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Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Zechariah 2:14-17 or Revelation 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB
Judith 13:18BCDE, 19
Luke 1:26-38 or 1:39-47
Summary
The Book of Revelation 12:1-6A recalls the struggle of the Heavenly
Woman,
pregnant with Child pursued by the antagonistic dragon in the sky
who hopes to devour the child.The child is referred to in Messianic
terms thus indicating this is Jesus and his Mother is Mary.The Child is
taken up to Heaven and the Woman is protected by God in the wil-
derness.The dragon, we learn later in The Book of Revelation, is de-
feated.
Reflection
What an iconic text for us to reflect upon the very year a representa-
tion of theVirgin of Guadalupe is welcomed into our Church sanctu-
ary.The woman of Revelation 12:1-6A, described as standing on the
moon, clothed in the sun, with a crown of twelve stars upon her head
is the literary template for which all subsequent artistic representa-
tions rely—including the miraculous representation found today in
Mexico City.This Biblical foundation ties the Guadalupan event with
all other miraculous manifestations of our Blessed Mother through-
out Christian history (e.g. Lourdes, Fatima). She is the Mother of Our
Lord, the Messiah—Jesus Christ. She is the Mother of our Church. She
is Our Mother. Her message throughout Christian history has been
one of compassion and intercession on behalf her children.
As we reflect today on this Feast of the
BlessedVirgin Guadalupe, think back to
her message to the recently beatified and
humble servant Saint Juan Diego to
whom she miraculously appeared on De-
cember 9-12, 1531:“Am I not here, who is