Scripture Reflections for Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

“if Mary's body is the dwelling place of God on earth, if Mary's body is the true Ark of the Covenant then it's fitting that at the end of her life she would not, that body, that sacred ark, would not remain on earth in a human grave or a human tomb but that it would be taken up to its rightful place in the heavenly Holy of Holies in the heavenly Temple of God”

“we forget that Gabriel is standing by our side and we allow the fragility of our lives to say 'well, I don't know, Lord, let me get back to you'”

“Do not wait until all the conditions are perfect, do not allow what you cannot do to get in the way of what you can do. Begin with what you can do now, come as you are and let God take care of the rest.”

“Gabriel is roaming the world searching for another Mary, another person who is willing to say 'take this, this is my body'”

“The key to our succeeding in all that we do...is the presence of the Lord with us. When the Lord is with us then we can overcome every obstacle and that is what we celebrate as Christmas.”

“jubilation, exaltation, troubled, afraid, courage, awe, amazement, confusion, curiosity, assurance, feeling cared for by God, surrenderance, acceptance. That's a lot of emotions, that's a lot going on in just 12 verses”

“God comes to you and me as well and not quite the same as Mary but, nonetheless, true that God invites you and me to bring Jesus to the world. And ask us would we do this? Would we say ‘yes?’ And waits for our fiat. Waits for our ‘let it be done.’”

“What if God is waiting for you to say 'yes, I will bear Christ to the world'?”

“as the patroness of the Americas she reminds us not to be afraid even though our situations seem hopeless and that she is here accompanying us, rejoicing with us, hearing us into speech, encouraging our confrontations with the powerful, preparing a place where we might rest and rejoice in one another”

“we see time and time again average people being demanded to do the impossible, sometimes if not always, with only their faith but as we look around the world we see that sometimes it's people's faith that is the only tool at their disposal for change”

“Mary had encountered an angel and she didn't consider herself better or privileged in any way. Nor did she hesitate to leave her home to care for a family member in need.”

“the poor allow God to love, to love them more. The poor open up their hearts more. Perhaps that's why Jesus said 'how hard it is for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven.'”

“Our Lady doesn't just say words to us, she accompanies us...let us hear her words throughout this Advent season, be brave, be open, be loving, be courageous, be forgiving, be symbols of Christ in this world. When we do this Christ's Kingdom shines.”

“it's not about what you can do, it is about how much you can let God do through you. And remember with God all things are possible.”

“The ability to recognize the divine within each other and ourselves is a theme that is also present in the apparition story of La Virgen de Guadalupe whose feast we celebrate today”

“I have come to the conclusion that whenever I am presented with a new challenge I want to ask 'why me?' I need to change that and ask 'why not me?' So I ask you 'why not you?'”

“Don't we need that sometimes? The power of the Most High to come upon us and to overshadow us, all of our worries and fears...that you and I might be able to receive the grace, to be full of grace as was Mary”

“Sisters and brothers, in this solemnity of Our Lady of Guadalupe I invite you to allow as the Virgin did, that the love of God germinates in each one of us, emerge in our relationships, give strength and meaning in human history”