Wings or Freedom?
Lessons from Our Lady of Guadalupe
A few decades ago I made a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
For three or four days I prayed, walked, climbed Tepeyac, lit candles, and knelt on a conveyor belt before the miraculous image of Our Lady. During those three days, thousands upon thousands of people made pilgrimage, many moving on their knees through the massive courtyard toward the sanctuary.
It left a mark on me.
Today I offer some thoughts on St. Juan Diego--the peasant behind the tilma.
Juan Diego was ordinary. He was simply going about his business--caring for a family member who was sick. To say Juan was poor is an understatement but it wasn’t his poverty that marked him. No, it was his acceptance his life.
He accepted his situation in life. He surrendered to the reality into which he was born. Surrounded by a world view that involved the slaughter of thousands in the name of paganism--he simply was walking through the wilderness to go about the care of a sick and dying family member.
He was doing the work of faith. He wasn’t seeking popularity, followers, or drawing attention to himself.
His act of charity was pure. That’s when God acts in the heart. He was the anawim entrusted as an instrument of God’s grace through Mary’s intercession.
He was a ‘David spirit’--up against the ‘Goliath Church’ sent to convince the powerful to turn, repent, believe, and live a life of charity, forgiveness and faith. The rest is history. However, as history since those days have shown, Paganism abounds--world views of selfishness have become the norm not only in the world but the church. But, maybe there is another ‘Juan’ right now, making that walk through the barren wilderness, on their way to live another act of pure charity...
It could be you.
And while their may be no outward sign of an image of Our Lady, there may be an image burned onto your soul marking you, feeding you, helping you, being with you. And, in the end isn’t that what we want? To know and feel that God is with us in the daily work of life?
So, today and in the days to come, in the spirit of Our Lady of Guadalupe--do acts of charity with a pure heart.