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Last month marked the 475th anniversary of the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego, an event that was celebrated by millions throughout our hemisphere and by millions who traveled to her basilica in Mexico City on Dec. 12. Her feast day is always a concrete and moving witness that Our Lady of Guadalupe is not only a historical fact, but that she continues to be a living presence for millions of people today.
The appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe was one of the great and decisive events in history. Through her intercession, millions of native Americans became believers in her Son and entered the Church. Historians tell us that during the time in which millions left the Catholic Church in Europe as a result of the Protestant “Reformation,” millions more were being baptized into the faith in the New World.
An anniversary such as this is an ideal opportunity to reflect on just what is the meaning of the continuing “event” of the Virgin of Guadalupe’s presence in the Western Hemisphere at this time.
Writing in 1999, Pope John Paul II observed: “The appearance of Mary to the native Juan Diego on the hill of Tepeyac in 1531 had a decisive effect on evangelization. Its influence greatly overflows the boundaries of Mexico, spreading to the whole continent. America, which historically has been, and still is, a melting-pot of peoples, has recognized in the mestiza face of the Virgin of Tepeyac, ‘in Blessed Mary of Guadalupe, an impressive example of a perfectly inculturated evangelization.’ Consequently, not only in Central and South America, but in North America as well, the Virgin of Guadalupe is venerated as Queen of all America” (Ecclesia in America, 11).
Scholars tell us that many of the symbols on the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe revealed to the native peoples of Mexico that she was pregnant. And so many people today appeal to Our Lady of Guadalupe for her intercession to build a culture of life. For many, she has become the patroness of the pro-life movement.
Yet we should also reflect on John Paul II’s admonition that the Virgin of Guladaupe is also the “Queen of all America.” I think it is clear that the pope saw her as a privileged way by which to bring forth a greater unity among the people of this continent and ultimately, among the entire hemisphere.
During the past several decades, we have witnessed a greater economic interdependence between Canada, the United States and Mexico. That increased interdependence has also brought great division and animosity. Governments and businesses have important roles in overcoming these challenges. But while necessary, their involvement alone is insufficient.
The Virgin of Tepeyac brought to the American continent an unprecedented unity of peoples based upon a unity of faith. That remains her continuing promise to us today.
May the Knights of Columbus celebrate this great anniversary year in her honor by witnessing to our own principle of unity, based upon a fraternal brotherhood of faith, and may we do so through a shared commitment to build a new culture of life that transcends every border.
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