Thursday, December 9, 2010

Juan Diego: readiness of faith


today we celebrate the feast of Blessed Juan Diego. The 57 year old Native Mexican to whom the Blessed virgin Mary appeared in 1531.

It was on the tilma od Juan Diegoe that the image of our Lady of Guadalupe was imprinted and thus remains today as an object of devotion in the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico city.

In order to understand Juan diego I thought we might go back to yesterday and revisit the openign prayer for the Mass:

"Mary had a faith that your spirit prepared and a love that never knew sin, for you kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Trace in our actions the lines of her love and in our hearts her readiness of faith. Prepare once again the world for your Son..."

Trace in our actions the lines of her love and in our hearts her readiness of faith."

Readiness of faith ...This is what Juan diego possessed. This is what we need as we journey forth...

Readiness of faith to respond to life rather than react to it.

To respond in faith simply means to recognize that we are always beneath the watchful gaze of GOd whose love moves the sun and the other stars as Dante put it in the close of his poem, Divine comedy, "l' amor che moveil sole e l' altre stelle."

When we respond to life rather than react we enter into this love and we allow it to move us regardless of the situation, circumstance that surrounds us.

when we react we try to take matters inot our own hands but when we respond we allow ourselves to be led.

These are the exact sentiments of Pope Benedict when asked about being elected Pope: "during my priestly ordination I placed myself into the hands of the bishop and ultimately of th eLord. I cannot pick and choose what I want. In the end, I must allow myself to be led...I am always in the Lord's hands, and I must be prepared for things that I do not want."


Again th eprayer for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception comes to us: trace in our actions the lines of her love and in our hearts her readiness of faith...

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