Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe(Click here for readings)
The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph... And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you."
Why is this day so special to so many people, especially to Latin Americans? Don't get me wrong. I know Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patron saint of the Americas. But what makes this day so popular, so successful, so remarkable?
Our Lady looks like me. While I worked in Mexico, I was considered the "gringo" priest. In fact, before I opened up my mouth and gave my Spanish accent away, the people knew I was a foreigner. How did they know? Was it a lucky guess? No. It was based on the fact that I was fair skinned.
When the Protestants came to America, for the most part they displaced the Native Americans. When the Catholic missionaries came to the Americas, the native Americans were accepted into their society. Today, throughout Mexico, you see the uniqueness and richness of both Spanish and native cultures mixed together. You can see this in their clothes, in their art, in their language, in their foods, and on their faces.
While in Mexico, I fell in love with all of the above, especially their faces. Their dark skin was so beautiful. What I didn't realize is that there was a tendency on some young people to use skin lighteners to make themselves look more "Spanish" than native.
What makes Our Lady of Guadalupe so appealing and so beautiful? She looks like a native. And for the vast majority of the people in the Americas, this means she looks like one of them: beautiful!
This is so important. In our modern society, retailers know the importance of having their clothes worn by famous people. Mary wore their clothes. She reflected their art and their language and their beauty. She validated their beauty and uniqueness!
And by doing so, she revealed God's beauty and uniqueness.
Our Lady of Guadalupe! The Lord is with you. Pray for us!
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