Our Lady of Guadalupe
Memorial
Other Celebrations for this Day:
Introduction
On December 9, 1531, our Lady appeared to a young Indian convert, Juan Diego, in Tepeyac, Mexico, now part of Mexico City. On his cloak she left the impression of her image. This site became the most venerated place of pilgrimage for Latin America. Under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mary was declared the patroness of the Americas. Formerly a secondary patroness of the Philippines, this memorial of Mary has been reintroduced as a celebration for the Philippines because of the former strong links of the Philippine Church with the Mexican Church.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
Like you and your Son Jesus,
Mary cared for the poor and the humble,
to whom she herself belonged.
With the whole people of the Americas
we honor her today and ask you
through the intercession of Mary
to give us a deep respect and concern
for all that is poor and little
and to let us live in your caring hand.
We ask you this through Christ our Lord.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (15:9d) You are the highest honor of our race.
Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God,
above all the women on earth;
and blessed be the LORD God,
the creator of heaven and earth.
R. You are the highest honor of our race.
Your deed of hope will never be forgotten
by those who tell of the might of God.
R. You are the highest honor of our race.
Alleluia Verse
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are you, holy Virgin Mary, deserving of all praise;
from you rose the sun of justice, Christ our God.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth. He was sent
to a virgin who was betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the family of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
The angel came to her and said:
“Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”
Mary was confused by these words, wondering what this greeting could mean.
But the angel said:
“Do not fear, Mary, for God has looked kindly on you.
You will conceive and give birth to a son; and you shall call him Jesus.
He will be great, and he will rightly be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of David, his ancestor; he will rule over the people of Jacob forever;
and his reign will have no end.”
Then Mary asked the angel:
“How can this be since I am a virgin?”
And the angel said to her:
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the holy child to be born of you will be called Son of God.
Even your relative, Elizabeth, is expecting a son in her old age, though she was unable to have children, and she is now in her sixth month.
With God, nothing is impossible.”
Then Mary said:
“I am the handmaid of the Lord; may it be done to me as you have said.”
And the angel left her.
Prayers of the Faithful
– That the Church may be compassionate and patient with people who err, as God is compassionate to us, we pray:
– That we may bring joy and comfort to one another, as God has brought us joy and comfort in Christ, we pray:
– That we may not condemn people who commit mistakes or hurt us, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord, our God, merciful Father,
you are always near to us
through your Son, Jesus Christ.
In these signs of bread and wine,
we celebrate his living presence.
Through him, speak to our hearts,
reassure us that we are precious to you,
even though we are the sinners,
and begin with us your new era
of merciful love and joy.
Grant us this through Christ, our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, shepherd of people,
in this Eucharist, you have let us experience
that you want to be close to us
through our Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ.
Help us to be shepherds to one another,
sinners responsible for their fellow sinners,
taking one another as we are,
because you take us as we are,
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Blessing
We thank God that he still cared for us when we sinned. With him, we care also for people who go astray. May Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
REFLECTIONS
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
A Mother’s Call to Renewed Faith and Hope
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe reminds us that God’s providence never ceases. Through Mary, He manifests His tenderness and mercy in moments of great need, revealing His deep care for humanity. As Saint Paul writes in Galatians 4:4, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman.” Through Mary, the Eternal One entered our world, becoming "God-with-us" to walk alongside us in love and solidarity.
Nearly five centuries ago, in a time of upheaval in the Americas, God sent Mary to Tepeyac as the Mother of the “true God for whom we live.” She came not to exclude but to embrace all people, especially the poor and forgotten, with her motherly presence and consolation. Her apparition to Saint Juan Diego transformed a fractured world into fertile ground for the Gospel. Through her tender care, she brought dignity and hope to the oppressed.
Today, as we face the rumblings of war, injustice, and suffering, Mary continues to set out "in haste," inviting us to trust in her Son and to abandon fear and indifference. She calls us to fraternity, urging us to reach out to the forgotten and discarded in our communities. Like Mary, we are called to act swiftly, with love and courage, to embody the Gospel.
As we journey toward the fifth centennial of the Guadalupean apparition, let us renew our commitment to Christ through Our Lady of Guadalupe. She desires to stay with us, guide us in becoming credible witnesses of Christ’s love, and build a culture of care and inclusion.
May Our Lady of Guadalupe lead us to her Son, that we may live with joy, hope, and peace, proclaiming: “Maranathá! Come, Lord Jesus!”
Our Lady of Guadalupe
1. Juan Diego. Mary didn’t appear to the Cardinal, nor to the Bishop of Mexico. She appeared to a simple peasant who got up every day to go to work, who had a sick relative, who struggled every day and even felt that he was part of that divided society, between Spaniards and indigenous people. That Juan Diego might be you, a working person, with plenty of worries in a society that troubles you. Mary’s apparition to Juan Diego teaches us that God looks for simple hearts and that His work is shown in those who we least imagine, so much so that not even the bishop believed Juan Diego. This must lead us to value every single person who walks alongside us, because God works in whom He wants and when He wants.
2. Tenderness. What moves me most about this devotion is the tenderness with which Mary treats Juan Diego. It’s that tenderness that heals and gives confidence. Nowadays we live in a world that lacks tenderness; we have become hard people; we live in a heartless society and even the Church seems insensitive many times. Ask yourself if you are being very hard on those around you, ask yourself if you are showing tender gestures towards those who are with you. May Mary help us to be more tender and closer to all those around us.
3. The cloak. Mary appears pregnant when she comes to Juan Diego. In her womb there’s a tiny baby that has a heart that beats strong. Mary carries the greatest thing in the world: God Himself. Her eyes show a tender look, to such a degree that the image of Juan Diego’s face remains in her pupils, because Mary looks at you as your Mother, and for her you are unique, you are her son or her daughter. Her countenance is typical of the indigenous people Juan Diego belonged to because Mary comes close to the culture of her people, because she walks along with us, and she comforts us along the way. Mary takes care of us.