I saw her, and I wept.
In the summer of 2006, while I was studying the Spanish language in the city of Guanajuato, I traveled to Mexico City, and there, in the Shrine dedicated to her, I saw her, and I wept. I wept because when I gazed at her miraculous image, I knew that the mother of my Lord had come to me. In her and through her, we rejoice because in her and through her, we have come to know him in whom we find salvation. It is through the Virgin Mary that we have been able to receive the Lord Jesus Christ.
Tonight we are gathered together to honor the Virgin of Guadalupe because she has given to us the Eternal Son of the Eternal Father, and because she has called us her children.
When the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Saint Juan Diego, Our Lady gave him three things. Saint Juan Diego was given a message, he was given beautiful flowers, and he was given her image. The message was for the bishop and it was a request that a chapel be built on that site. The beautiful flowers were the miraculous proof that Our Lady provided with her request. And the image, her beautiful image, was imprinted forever on the cloak that he wore.
We have come here to this Church and to this celebration because we recognize that the Virgin of Guadalupe is the Mother of the Lord. The Virgin of Guadalupe is our Mother. The Holy Catholic Church is our Mother. We can never look anywhere else for such a loving mother. The message that we receive from Our Lady is that she wants a chapel built. Our Lady wants a chapel built in our hearts, in our homes, and in our lives. Our Lady wants a chapel for the honor and glory of her Son.
She wants us to build this chapel with the food we receive when we assist every Sunday at the celebration of the Holy Mass. She wants us to build this chapel in your homes through the Sacrament of Marriage. She wants to build this chapel through the constant and consistent education of your children in our Holy Catholic Faith. She wants to build this chapel in our lives as we imitate the love and the compassion of her Son who is Christ and Lord.
Today we bring her flowers, and we gently place them before her. Today, we give the Blessed Virgin Mary the prayers of her holy rosary. In our meditation on the mysteries of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, in the company of the Blessed Virgin, we speak to her, and we come to know him.
Today, we receive the gift of her image. The image of Our Lady is given to us so that we may remember her love for us. The image of Our Lady is given to us so that the image of the Lord Jesus may be seen in us. Our Lady of Guadalupe invites each of us to live our lives as reminders of her love for all people. When we reflect the love of Our Lady of Guadalupe, then we share the love of Jesus Christ.
As the Lord Jesus invites us to his altar and to celebrate the mystery of the Lord’s love present to us in the Eucharist, we commit ourselves to the Virgin of Guadalupe and to our holy Catholic Faith. We receive the request of Our Lady and we build the Chapel that she desires in our hearts, our homes, and our lives. And we carry her image within us, and around us, so that we may reveal the image of the Lord Jesus.
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