YEAR A: HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF ADVENT (1)
YEAR A: HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF ADVENT
HOMILY THEME: TRUE SIGNS
BY: Fr. Benny Tuazon
HOMILY: (Lk. 1:39-56) Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
On his way to Mass in the early morning of December 9, 1531, the morning quiet is broken by a strange music that he will later describe as the beautiful sound of birds. This made him divert his path to investigate the sound. Juan Diego came face to face with a radiant apparition of the Virgin Mary.
YEAR A: HOMILY FOR THURSDAY OF THE 2ND WEEK OF ADVENT
HOMILY THEME: TRUE SIGNS
BY: Fr. Benny Tuazon
HOMILY: (Lk. 1:39-56) Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
In today’s Gospel, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mary visits her cousin Elizabeth who, despite being old and barren, is six month pregnant with Jesus’ cousin and precursor, John the Baptist. The pregnancy of Elizabeth is the sign from God that the angel Gabriel’s news to Mary that she would be the Mother of the Son of God is true and will be fulfilled. Mary, previous to this event, found it hard to accept and believe she would conceive since she knew no man. The angel assured her of the truth of God’s plan and gave the news of Elizabeth’s pregnancy as testimony to it.
The story of Mary is repeated in the experience of Juan Diego, the visionary of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Tepeyac Hill. He was sent by the lady many times to the bishop with the instruction to build a church where he met the lady.
“My dear little son, I love you. I desire you to know who I am. I am the ever-virgin Mary, Mother of the true God who gives life and maintains its existence. He created all things. He is in all places. He is Lord of Heaven and Earth. I desire a church in this place where your people may experience my compassion. All those who sincerely ask my help in their work and in their sorrows will know my Mother’s Heart in this place. Here I will see their tears; I will console them and they will be at peace. So run now to Tenochtitlan and tell the Bishop all that you have seen and heard.”
The bishop found ti hard to believe the peasant. So Bishop Zumarraga asked for a sign. The lady obliged by providing Juan Diego with roses which he gathered from on top of a mountain and placed them in his Tilma. When he came before the bishop, his Tilma had a picture of the lady exactly as he had been telling the bishop. The rest is history.
Mary and Juan Diego were both given signs by God. They believed. Are signs necessary? Remember that once Jesus criticised the people for asking signs. As human beings we deal and live with signs. Our senses need to be satisfied to lead us to belief. However, we must be able to determine true signs. We should pray that God will give us the necessary graces to read signs.
Too much skepticism and wilful doubt may deprive us of new revelations from God. The jews committed that mistake on Jesus. In the process, they did not only reject Him, they even crucified Him. An attitude of openness will help a lot in entering into mysteries.
