It’s the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 3rd Class, with the color of White. In this episode: the meditation: “Jesus, Sign of Contradiction”, today’s news from the Church: “Pope Leo XIV in Lebanon: Encouraging the Troubled Land”, a preview of this week’s SSPX Podcast: “The Challenges of the Apostolate in Asia”, and today’s thought from the Archbishop.
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of the most tender and expansive moments in the Church’s year, because it speaks to the heart of God’s love for ordinary people. The story begins in December of 1531, when the Virgin Mary appeared to a humble Indigenous man named Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill outside Mexico City. She addressed him with warmth and familiarity, calling him her beloved son and asking that a church be built where she could show her compassion to all who sought her help. Juan Diego carried this message to the bishop, who understandably hesitated. After several visits, Mary gave Juan Diego the sign that would confirm her words: roses blooming in winter and the miraculous image impressed upon his tilma. When the flowers fell from the cloak, the image of the Virgin was revealed, serene and radiant, clothed in symbols that spoke directly to the hearts of the Indigenous peoples of the land.
The tilma still hangs in the basilica in Mexico City, an object of wonder not only for its beauty but for its endurance. The image has survived centuries of exposure, smoke from candles, earthquakes, and even an explosion in 1921. Scientists have long studied it, yet the simplicity of its message remains its greatest miracle. Our Lady came not to the powerful but to the poor. She spoke in Juan Diego’s own language. She appeared with features familiar to the people of the land. She revealed Christ through tenderness rather than command.
The impact of Guadalupe on the...
