Today (12 December) is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Way back in the 16^th century, native peasant Juan Diego encountered a vision of Mary on a hill near his village in Mexico. Our Lady was dressed in native attire and spoke to him in his local language.

Virgen de Guadalupe, Luis Berrueco (painting @ VMFA)

When the Spanish bishop in Mexico City asked for a sign, Our Lady of Guadalupe provided out-of-season December roses for Juan Diego on the hilltop. As Juan opened his tunic carrying the roses for the bishop in Mexico City, Our Lady’s image in native attire was imprinted on his tunic. This led to millions of native Indians coming to faith in the Americas with the equalizer message (a bit revolutionary at that time to the Spanish colonizers) that God loves ALL people!

A message still relevant for our times. Here’s a thought along those lines from a favorite spiritual writer:

“To pray, that is to listen to the voice of the One Who calls us His ‘Beloved,’ is to learn that voice excludes no one. Where I dwell, God dwells with me, and where God dwells with me I find all my sisters and brothers.”  Henri Nouwen

As we discover all our brothers and sisters, what to do?

“How much we can learn from Our Lady. She was so humble because she was all for God. She was full of grace and she made use of the almighty power that was in her – the grace of God…

Our Lady was the most wonderful wire. She allowed God to fill her to the brim, so by her surrender, ‘Be it unto me according to thy word,’ she became full of grace which she went to pass on. Let us ask God to use us now to go round the world and continue connecting the wires of hearts to the current, Jesus.”   Mother Teresa (St. Teresa of Calcutta)

Guess our challenge is to make this a ‘Wired- Wednesday’ in Advent, then try for that wired-to-Jesus thing each & every day – like roses in December emanating the fragrance of His love.

How cool is that? Roses in December!

grace, peace & wired-roses

Virginia : )