The Mother Who Teaches Us to Listen

Voice over by Carol San San Lwin

Isa 48:17-19; Psalm: 1; Mt 11:16-19

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Queen of Mexico, Patroness of the Americas and the Philippines)

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ, on this glorious Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Patroness of the Americas, the Church gives us scriptures that reveal a profound contrast: the faithful, teaching love of God, versus the fickle rejection of a distracted world. In the midst of this tension, Our Lady appears as the perfect disciple who shows us the path of blessedness.

The Prophet Isaiah speaks with the tender voice of a loving God: “I, the Lord, your God, teach you what is for your good, and lead you on the way you should go.” This is the divine desire—to guide us to a life of peace and righteousness, promising that if we hearken to His commandments, our “prosperity would be like a river,” and our “vindication like the waves of the sea.” God’s will is not a burden, but a path to flourishing.

Yet, the Gospel reveals our tragic human tendency to reject God’s messengers. Jesus compares His generation to children in the marketplace who cannot be pleased. They rejected John the Baptist for his asceticism, and they reject the Son of Man for His association with sinners. “Wisdom is vindicated by her works,” Jesus says. The proof of God’s way is in its fruits, but a closed heart will find any excuse not to listen.

On the hill of Tepeyac in 1531, Divine Wisdom was vindicated once more in a most stunning way. To the humble Juan Diego, God sent Our Lady, appearing not as a foreign queen, but as one of his own people—a woman clothed with the sun, pregnant with hope, speaking his native language. She is the perfect embodiment of the God who teaches us what is for our good. Her message was one of loving assurance: “Am I not here, I who am your Mother?” She directed him to the bishop, and when asked for a sign, she provided not only the miraculous roses in winter but her own image, imprinted on his tilma or cloak—a catechism in picture form that led millions to the God of Isaiah.

As Pope Saint John Paul II declared, “The Guadalupe Event… meant the beginning of evangelization with a vitality that far surpassed every expectation.”

The comfort for us is this: in a world that often acts like the fickle children in the marketplace, dismissing the Gospel as either too strict or too merciful, Our Lady of Guadalupe stands as a constant mother and teacher. She teaches us to listen to God, who guides us to what is truly for our good. She shows us that God chooses the humble and the small to confound the wise and the powerful.

The challenge is to imitate her fiat and Juan Diego’s trusting obedience. We must resist the temptation to make excuses for not following God’s commandments. We must bring the roses of our own efforts to a world that desperately needs the touch of God’s mercy.

Let us ask for her intercession today. May Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Star of Evangelization, teach our hearts to listen, that we may embrace God’s path and find our vindication in the peaceful, flowing waters of His grace. Amen.