Virgin of Guadalupe: Pope Francis encourages listening to her message in every moment of life

“Do not be afraid, am I not here, who am your Mother?” It is the message of the Virgin of Guadalupe that Pope Francis encourages us to keep in mind and listen to in every moment of life, whether it is a happy or sad situation.

This was said during the celebration of the Holy Mass in the Vatican’s Saint Peter’s Basilica in honor of the Virgin of Guadalupe, a Marian dedication that the Catholic Church celebrates every December 12.

The Catholic Church celebrates Our Lady of Guadalupe every December 12, in memory of the last day on which Saint Mary appeared to the Indian San Juan Diego in 1531. On that same date, as a test for Fray Juan de Zumárraga, first Bishop From Mexico, the image of the Virgin was miraculously printed on the tilma of San Juan Diego.

In his homily improvised entirely in Spanish, the Holy Father highlighted the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe: “pregnant, announcing the birth of the Savior.” “Pregnant as a mother.”

“With what tenderness he says to the Indian: ‘do not be afraid, am I not here, who am your Mother?’” said the Pope, highlighting that in that message “the motherhood of Mary is revealed.”

These words are the same that Saint Mary of Guadalupe addressed to Saint Juan Diego, who, according to the Nican Mopohua —historical document that narrates the apparitions of the Virgin—, was worried about the serious illness of his uncle, Juan Bernardino. Faced with the urgency of caring for his family member, Juan Diego decided to attend to him before fulfilling the Virgin’s command to speak with the bishop. Later, the Virgin confirmed to him that his uncle had been miraculously healed.

The Pontiff lamented that “so many ideologies have wanted to derive from the Guadalupe mystery to gain ideological advantage,” and then highlighted “three things” that came to mind while contemplating the Virgin.

“The tilma, the mother and the rose. Very simple things. Mary’s motherhood is recorded in that tilma, in that simple tilma. Mary’s motherhood is shown with the beauty of the roses that the Indian finds and carries. And the motherhood of Mary performs the miracle of bringing faith to the somewhat incredulous hearts of the prelates,” he said.

“The tilma, the rose, the Indian,” he added. “Everything that is said about the Guadalupe mystery beyond this is a lie, it is wanting to use it for ideologies,” he warned.

The Holy Father stressed that “the Guadalupe mystery is to venerate her and to feel in our ears: ‘Am I not here, who am your Mother?’”.

“And to hear that in the moments of life, the various difficult moments of life, the happy moments of life, the everyday moments of life: ‘do not be afraid, am I not here, who am your Mother?’ ”.

“And this is the entire Guadalupe message, the rest is ideologies,” he assured.

In conclusion, the Pope said: “We leave with the image of the Lady in the Indian’s tilma. And listening to how in a repetitive voice he tells us: ‘don’t be afraid, am I not here, I am your Mother?’”