Oh, How She Loves Us!

Star of the New Evangelization. Empress of the Americas. Patroness of the Unborn.

Yes, Our Lady of Guadalupe might be more important today than ever before.

We celebrate her feast on Dec. 12, four days after the feast of Mary's Immaculate Conception and three days after the feast of St. Juan Diego, the visionary who saw Our Lady in Mexico all those centuries ago and whose tilma, or cloak, miraculously took on the famous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that is still venerated today.

She came down from heaven to claim the Americas for her Son, and has not abandoned us since. The pilgrims who make the journey to the Basilica where her image is housed have reported countless miracles through her intercession. The Lady of Guadalupe said during her apparitions, "Am I not here, I, who am your mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the folds of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else you need?"

She has remained our mother, the source of our joy, "our life, our sweetness, and our hope" down through the years to the present day, and will remain so into eternity, for through her, Christ enters the world. Grace passes into creation through Jesus, and Jesus enters into creation through Mary. Jesus entered the hearts of millions of Native Americans through Our Lady of Guadalupe's apparitions. Millions heard the story of the apparitions, came to see the tilma with the miraculous image, believed, and were baptized.

May it be so again in our present day.

Let us ask Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Star of the New Evangelization, to intercede for us all that we might become faithful, fervent, and well-prepared evangelizers to those around us, witnessing to the truth in love.

Let us ask Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Empress of the Americas, to intercede for all of us in the New World that we might grow in holiness, alleviate the sufferings of our neighbors, and cooperate with God's grace to bring into being the civilization of love founded on truth, justice, and peace.

Let us ask Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Unborn, to crush the head of the serpent who leads mothers to destroy their children and healthcare professionals to deal in death rather than medicine, and to pray for all those harmed by the scourge of abortion in any way.

Let us ask Our Lady of Guadalupe, God's mother and our own, for all that we need, so that this Advent season, she may be the cause of our joy.

If you consecrated to Jesus through Mary or completed the Consoling the Heart of Jesus retreat, we'd love to hear your story. Please take a moment and share your journey below. If you have pictures, we'd love to see them, too. Just email them to HAPP@Marian.org!

MOGBK

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