Thursday, December 09, 2010

Mary TV Daily Reflection 12/09/2010

Our Lady of Guadalupe mantle

 

December 9, 2010
Saint Juan Diego

Dear Family of Mary!

"Dear children, these are special times, and therefore I am with you to love and protect you, to protect your hearts from Satan, and to bring you all nearer to the heart of my Son Jesus." (June 25, 1993)

Today we remember and venerate a holy and very humble saint, Saint Juan Diego.  

Nearly 500 years ago, Our Lady appeared to Saint Juan Diego, and through his faithful witness, she was able to convert thousands upon thousands of native peoples in Mexico.  This mass evangelization changed everything for the New World!  It was indeed a special time.  

Our Lady picked Juan Diego because he was so humble and so faithful.  His biography speaks about his poverty and devotedness to the faith: 

"[Juan Diego] walked every Saturday and Sunday many miles to church, departing early morning, before dawn, to be on time for Mass and religious instruction classes. He walked on naked feet, as all the people of his class, the macehualli. Only the higher social classes of the Aztecs wore cactlis, or sandals, made with vegetal fibers or leather. He used to wear in those chilly mornings a coarse-woven cactus cloth as a mantle, a tilma or ayate made with fibers from the maguey cactus. Cotton was only used by the upper Aztec classes."  

(http://www.sancta.org/juandiego.html)

It is so touching to know that Saint Juan Diego was barefoot, and walked so far each week to attend Holy Mass.  His humility and poverty very much pleased Our Lady I think.  Yesterday, in a homily, I heard a story about Our Lady and humility that reminds me very much of Juan Diego.  It was said that a little girl, many years ago, at the age of 5 was receiving messages and instruction from Our Lady.  She asked a priest one day what it meant that Our Lady was the Immaculate Conception.  He told her all the proper theology about Our Lady; that she was preserved from original sin, and she remained sinless by a grace from God and that was why she had such power over Satan.  The little girl listened but then she said, "That's not what Our Lady told me."  The priest asked her what Our Lady had told her.  She replied, "Our Lady said that she was so very lowly, so small and insignificant, so humble, that she was the heal of the Body of Christ, and it is that heal that crushes Satan."  Well, that surely makes sense to me! Our Lady was so humble that she became the heal that crushes the enemy.  

And it also makes sense then, that Our Lady would pick someone as poor and insignificant as Juan Diego to defeat Satan in Mexico!  He became part of that heal with her, the heal that crushes the enemy!  What a dear, barefooted man!!

I see a parallel with Our Lady's choice of Juan Diego in Mexico and her choice of the six Medjugorje visionaries today.  These visionaries have always professed that they are not the best!  Our Lady told them she doesn't pick the best!  She chose them because they were small, insignificant, and also faithful and devoted.  And they have continued to witness to her coming through thick and thin for almost 30 years.  They are also part of that heal, I think!  And we can become part of it too, if we live her messages and grow in holiness!

Saint Juan Diego wore a very poor tilma made of cactus fibers to keep warm.  It was what poor people wore, but Our Lady chose that tilma to bear her miraculous image, an image that would convert millions!  She is hoping to place her image on our poor souls, very much like she did on that tilma!  She can do incredible miracles with very little!

May we learn from Saint Juan Diego to witness to the love of our Mother!  She will do the rest!

In Jesus and Mary!
Cathy Nolan

 

Posted via email from deaconjohn's posterous

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