Our Lady of Guadalupe - Ornaments of Grace | Zechariah

Today's Ornament of Grace for Tuesday of the Second Week of Advent is Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Zechariah 2:14-17
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they shall be his people, and he will dwell among you, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you.

Today is surely a day to sing and rejoice – and maybe even dance! This is a time for celebration, for we know that the Lord does dwell with us. Realizing this, even in a very small way, should bring us deep joy and true excitement.

Before the Incarnation, God’s Chosen Ones waited in expectation while the prophets offered them hope. One choice for today’s reading is from Zechariah. It explains that God is about to do something totally unexpected and wonderful for all nations. People then did not have the gift of knowing how Jesus came to live with us. Today we may know it in our minds, but we might need someone to help us open our hearts to such a wonder. Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast we celebrate, might just be the perfect someone to help us because she loves us so much.

This is a true, familiar story to many. Briefly, Juan Diego, an indigenous man in what is now Mexico, had a vision of Our Lady on this day in 1531. She directed Juan Diego to tell the bishop to build a church at the site of her appearance so that all would know that she, the Mother of God, was their mother too. The bishop needed to be sure of the apparition, so he asked Juan for a sign from heaven as proof. When Juan asked Mary for the sign, she told him to gather roses from a rocky, wintry hillside. He did so. Then he went to the bishop, opened his cloak, and the roses fell out. Greater still was the image of Our Lady imprinted on Juan Diego’s cloak.

If you have the good fortune to have a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe, you see her eyes are cast down in humility. Juan Diego would easily have recognized her beautiful dark skin and hair as one of his own people. She is looking lovingly at her beloved child. Around her waist is a band indigenous women wore when pregnant. On her loose cloak or mantle are stars. These 46 stars represent the constellations visible over Mexico on Dec 12, 1531. While we cannot see the sun because Our Lady’s image blocks it from our view, it is surely present, as the rays emanate from behind her. She stands on the moon. The picture might remind us of a passage from the Book of Revelation: “A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child…”.

The best news is that Our Lady of Guadalupe promised all who come to her that she would hear and answer them, for she is our mother and loves us as her children.

OBSERVING THE BEAUTIFUL ORNAMENTS

What in the story or in the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe draws you to prayer?

#guadalupejubileo #ourladyofguadalupe #catholic #hearttoheart #frmichael