Reflection for December 12
In today’s gospel, Luke tells us how a young woman named Mary, at a time when she is dealing with her own surprising pregnancy, travels to Judea to visit her relative Elizabeth who herself, at an old age, finds herself pregnant. Mary, who could easily be absorbed with her own situation, reaches out to help her relative and remains with her for about three months, as we hear a little later in Luke.
Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who reportedly appeared four times to a peasant, Juan Diego, in request for a shrine to be built in her honor on that spot. When the bishop hesitated to act on this request, Mary appeared two more times, encouraging Juan Diego to continue trying. All this time, Juan Diego’s uncle, Juan Bernardino, was dying. Mary is also said to have appeared to him and restored him to health. Again, in the midst of her situation, she reaches out to someone in need.
What does this say to us? We often find ourselves in the midst of issues that are absorbing our time and efforts. Are we willing to put those aside and help someone else? Mary has shown us in both her own story and in her reaching out to Juan Diego how to do it.
In our world today there are many people in need: 1) can we recognize them, 2) are we aware of their needs, and 3) are we willing to help them no matter what we are going through in our own lives, and finally, in the midst of all this, can we like Mary proclaim “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior”?
Bev Brazauskas