Monday, December 15, 2014

La Morenita and her roses

She gifts us roses in December. We serenade her with mañanitas before dawn, matachines dance in the streets in her honor; you can hear the drums and singing as they approach –“La Guadalupana, La Guadalupana, La Guadalupana bajo del Tepeyac.” Why in December, in the midst of Advent and just four days after celebrating the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, do hundreds of thousands gather, sometimes in the rain and cold, throughout Mexico, the United States and other parts of the world to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe?

Desde el cielo una hermosa Mañana, our Blessed Mother, our Virgencita Morena, first appeared almost 500 years ago on Tepeyac to an Indian named Juan Diego, she appeared in 1531 during chaotic times with a message of love and hope. Her message in Nahuatl, the native tongue, changed hearts and restored people’s dignity. Volumes have been written about the significance of the apparitions that occurred Dec. 9 - 12. St. John Paul II, during his papacy declared her Patroness of all America and Star of the first and new evangelization. He even dedicated a chapel in her honor in St. Peter’s Basilica.

Pope Francis, in his message a year ago to the Americas on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, said, “When the image of the Virgin appeared on the tilma of Juan Diego, it was the prophecy of an embrace: Mary’s embrace of all the peoples of the vast expanses of America – the peoples who already lived there, and those who were yet to come.” He said, “Mary’s embrace showed what America – North and South – is called to be: a land where different peoples come together; a land prepared to accept human life at every stage, from the mother’s womb to old age; a land which welcomes immigrants, and the poor and the marginalized, in every age. A land of generosity.”

This December as we reflect on the year and prepare to enter a new year, we witness in these Marian celebrations the joy of celebrating our faith, a joy which overflows and inspires us to share this publicly in the streets in a country that affords us the freedom to express our faith without fear of persecution or death. The procession in Brownsville for the celebration of Our Morenita has become one of my favorites. Sometimes the priests ride on horses carrying a banner with her image leading the matachines and floats with students reenacting the apparitions that occurred in 1531. Most of the parishes in the city participate and converge together from different routes for an outdoor Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on Lincoln Street. 

Our Lady of Guadalupe helps us remember to embrace our faith, trusting in her son to lead us on our daily pilgrimage; she helps us remember to embrace our culture, a culture of life, one strengthened by being true to our beliefs, our heritage, our languages y nuestra tierra. The Star of the New Evangelization, she guides us and encourages us to share the joy of the Gospel, to raise our voice, to show our love, to fight for justice. She who led the way, her image emblazoned on a flag as Father Miguel Hidalgo led the Mexican War of Independence, continues to lead the way to her son.

We have some fights ahead of us when it comes to religious freedom, speaking up for the vulnerable, and speaking up for ourselves. Our Holy Mother, la Morenita de Tepeyac, accompanies us. She who crushes the serpent, proceeds with love. She invites us to do the same. “No se turbe tu corazón” (“Do not let your heart be disturbed.”) Just as she promised Juan Diego, she promises us, “Am I not here, I, who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more? Let nothing else worry you, disturb you.”

I find comfort in lighting a candle before a wooden statue of the Virgencita Morena, carved and painted by an artisan in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. She stands on the window sill in my kitchen. She is a constant companion. The summer I spent in San Miguel she appeared at every turn – she was embroidered with sequins on purses, used as adornment on earrings and pendants, printed on plastic shopping bags, even the landlord’s cat was named Guadalupe. Popular culture has made her an icon beyond the Church walls. She is linked with the Mexican identity, she is linked with her people. Our Blessed Mother will not be ignored. And in her gentle glance, consoles us and draws us to her son.

We honor her not just in December, but year round. December is the culmination of our thanks to the Holy Mother before her son’s long anticipated arrival on Christmas.  Just as she embraces us, we embrace her. We thank her for being our compassionate mother.

(Originally published in December 2014 edition of The Valley Catholic newspaper)

Thursday, October 2, 2014

No one walks alone

On the Feast of the Guardian Angels I give thanks to God for never leaving me alone and for the different directions my life has taken throughout my pilgrimage walk.

Twenty-four years ago I became a mother and over the years I have discovered both the joys and the challenges that come from raising two children, now young adults.

Saturday, April 19, 2014

The Altars of Repose

Spending time with our Lord

God’s graces overflowed at the Holy Thursday Mass and as we visited the Altars of Repose at seven different churches. My husband and I started at the Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Brownsville and made our way to our home parish St. Anthony Church in Harlingen, Texas

Among the churches we visited were Our Lady of Guadalupe Church where I was baptized; St. Joseph Church where Cesar received all his Sacraments of Initiation; and St. Luke’s Church where we were married. The pilgrimage filled us with immense joy. This was our first time to practice this ancient tradition. It was a grace-filled evening and a perfect start to the Triduum. 

Friday, March 21, 2014

Meet Me in the Desert (A Lenten Prayer)

Lord of Lent, Lord of Easter,
As you went into the desert
So do I follow
Putting aside that which distracts me
Grabs at me
Falsely claims me.

To search inside
To confront myself
My best, my worst
My good works and my sins.

And each time, I find you there
To call to me again
With words of challenge and words of mercy.

And as I fall to my knees, in prayer, in fasting
In sacrifice and penitence
Somehow, you have it in yourself to reach out
and gently lift me
To renew me
To claim me as nothing of this world can claim
me.

Meet me in the desert, Lord.
Claim me anew.

Amen.

Lenten prayer from Catholic Relief Services

Friday, March 7, 2014

Into the Desert

I look forward to Lent more and more each year.  I see the desert journey as an opportunity to reflect on my ways, on my steps and missteps. It’s a chance to get back to where I need to be, to readjust my direction according to God’s will. The desert provides an open space free of distractions. It’s up to us of course to eliminate the distractions that present themselves in our day to day walk.

Pope Francis said, “Lent calls us to “give ourselves a ‘shake-up.’” In his homily on Ash Wednesday he said, “With its calls to conversion, Lent comes providentially to rouse us, to shake us from our torpor, from the risk of moving forward [merely] by inertia.”

I need the shakeup. I need to be roused. Already, I feel the energy that comes from refocusing and putting aside all that weighs us. I’ve learned that the penitential practice of giving something up for Lent, may seem like a sacrifice at first, but actually it’s a blessing.  In the end, we are better for the experience. I find that fasting and giving something up makes more room in my life not only for prayer but also for family time and writing.  

As for the prescribed days of abstinence from meat on Ash Wednesday and Fridays, I can’t count these days as sacrifice as I crave, year round, the desert dishes served during the Lenten season, starting with nopalitos en salsa.

I do have some challenges ahead of me. By the grace of God, I pray I am roused into action.

A ver que nos espera en estos días en el desierto.