Our Lady of Guadalupe – Pray for Us!
Introduction
WORDS OF THE HOLY FATHER
Today’s celebration and the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe make me think of three adjectives for her: Lady/woman, mother and mestizo. Mary is a woman. She is a woman, she is a Lady, the Nican mapohu, as she is called. She is a woman with the nobility of women. She presents herself as a woman, and she presents herself with a still another message, that is, she is a woman, a lady, and a disciple. St Ignatius loved to call her Our Lady. And it is so simple, she does not claim anything else: she is a woman, a disciple. (Homily, 12 December 2019).
Opening Prayer
May the splendour of your glory dawn in our hearts,
we pray, almighty God,
that all shadows of the night may be scattered
and we may be shown to be children of light
by the advent of your Only Begotten Son.
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever. Amen!
1 Reading: Ecclesiasticus 48:1-4,9-12
The prophet Elijah will come again The prophet Elijah arose like a fire, his word flaring like a torch. It was he who brought famine on the people, and who decimated them in his zeal. By the word of the Lord, he shut up the heavens, he also, three times, brought down fire. How glorious you were in your miracles, Elijah! Has anyone reason to boast as you have? Taken up in the whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with fiery horses; designated in the prophecies of doom to allay God’s wrath before the fury breaks, to turn the hearts of fathers towards their children, and to restore the tribes of Jacob, Happy shall they be who see you, and those who have fallen asleep in love.
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 79(80):2-3,15-16,18-19
R. God of hosts, bring us back; let your face shine on us and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hear us,
shine forth from your cherubim throne.
O Lord, rouse up your might,
O Lord, come to our help. R.
God of hosts, turn again, we implore,
look down from heaven and see.
Visit this vine and protect it,
the vine your right hand has planted. R.
May your hand be on the man you have chosen,
the man you have given your strength.
And we shall never forsake you again;
give us life that we may call upon your name. R.
Alleluia: Luke 3:4,6
Alleluia, alleluia!
Prepare a way for the Lord,
make his paths straight,
and all mankind shall see the salvation of God.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 17:10-13
As they came down from the mountain the disciples put this question to Jesus, ‘Why do the scribes say that Elijah has to come first?’ ‘True;’ he replied ‘Elijah is to come to see that everything is once more as it should be; however, I tell you that Elijah has come already and they did not recognise him but treated him as they pleased; and the Son of Man will suffer similarly at their hands.’ The disciples understood then that he had been speaking of John the Baptist.
Prayer over the Offerings
May the sacrifice of our worship, Lord, we pray,
be offered to you unceasingly, to complete what was begun in sacred mystery
and powerfully accomplish for us your saving work. Through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
We implore your mercy, Lord, that this divine sustenance may cleanse us of our faults and prepare us for the coming feasts. Through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Commentary
Am I not here, I who am your mother?
On the morning of Dec 9, 1531, Our Lady appeared to a man Juan Diego in what will be one of four apparitions to this peasant in the Hill of Tapeyac which would become part of Villa de Guadalupe, a suburb of Mexico City. On another day fixed for her apparition, Juan’s dying uncle needed the attention of a priest and Juan in order to avoid being delayed by the Virgin chose another route around the hill but was intercepted by the Virgin. The Virgin Mary chided him with words that would become synonymous with this apparition; “Am I not here, I who am your mother?” She chided Juan for forgetting to have recourse to her. Of course, Juan’s uncle recovered after this. These words of the Blessed Virgin should resound in the hearts of Christians today; We have a mother in the Blessed Virgin Mary. She is our most powerful intercessor. Run to her in your situations of need and crisis.
Blessing
Our Lady asked the worried Juan Diego, “Am I not here, I who am your mother?” In that question lies the answer: Don’t worry as far as you recognize me as your good mother, I am here. May she continue to be for us a great intercessor in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!