Daily Gospel Reflection
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December 12, 2024
The angel Gabriel was sent from God
to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph,
of the house of David,
and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And coming to her, he said,
“Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you.”
But she was greatly troubled at what was said
and pondered what sort of greeting this might be.
Then the angel said to her,
“Do not be afraid, Mary,
for you have found favor with God.
Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son,
and you shall name him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High,
and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father,
and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever,
and of his Kingdom there will be no end.”
But Mary said to the angel,
“How can this be,
since I have no relations with a man?”
And the angel said to her in reply,
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.
Therefore the child to be born
will be called holy, the Son of God.
And behold, Elizabeth, your relative,
has also conceived a son in her old age,
and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren;
for nothing will be impossible for God.”
Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord.
May it be done to me according to your word.”
Then the angel departed from her.
As a first-generation college student from the high deserts of New Mexico, I remember very few times in life when I felt more unsure of myself than in the weeks just before finals of my freshman year at Notre Dame. The days were so short, and it was so cold. I had so many exams to prepare for! I was unsure whether I could continue as a pre-med major. Going home to celebrate Christmas with my family seemed like a faraway dream.
I was part of Coro Primavera de Nuestra Señora, Notre Dame’s Spanish choir, and the only thing I made time for other than studying was practicing for Mass on the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
First, we sang a familiar tune as the entrance procession began. Through the middle aisle and from the sides, beautiful banners with color ribbons made their way to the front of the church with images of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The guitars strummed, the dumbs beat, and the voices sang.
Then, for the responsorial song, a sophomore student sang in perfect English and Spanish: “Harken O! Daughter! Turn now and listen.” It was as if she was singing to me. Strength, power, and profound faith — all rooted in the tradition of honoring Mary through my culture. The message on this cold South Bend evening in 1996 was one of encouragement and belonging.
In today’s gospel, the Angel Gabriel reassured Mary by saying, “Be not afraid.” From that point forward, she took on the immense responsibility with which God entrusted her with grace. And over the centuries, Mary has shared this courage and strength with people who were vulnerable and afraid across the globe.
This was the same message La Virgen gave to Juan Diego.”You belong, I love you, and God loves you.” It is the same message we must give to our brothers and sisters who find themselves in need. La Virgen is our reminder to welcome with open arms those who are afraid and in need of hope, warmth, and love.
Prayer
Almighty and ever-living God, Mary found favor with you, and you chose her to bear your saving promise. She questioned, “How?” and was told nothing is impossible for the power of the Most High. When we are troubled and question amid our doubts or fears, may your grace abound, stirring the hope that moves us, too, to declare “Thy will be done.” We ask this through Jesus, your Word made flesh, who is Lord forever and ever. Amen.
Saint of the Day
In December of 1531, a poor native Aztec Indian named Juan Diego was walking through the hills outside of Mexico City on his way to Mass. He heard sweet music and a woman’s voice calling his name from a hill called Tepeyac.
Juan Diego climbed the hill and found a woman who looked like she was also Aztec and dressed in traditional Aztec clothing. She identified herself as the Virgin Mary and instructed Juan Diego to tell his bishop to build a shrine on Tepeyac hill to encourage faithfulness in the people of Mexico City.
When he heard Juan Diego's request, the bishop was skeptical and asked for a sign. When Juan Diego went back and gave this message to Mary, she told him to go to the top of Tepeyac hill and pick the roses he would find there. Juan Diego gathered the roses in his tilma, a cloak-like a poncho, and Mary arranged the flowers and told him to take them to the bishop.
When Juan showed the bishop the roses, they saw that an image of Mary was left upon Juan’s cloak. The bishop was immediately convinced and built a shrine on Tepeyac. Soon, some 8 million people had come to the faith because of Mary’s apparition.
Juan Diego’s tilma was framed and kept in the shrine. It was made of a rough material from cactus and should have decayed within a few decades, but 500 years later is still an object of wonder for millions of pilgrims today. (Recent analyses have revealed that recorded in the image of Mary's iris there are small images of Juan Diego himself, which further indicates its supernatural origin.)
Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared patroness of the Americas. And, as, in the image of Guadalupe, she is portrayed as an expectant mother (her pregnancy is indicated by the high-waisted black sash) she is depicted as pregnant with Jesus, she is also the patron of the Right to Life movement. (For a short reflection on the placement of this feast during the Advent season, read this essay from theology professor and Guadalupe scholar Maxwell Johnson here.)
This feast day is celebrated on Notre Dame's campus with a vibrant Mass in the Basilica led by the Spanish-language student choir. A number of images of Our Lady of Guadalupe are presented on campus—the most recent shown below was painted along St. Joseph Lake by artist Bea Bradley.
Our featured image for the day can be found in a side chapel in the Basilica of the Sacred Heart and is brought out for veneration annually for the Guadalupe Mass. It was painted by Maria Tomasula, professor of painting in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design. In the video below, Director of the Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, Dr. Joseph Becherer, explains two different paintings of Our Lady of Guadalupe: a piece from 18th century in the Raclin Murphy collection and Tomasula piece in the basilica.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and of the Right to Life movement—pray for us!
View and personalize a card with a prayer to of Our Lady of Guadalupe here on FaithND.
Image Credit: Maria Tomasula, Virgin of Guadalupe, 2008, Oil on board. Raclin Murphy Museum of Art, University of Notre Dame. Pat and Robert Kill Family Endowment for Excellence for Latin American Art, 2009.001. ©Maria Tomasula, 2020