Homilies
Shrine Home

CHURCH OF THE FIFTH APPARITION
DECEMBER 11, 2001
Homily

he message of God’s mercy, which Our Lady of Guadalupe brought to our continent, is essentially connected to the respect for all human life from the moment of conception to the moment of natural death. Our Lady’s message is the Gospel, God dwelling with us as a shepherd, feeding His flock and carrying them in His arms, as foretold through the Prophet Isaiah. It is the Gospel of Life, of forgiveness of sins and of the eternal destiny of man, body and soul, which must be respected at all times. Our Lord Jesus tells us: “[I]t is no part of your Heavenly Father’s plan that a single one of these little ones shall ever come to grief.” (Gospel)
     The connection between Our Lady’s message and the respect for human life is seen, first of all, in the choice of Juan Diego as the messenger of Our Lady. He was a man of deep Catholic faith but was not of high state in the Church or in society. He was a native American who referred to himself as little. Among the Spanish explorers and settlers, the native Americans were wrongly thought to be of less than human dignity and not to merit the full respect due to a human person.
     During the second apparition, Juan Diego suggested to Our Lady that she entrust her mission to “one of the noblemen, someone who is esteemed, who is known, respected, honored.” (Nican Mopohua, p. 34) He referred to himself as “a man of the fields,” “like a beast of burden, like a tail, like a wing to be loaded with a burden.” (Ibid.) But Mary insisted that it was precisely he, in his lowliness, who was to carry out her mission. Eventually, Bishop Juan de Zumárraga, who recognized from the beginning Juan Diego’s goodness, also recognized his high mission as messenger of the Mother of America.

II. The essential connection of the message of divine mercy to the respect for all human life is also heard in the message itself. Our Lady announced, during the First Apparition, that she desired “a sacred little house” to be built on Tepeyac Hill, in which she would show forth God and His loving mercy “to all the people.” (Ibid., p. 8) She speaks specifically of those who cry out to her in their need, those afflicted with pains, miseries, sorrows and suffering. Through her “compassionate, merciful gaze,” God’s children would come to know the infinitely greater mercy of God in their lives, especially in times of temptation and trouble.

III. The connection is also seen in the result of the apparitions and the building of the Shrine. The horrible practice of human sacrifice among the native Americans was brought to an end as a remarkable number of the native Americans received the gift of faith and presented themselves for Baptism. The Spanish were evangelized regarding the equal human dignity of their native American brothers and sisters. How could they any longer question the respect owed to the native Americans when Our Lady had chosen Juan Diego to be her co-worker! The history of the pilgrimages to the Shrine over these past 470 years is the story of God’s merciful love reaching deeply into the hearts of pilgrims and of their going forth to show His mercy to others in invitation of Our Lady whom they encounter at her Shrine.

IV. The connection is seen, too, in the fact that our Blessed Mother appeared with Child. She appeared as the Mother of God, carrying the Divine Redeemer in her womb. What more eloquent testimony could there be to the equal human dignity of the unborn from the moment of conception! Who could look upon Our Lady of Guadalupe and have her look into his eyes, and ever consider the taking of the life of the unborn in the womb. God Himself took life in the womb of Mary at the moment of conception when Mary responded to the Archangel Gabriel’s message from God: “Let it be done to me as you say.” In that moment, God has revealed to every mother and father the profound joy of conceiving human life and the inviolability of the life conceived.

V. The connection is also seen in the Fifth Apparition, the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the dying uncle of Juan Diego, Juan Bernardino, during which our Blessed Mother both revealed her name as “the one who crushes the serpent,” and healed Juan Bernardino of his illness. In the encounter of Our Lady of Guadalupe with Juan Bernardino, we discover the dignity of those who are burdened because of years, illness or special needs, and the respect and care owed to them until the time of natural death.
     When Juan Diego was trying to avoid another meeting with Our Lady, in order to care for his ailing and dying uncle, Our Lady spoke these words to him, words directed to all who are burdened and to all who care for the burdened:
     Am I not here, I who am your mother? Are you not in my shadow, under my protection? Am I not the fountain of your joy? Are you not in the fold of my mantle, in my crossed arms? Is there anything else you need. (Ibid., p. 27)
     Mary’s words were confirmed through her apparition to Juan Bernardino. They are confirmed in her response to all who call upon her as Health of the Sick. The Mother of God gazes upon and cares for the weak and burdened with special love, for they participate in the sufferings of her own Son, in which she shared to the point of the mystical piercing of her own heart. In Mary’s apparition to Juan Bernardino we witness to the truth that the home or hospital in which we give care to the sick is, in the words of Pope Pius XII, the “Hotel de Dieu,” the “House of God.” (Pio XII, “A un gruppo di Chirurgi degli Stati Uniti,” in Discorsi ai Medici, Roma: Edizioni “Orizzonti Medico,” 1959, p. 487)

VI. Pilgrims to the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we not only hear her words to Blessed Juan Diego, but we are also called, with him, to be her messengers of divine mercy to the world. If we are horrified by the practice of human sacrifice and the lack of respect for the human dignity of the native Americans, how can we not be horrified by the culture of death, in which we live. The relentless attack on the life of the innocent and defenseless unborn is the most evil part of the culture of death. Now, the architects and agents of the culture of death tells us that the life of those burdened with advanced years, serious illness or special needs should be subjected to our judgment about the worthiness of their life and about the decision to end their life by our means.
     How necessary are the messengers of Our Lady of Guadalupe in a society and culture of death! Our pilgrimage to her Shrine offers us special grace to be her messengers, especially in what pertains to the respect for all human life without boundary or limitations. May our meeting with Our Lady of Guadalupe at her Shrine help us to see the face of her Son in all of our brothers and sisters, especially those who hold a special title to our compassionate gaze and loving care, the burdened and suffering. May it also lead us to pray for the transformation of our culture of death into a civilization of love, in which the merciful love of God the Father, announced anew by the Mother of God at Tepeyac Hill in 1531, is announced daily by our thoughts, our words and our actions. May it also lead us to see the teaching of the faith, the catechesis of adults, young people and children as the announcement of the Gospel of Life. How can a society so advanced in knowledge and technology be so completely undeveloped in respect for human life. We must announce the Gospel of Life in all its richness to all our brothers and sisters, so that, hearing the Gospel, they will believe, and, believing in the Gospel, they will put it into practice in their daily lives.

VII. As we are now united to Our Lord Jesus Christ in the mystery of the Redemptive Incarnation, in the mystery of His Suffering, Dying and Rising from the dead, by which we are freed of sin and freed for eternal life with Him, let us pray in a special way for the sick, for those who are heavily burdened, for the innocent and defenseless whose life is under attack, that Our Lord who sent the Mother of God to this house to bring His healing to Juan Bernardino, will grant to them healing, strength and consolation. Let us pray, too, for those who minister to them, that they may be with Our Lady of Guadalupe, messengers of divine mercy to those whom Our Lord cared for, healed and raised to life during His public ministry, those for whom He gave His life on Calvary. Let us pray, too, for the conversion of heart of all who are the architects and agents of the culture of death, that they may recognize the inviolable dignity of every human life, made in God’s own image, for whom God the Son Incarnate gave His life.

VIII. Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of God and Mother of all God’s children, instill in us a new enthusiasm and new energy to promote the respect of the life of all our brothers and sisters, especially those in most need. Intercede for us that we may be your messengers of God’s merciful love. May the unborn and those burdened with age or illness or special needs find in our words and actions the expression of the merciful love of God for them. Mary, Health of the Sick, pray for us.