On this day when the good and the great have gathered in Paris to hammer out a climate accord that might, just might save our planet from some of the worst effects of our ravaging, it might be a good moment to remember today is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
According to the legends of the Catholic church there were a series of visitation of Mary, the mother of Jesus, to a Mexican peasant named Juan Diego. Actually they began a few days earlier. But it was on this day she instructed him to gather up roses in his cloak, and to take them to the bishop. When Juan unrolled the cloak in front of Archbishop Zumarraga, the flowers spread across the floor and left on the cloak was that image we all know of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Those who care can dig into this and see there’s little likelihood this is an historical event. But, like other such things, I believe in it with all my heart. It is a true story, among the great true stories.
Our mother is never far from us. As she said to the peasant, “Am I not here, I who am your mother?”
May we care for our mother, whose body is our body, whose blood is our blood.
And may she bless us on this day.
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