Wednesday December 12
Introduction
On December 9, 1531, our Lady appeared to a young Indian convert, Juan Diego, in Tepeyac, Mexico, now part of Mexico City. On his cloak she left the impression of her image. This site became the most venerated place of pilgrimage for Latin America. Under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mary was declared the patroness of the Americas. Formerly a secondary patroness of the Philippines, this memorial of Mary has been reintroduced as a celebration for the Philippines because of the former strong links of the Philippine Church with the Mexican Church.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
Like you and your Son Jesus,
Mary cared for the poor and the humble,
to whom she herself belonged.
With the whole people of the Americas
we honor her today and ask you
through the intercession of Mary
to give us a deep respect and concern
for all that is poor and little
and to let us live in your caring hand.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Reading 1 ZEC 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.
The LORD will possess Judah as his portion in the holy land,
and he will again choose Jerusalem.
Silence, all mankind, in the presence of the LORD!
For he stirs forth from his holy dwelling.
Or
RV 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB
God's temple in heaven was opened,
and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.
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 and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
Then another sign appeared in the sky;
it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
and on its heads were seven diadems.
Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky
and hurled them down to the earth.
Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
to devour her child when she gave birth.
She gave birth to a son, a male child,
destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
Her child was caught up to God and his throne.
The woman herself fled into the desert
where she had a place prepared by God.
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
"Now have salvation and power come,
and the Kingdom of our God
and the authority of his Anointed."
Responsorial Psalm JUDITH 13:18BCDE, 19
R. (15:9d) You are the highest honor of our race.
Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God,
above all the women on earth;
and blessed be the LORD God,
the creator of heaven and earth.
R. You are the highest honor of our race.
Your deed of hope will never be forgotten
by those who tell of the might of God.
R. You are the highest honor of our race.
Alleluia
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;
from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel LK 1:26-38
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
"Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
"Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end."
But Mary said to the angel,
"How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?"
And the angel said to her in reply,
"The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God."
Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word."
Then the angel departed from her.
Or
LK 1:39-47
Mary set out
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
"Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled."
And Mary said:
"My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord;
my spirit rejoices in God my savior."
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, lover of all that is little,
we bring before you the humble gifts
of bread, the daily food of many,
and of a little wine, the token of joy.
With these let us join in the sacrifice of Jesus,
whose Mother we honor today
with all the people of the Americas.
Grant us this through Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Our loving God,
in this eucharist we honor the Blessed Virgin Mary,
who gave us your Son and Savior.
May we rejoice in the saving love of Jesus
and in the loving care of Mary.
May we be faithful to him
by doing deeds of justice and service
and praising you with songs of joy.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Commentary
It is a general human tendency that, when our friends and relatives lose out, we feel bad, but when they succeed, we feel worse. Envy is always just around the corner.
Fortunately, we do not find even a trace of it in the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth. Elizabeth had every reason to feel bad, if she was so inclined. After all, she was senior in age, belonged to the clan of Aaron, and was married to a priest who served God in the Holy of Holies. Moreover, both of them were righteous in the sight of God and observed all the commandments (Lk 1:5-6). By all human standards, she was worthy to be the mother of God. If she didn’t feel bad, it is because she was a woman filled with the Holy Spirit. It was the encounter of two women of God, and the baby John in the womb, all three of whom were bathed in the Holy Spirit. One sure sign of the presence of the Holy Spirit is the joy that permeates our being, and the existential inability to be envious. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth cries out in joy, little John leaps in the womb, Mary breaks into song.
Today is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. She chose to appear to a poor, simple farmer. Let us joyously celebrate God’s favor for the poor and the simple.