Vatican City, 14 February 2016 (VIS) –
Yesterday the Pope concluded his first full day in Mexico by
celebrating Holy Mass in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the
principal sanctuary in Mexico and the largest Marian shrine in the
world, which receives more than twenty million pilgrims each year.
According to tradition, it arose following the five apparitions of
the Virgin – between 9 and 12 December 1531 – to the Indian Juan
Diego who, with his uncle Juan Bernardino, was one of the first
native converts to Christianity in 1521. The name "Guadalupe"
is derived from the Indian word Coatlaxopeuh (Conquerer of the
snake). The Virgin of Guadalupe was declared Patroness of Mexico in
1737, Patron and Empress of the Americas in 1910, and of the
Philippines in 1935. For this reason at the Basilica the 24 flags of
the American countries and the Philippines are raised.
In the sanctuary the miraculous
venerated image of the Virgin is visible on the "tilma", a
cactus-fibre cloak of Juan Diego, whose symbolism is highly
significant. Light and flames radiate from the womb of Mary: she is
the mother of the Sun Child. The features of the face of the Virgin
are neither Spanish nor Indian, but mixed. Her feet rest on the moon
and her left leg, flexed, indicates the way (pilgrimage) and the
dance (feast in pre-Columbian cultures). Her pink gown is decorated
with strange overlapping flowers; one of the smallest with four
petals is located in her womb representing for indigenous cultures
the divine presence, the origin of life. She also carries a pendant,
a cross, which in Mesoamerican indigenous cultures had the same
meaning as the flower: fullness and immortality, which for Christians
is translated into sign of redemption. Her blue-green mantel is the
colour of jade and turquoise, symbols of royalty and virginity; it is
full of stars whose distribution is not accidental: it is the map of
the sky in winter 1521, year of the Marian apparitions.
The present-day Basilica, known as the
"New Basilica of St. Mary of Guadalupe"; which houses the
image and has space for twelve thousand people inside and another
thirty thousand on the esplanade, was inaugurated on 12 October 1976
and built to substitute the first temple dating from the seventeenth
century, which was collapsing under its own weight. The ancient
basilica, which underwent full restoration, is dedicated to Christ
the King. The shrine complex also includes the Chapel of the Roses,
where the Virgin appeared for the first time to Juan Diego and where
there issued forth the roses that the Indian took to the archbishop
Juan de Zumarraga as a sign of the apparition, and the Chapel of the
Well, erected above a spring of healing water.
The Pope travelled by popemobile from
the Mexican capital to the Hill of Tepeyac where the shrine is
located, greeted by tens of thousands of faithful along the way. He
arrived at the old Basilica at 4.45 p.m. local time (11.45 p.m. in
Rome), and from there proceeded t the new Basilica where he
celebrated Holy Mass, attended by more than 35,000 people.
In his homily, commenting on the Gospel
of the Visitation, he recalled how Mary went to meet her cousin
Elizabeth, "without delay, without doubts, without lessening her
pace", emphasising that her encounter with the angel did not
hold her back since she did not consider herself privileged, nor did
it cause her to neglect those around her. "On the contrary, it
renewed and inspired an attitude for which Mary is, and always, will
be known: she is the woman who says 'yes', a 'yes' of surrender to
God and, at the same time, a 'yes' of surrender to her brothers and
sisters. This is the 'yes' which prompted her to give the best of
herself, going forth to meet the others".
"Listening to this Gospel passage
in this place has a special significance. Mary, the woman who gave
her 'yes', wished also to come to the inhabitants of these American
lands in the person of the Indian Saint Juan Diego. Just as she went
along the paths of Judea and Galilee, in the same way she walked
through Tepeyac, wearing the indigenous garb and using their language
so as to serve this great nation. Just as she accompanied Elizabeth
in her pregnancy, so too she has and continues to accompany the
development of this blessed Mexican land. Just as she made herself
present to little Juan, so too she continues to reveal herself to all
of us, especially to those who feel, like him, 'worthless'. This
specific choice, we might call it preferential, was not against
anyone but rather in favour of everyone. The little Indian Juan who
called himself a 'leather strap, a back frame, a tail, a wing,
oppressed by another’s burden' became 'the ambassador, most worthy
of trust'".
"On that morning in December 1531,
the first miracle occurred which would then be the living memory of
all this Shrine protects. On that morning, at that meeting, God
awakened the hope of His son Juan, and the hope of a People. On that
morning, God roused the hope of the little ones, of the suffering, of
those displaced or rejected, of all who feel they have no worthy
place in these lands. On that morning, God came close and still comes
close to the suffering but resilient hearts of so many mothers,
fathers, grandparents who have seen their children leaving, becoming
lost or even being taken by criminals".
"On that morning, Juancito
experienced in his own life what hope is, what the mercy of God is.
He was chosen to oversee, care for, protect and promote the building
of this Shrine. On many occasions he said to Our Lady that he was not
the right person; on the contrary, if she wished the work to
progress, she should choose others, since he was not learned or
literate and did not belong to the group who could make it a reality.
Mary, who was persistent – with that persistence born from the
Father’s merciful heart – said to him: he would be her
ambassador. In this way, she managed to awaken something he did not
know how to express, a veritable banner of love and justice: no one
could be left out in the building of that other shrine, the shrine of
life, the shrine of our communities, our societies and our cultures.
We are all necessary, especially those who normally do not count
because they are not 'up to the task' or because 'they do not have
the necessary funds' to build all these things. God’s Shrine is the
life of His children, of everyone in any condition, especially of
young people without a future who are exposed to endless painful and
risky situations, and the elderly who are unacknowledged, forgotten
and out of sight. The Shrine of God is our families in need only of
the essentials to develop and progress. The Shrine of God is the
faces of the many people we encounter each day".
"Visiting this Shrine, the same
things that happened to Juan Diego can also happen to us. Look at
the Blessed Mother from within our own sufferings, our own fear,
hopelessness, sadness, and say to her, 'What can I offer since I am
not learned?'. We look to our Mother with eyes that express out
thoughts: there are so many situations which leave us powerless,
which make us feel that there is no room for hope, for change, for
transformation".
"And so, I think that some silence
may do us good today as we pause to look upon her and repeat to her
the words of that other loving son:
Simply looking at you, O Mother,
to have eyes only for you,
looking upon you without saying
anything,
telling you everything, wordlessly and
reverently.
Do not perturb the air before you;
only cradle my stolen solitude
in your loving Motherly eyes,
in the nest of your clear ground.
Hours tumble by,
and with much commotion,
the wastage of life and death
sinks its teeth into foolish men.
Having eyes for you, O Mother,
simply contemplating you
with a heart quietened in your
tenderness
that silence of yours, chaste as the
lilies.
"And in the silence, and in
looking at her, we will hear anew what she says to us once more,
'What, my most precious little one, saddens your heart?'. 'Yet am I
not here with you, who have the honour of being your mother?'.
"Mary tells us that she has 'the
honour' of being our mother, assuring us that those who suffer do not
weep in vain. These ones are a silent prayer rising to heaven, always
finding a place in Mary’s mantle. In her and with her, God has made
Himself our brother and companion along the journey; He carries our
crosses with us so as not to leave us overwhelmed by our sufferings".
"Am I not your mother? Am I not
here? Do not let trials and pains overwhelm you, she tells us. Today,
she sends us out anew; as she did Juanito, today, she comes to tell
us again: be my ambassador, the one I send to build many new shrines,
accompany many lives, wipe away many tears. Simply be my ambassador
by walking along the paths of your neighbourhood, of your community,
of your parish; we can build shrines by sharing the joy of knowing
that we are not alone, that Mary accompanies us. Be my ambassador,
she says to us, giving food to the hungry, drink to those who thirst,
a refuge to those in need, clothe the naked and visit the sick. Come
to the aid of those in prison, do not leave them alone, forgive
whoever has offended you, console the grieving, be patient with
others, and above all beseech and pray to God. Am I not your mother?
Am I not here with you? Mary says this to us again. Go and build my
shrine, help me to lift up the lives of my sons and daughters, who
are your brothers and sisters".
Following Mass, the Pope offered to Our
Lady of Guadalupe a gold and silver tiara and, as he had previously
requested, spent around twenty minutes alone in the chapel, praying
and contemplating the image of the Guadalupana.
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