MERCIFUL MOTHER

Memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Mt 18:12-14

When the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Juan Diego in the hills of Tepeyac in Guadalupe, Mexico on December 12, 1531, she spoke thus to him:

“I am your merciful mother, the mother of all who live united in this land,
and of all mankind, of all those who love me, of those who cry to me,
of those who have confidence in me. Here I will hear their weeping
and their sorrows, and will remedy and alleviate their sufferings,
necessities and misfortunes…. Do not be troubled or weighed down with grief.
Do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here
who am your mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection?
Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle?
In the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else you need?”

Our Lady of Guadalupe is not only the Mother of Mercy. She is our Merciful Mother.

As the readings today, Tuesday in the Second Week of Advent, invite us to return to the mercy of Lord, may the maternal love of Our Lady of Guadalupe convince us even more that the Lord cares for us. He waits for our coming even as we wait for His. As it was the Blessed Mother who brought Jesus to us on the first Christmas day, she is also the same mother who can bring us to Jesus everyday.

Moreover, any devotion should make the devotee become more and more like the subject of his devotion. Thus, because Our Lady of Guadalupe is our Merciful Mother, our devotion to her must make us even more merciful to one another. Otherwise, ours is not a true devotion.

We are in the folds of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s mantle. We are ever in the crossing of her arms. There is nothing else we need. In the loving embrace of our Merciful Mother, we shall find the consolation that the Prophet Isaiah says and the joy that Matthew describes in the Gospel today. By imitating the same embrace, let us give consolation and joy to others.