PROCLAIM HIS GREATNESS: A JOURNEY WITH OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, celebrated on December 12, honors the Virgin Mary's apparitions to a humble indigenous man. His birth name, Cuauhtlatoatzin—meaning 'Talking Eagle'—aptly foreshadows his role as Mary's chosen voice and messenger. Around age 50, he embraced the Catholic faith, was baptized, and took the name Juan Diego. In 1531, at age 57, he miraculously encountered Our Lady on the hill of Tepeyac (present-day Mexico City).
Nearly 500 years later, the original tilma remains enshrined at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, where millions of pilgrims come to honor and thank Her. I recently traveled to Mexico City to thank the Virgen de Guadalupe for a life-changing encounter with Jesus during a Christus Ministries Caritas retreat. In meditation, He gifted me a spiritual heart transplant. Soon after, I was moved to forgive someone I had long struggled with. When Jesus asked how my new heart was, I realized its first act was forgiveness. Smiling and nodding, He said, 'Good, that's what hearts are made for.' Then, He revealed that my heart was custom-made for my future husband, igniting a renewed zeal to wait for him. Overwhelmed by His presence and grace, I knelt before the Lord with tears streaming and kissed His feet. Words can’t capture how deeply humbled I felt. Later, while in awe-filled prayer, the Virgen de Guadalupe shared that She facilitated this life-renewing encounter with Her son. With maternal tenderness, she instructed me to fulfill my 'manda,' which (in Mexican and Latin American Catholic tradition) is a devotional act of thanksgiving for a grace received.
I gratefully made my pilgrimage to Mexico City. Upon laying eyes on Our Lady, I was overcome by Her beauty. I imagine a previous version of myself before Her, praying for all my dreams, desires, and longings. However, at this moment, “Gracias" resounded from the depths of my soul. Any hope in my heart that had yet to be fulfilled faded into insignificance as I prayed the only words that mattered, "Thank You.” I repeated this genuinely and incessantly for hours for all the graces already received.
There’s no better model for us to praise God for His blessings and faithfulness than Mary herself, who sings a hymn of praise and gratitude for being chosen by God. She joyfully proclaims Her canticle, known as the Magnificat, when she visits Elizabeth. Upon hearing Mary's greeting, an expecting Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, exclaims, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” (Luke 1:42). Mary humbly responds, “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord” (Luke 1:46).
Today, how can you magnify the Lord, choose gratitude, and give glory and praise to His name?
Amanda Ramirez