

•ethical stem cell research
•abortion
•euthanasia
•capital punishment
•disability rights awareness
•Natural Family Planning vs. contraception

Information on life topics may be found in the bulletin and parish newsletter. More literature is available in the main foyer on the Respect Life bulletin board and pamphlet rack.

Meetings
Regular meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. All are welcome, but attendance is not mandatory. We welcome your participation on a variety of different levels and are looking for new ideas and opportunities in which to expand this ministry.

Parish Devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe
Currently, St. Benedict's offers participation in a parish-wide devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of Life. Each month a new family takes our parish image of Our Lady of Guadalupe into their home and strives to pray as family each day for all life issues.

Holy Hour on the Anniversary of Roe vs. Wade - on or around 22 January. See the bulletin/parish facebook/twitter for exact schedule as the date nears.

We also encourage parishioners and interested visitors to participate in the National March of Life on or around 22 January every year.  See the bulletin/parish facebook/twitter for exact schedule as the date nears.

October Baby Item Collection
Each October, the Respect Life Ministry sponsors a month long baby item collection. Many thanks go out to all who contribute. We were also able to donate many items and diapers to St. Luke's Mission of Mercy for local mothers in need.

For information call the Rectory at 834-1041 or email Rectory@saintbenedicts.com.
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