Tuesday of the 2nd week of Advent

Today is the Feast of our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas.
The story of Juan Diego, a poor Aztec Indian, and the pregnant Mary requesting that a church be built on Tepeyac hill is today’s feast. The story of Mary asking Juan to relay the message to Bishop Juan de Zumarraga is a familiar one to most people today. The disbelief of the Bishop and the subsequent miracle of roses in December and to the wonder of all assembled, a perfect image of the Dark Virgin was revealed emblazoned on Juan Diego’s cloak as the roses tumbled to the floor.
As we once again commit ourselves to making room for God in our hearts and lives we can remember how God inserts God-self into human history. It is not through the arrogant, the self-righteous, the wealthy. It is through a poor girl from Nazareth. It is through a poor Indian, a recent convert. God comes to us through the poor or our own poverty. It is easy to overlook both the poor and our own poverty. As we move through this Advent season let us be open to God’s self-revelation within each of us.