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MASS AT THE TOMB OF BLESSED MIGUEL PRO, S.J.
HOLY FAMILY CHURCH, MEXICO CITY
DECEMBER 10, 2001
Homily
t is most fitting that we begin our pilgrimage to the Shrine of
Our Lady of Guadalupe by making a little pilgrimage to the tomb
of Blessed Father Miguel Agustín Pro, priest and martyr,
who entrusted himself to the protection of the Virgin of Guadalupe
and strove to be, with her, the faithful messenger of God’s
infinite mercy.
The life of Father Pro, from his
earliest years, was sustained by a profound devotion to Our Lady
of Guadalupe, first on the part of his good parents and then on
his own part. When he was very small, he suffered from a food
poisoning which threatened to take his life. When it seemed only
a matter of time until his death, his father lifted up-before
the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe-the unresponsive body of his
small son, praying desperately, “My Mother, give me back
by son.” (Ann Ball, Blessed Miguel Pro: 20th Century
Mexican Martyr, Rockford: Tan Books and Publishers, Inc.,
1996, p. 3) The immediate physical reaction of the baby marked
the beginning of a rapid and miraculous recovery.
Also, at the end of his life, Father
Pro gave witness to his lifelong devotion to the Mother of America.
His brother Roberto and he were arrested because of the practice
of their Catholic faith under the cruel persecution of the Catholic
Church in this beloved nation of Mexico from 1890 to 1940. Thrown
in prison to await execution, they adorned the walls of their
death cell with their favorite exclamations of love of the Redeemer
and His sinless Mother: Long live Christ the King! (Viva Cristo
Rey!) Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe! (Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!)
(Ibid., p. 76) Surely, Our Lady of Guadalupe assisted this dearest
son as he gave his life for Christ on November 23, 1927, crying
out in prayer before the firing squad: Viva Christo Rey!
II. The pouring out of Father Pro’s life
in fidelity to Christ is the ultimate witness to the Kingship
of Christ in his life, to which Our Lady of Guadalupe was constantly
leading him. His entire priestly life and ministry was given in
service of Christ the King, in order that Christ’s gentle
reign of self-sacrificing love might extend to the minds and hearts
of all whom God had called him to serve.
Father Pro understood that Christ the King rules from His pierced
Sacred Heart. The victory of divine truth and love was consummated
when the Roman soldier pierced the Heart of Jesus, from which
the water and blood of His life poured out, symbolizing the faithful
gift of His life to us in the Church, His Mystical Body, born
from His wounded side, that same pierced Heart. In imitation of
Christ, Father Pro poured out his life blood for Christ and the
Church when his heart was pierced by the bullets of the firing
squad. The total oblation of Father Pro’s life was the consummation
of the daily oblation of his priestly ministry. Especially during
the time of the persecution, when so many were arrested and executed
for teaching the Catholic faith, celebrating secret Masses and
hearing confessions, and practicing their faith openly, Father
Pro put his considerable talents, especially his joy and good
humor, at the service of Christ and the Church. He continued to
celebrate the Mass for the people and to hear their confessions
in whatever home he could. He taught the faith in the homes of
the devout Catholic families who were hungering for a deeper knowledge
of Christ. He went about gathering food and clothing for those
in need.
In all of his priestly activities,
in the giving over of his entire life to the reign of Christ the
King, Father Pro was inspired and assisted by the Virgin of Guadalupe,
whom God has granted to us of the American continent to call Mother
by a special title because of her apparition here in 1531. In
the five apparitions which took place during these very days,
December 9th to 12th, the Virgin Mary, appearing as the Mother
of God, proclaimed the message of God’s infinite mercy toward
all His children in America.
The Shrine which she requested to
be built had one only purpose, that she might always manifest
the mercy of God which comes to us in the Divine Child conceived
in her womb, Who is indeed Christ the King by the offering up
of His life on Calvary. Our Blessed Mother, as always, leads us
to Christ who bestows upon us, without limit, God’s merciful
love.
III. Through the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe
and the priestly ministry of her faithful son, Blessed Miguel
Pro, the children of America have seen the glory of the Lord,
the splendor of God in their midst: Jesus Christ, alive for us
in the Church. (Reading I) Even as the coming of God into our
midst to save us was accomplished by the Redemptive Incarnation
of the Divine Son of God, who is also Son of Mary, so God’s
saving presence, in Christ, continues in the Church.
Through our pilgrimage, Our Lady
of Guadalupe desires to lead us to a deeper knowledge of God’s
mercy in our lives, to a deeper knowledge of Christ, the mercy
of God incarnate for us. We come on pilgrimage with the faith
of the paralytic in today’s Gospel. With him, we can be
confident that our encounter with Christ will bring the forgiveness
of our sins and the healing of our souls.
During these days of pilgrimage,
bring your entire life to the Mother of God, the Virgin of Guadalupe,
so that she may lead you to give your entire life over to the
reign of her Son, Christ the King. Through prayer, a good confession
and daily participation in the Holy Mass, Mary will lead you to
place all your trust in God and His mercy. Bring all the joys
and sorrows of your life to Christ through Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe,
so that you may know the joy and peace of His gentle reign of
self-sacrificing love in your daily living, so that you may experience
the forgiveness of your sins and the healing of your soul.
IV. Throughout this time, remember that you
are on pilgrimage, that you have come away from your home and
familiar surroundings in order to journey to a sacred place, a
place which God has favored with special graces. Concentrate your
attention on the journey and on the grace of divine mercy given
at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
It will not be easy. The journey to an unfamiliar place presents
its own challenges and distractions. Many pilgrims have joined
us on the journey, both in our own pilgrimage group and in the
many pilgrim groups we will encounter at the Shrine. The differences
of each pilgrim can also be a distraction and even challenge our
patience. Remember, too, that when we set out on a holy journey,
Satan strives to keep us from our goal, a deeper devotion to our
Blessed Mother, and the fuller reign of Christ the King in our
lives. Call upon Our Lady frequently throughout these days, entrust
our pilgrimage into her hands, so that Christ the King may pour
out upon us the grace of God’s mercy, the grace of His self-sacrificing
love. Call, too, upon the intercession of Blessed Miguel Pro,
so that the Virgin of Guadalupe, to whom he entrusted his life,
may lead us in these days to Christ the King.
V. Christ the King now comes to us under the
humble species of bread and wine, truly His Body and Blood. May
the substantial food of the Body and Blood of Christ sustain and
heal us in our service of Him, our King. May Mary, His Mother,
lead us to Him and to His service. Then, each day we can proclaim
in prayer, with Blessed Miguel Pro, “Long live Christ the
King. Long live the Virgin of Guadalupe.”
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