Mary and the Oppressed

It would be quite a stretch of imagination to picture Mary camping out with the Occupy Wall Street movement, but she made quite a statement about care for the oppressed by her appearance at Tepeyac to the simple peasant Juan Diego as a pregnant Aztec woman. She did not come as a Spaniard or even a Jewish maiden. but as one of the people who were being subjugated by the European conquerors. During the Mass of this feast we pray, "O God, Father of mercies, who placed your people under the singular protection of your Son's most holy Mother, grant that all who invoke the Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe, may seek with ever more lively faith the progress of peoples in the ways of justice and of peace." This powerful prayer reminds us of our own mission, in imitation of Mary, to work for justice and peace ourselves. Interestingly enough, Mary did not ask for a "camp out" or a protest march, but rather that a church be built. This is her usual request. A church, not as a temple in her honor, but a sacred place where the Mass is offered and her Son's gift of the Eucharist is made available to a hungry people. Again, she wants to bring forth her Son to the world, so that he can be the source of life, peace and justice. Do we miss this in our attendance at Mass? With Pope Benedict we pray that "Our Lady of Guadalupe may protect and inspire those who govern in their difficult task as promoters of the common good, and renew the bonds of Christian fellowship for the good of ALL the people."
Bro. Rene