We celebrate two feasts this week that are intimately linked and important to our parish community – the Feasts of St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin and Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Mexico had been conquered by Catholic Spain in the early 16 ^th Century and the Spaniards were zealous in converting the indigenous persons to Catholicism. Juan Diego (whose original name was Cuauhtlatoatzin) was believed to be one of the first persons to embrace the Catholic faith along with his wife. When Mary appeared to him in December of 1531, Mary did not appear to him as a Spaniard. Instead, she appeared as an indigenous “campesina”- a woman of brown skin who spoke to Juan Diego in his native tongue. The local bishop was very skeptical of this alleged appearance by Mary, but when Juan Diego returned to the bishop a second time he came armed with a miracle provided through Mary’s intercession. From his cloak fell an abundance of roses (which ought not to have been in season) and on his cloak the Virgin had impressed her image. A copy of this famous image is featured prominently in our church.
In choosing to appear to an indigenous person as an indigenous person speaking the indigenous language, Mary reminds us that our God has a profound concern for the poor, the powerless and the oppressed. Recently, Mexican immigrants have been the target of unspeakable vitriol that should offend us all. Our Mexican brothers and sisters have come to this country and worked hard to establish stable lives here. They have contributed to our economy, to our communities and to our Church. As they celebrate these feasts in our church, they can experience the consolation that their God is powerfully present with them through the Mother of God, the Virgin Mary. These feasts invite all of us to reflect on our own solidarity with the poor and the oppressed. How do we work to create a society and a world that is more just, that is, a society in which we recognize our responsibility for the well-being of all of our brothers and sisters in God?
Fr. Mark Hallinan, S.J.