I had the privilege of being invited this past Sunday, December 12, to give a talk for the December Second Sunday Supper event. I decided to talk about Our Lady of Guadalupe. Around 15 YAGS participated in the discussion and we also had delicious deep-dish pizza brought by Andrea from Regents Pizzeria!
Here are some recaps of the talk:
Who is she?
Our Lady of Guadalupe is a celebrated Catholic icon of the Virgin Mary and Mexico’s most popular religious and cultural image.
Why did I choose her?
Her feast day, December 12th was the day of the YAG event.
The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe
According to tradition, Juan Diego, a simple indigenous peasant, saw a vision of a young girl of fifteen, surrounded by light, on the slopes of Tepeyac, near Mexico City. Speaking in the local language, Nahuatl, the Lady asked for a church to be built at that site in her honor, and from her words Juan Diego recognized her as the Virgin Mary. Diego told his story to the Spanish bishop, Fray Zumárraga, who instructed him to return and ask the Lady for a miraculous sign to prove her claim. The Virgin told Juan Diego to gather some flowers from the top of Tepeyac Hill. It was winter and no flowers bloomed, but on the hilltop Diego found flowers of every sort, and the Virgin herself arranged them in his tilma, or peasant cloak. When Juan Diego opened the cloak before Zumárraga on December 12, the flowers fell to the floor, and in their place was the Virgin of Guadalupe, miraculously imprinted on the fabric.
How the story applies our lives?
There are two important lessons as we reflect on Our Lady of Guadalupe. One is of faith, and the other of understanding.
The first lesson is that God has chosen Mary to lead us to Jesus. No matter what critics may say of the devotion of Mexicans (and Mexican descendants) to Our Lady of Guadalupe, they owe their Christianity to her influence. If it were not for her, they would not know her son, and so they are eternally grateful.
The second lesson we take from Mary herself. Mary appeared to Juan Diego not as a European madonna but as a beautiful Aztec princess speaking to him in his own Aztec language. If we want to help someone appreciate the gospel we bring, we must appreciate the culture and the mentality in which they live their lives. By understanding them, we can help them to understand and know Christ.
Discussion Topics
Why did the Virgin Mary choose Juan Diego and insist that he speaks to the Bishop on her behalf?
What symbolic testimony does the apparition serve for the Mexican people, especially the indigenous people?
How has Mary been part of your faith life and helped you to grow spiritually?
Have you had any interactions with Catholics in other parts of the world and how they’ve integrated their cultural traditions into their spiritual lives?
Thank you
Finally, I want to take this opportunity to express my grateful appreciation to the people of Newman Center, especially the young adult community. My first event was the YAG retreat and it was very welcoming, engaging, and spiritually uplifting experience. I also had the opportunity to attend the Thanksgiving Dinner at Ben’s place and it was wonderful to meet all the folks there. Finally, the YAG Sunday Dinner was awesome and gave me the opportunity to learn more about Mary and her strong connection with the Mexican people. As I head out to Japan this upcoming Sunday, I will be thinking and praying for all of you in the YAG community. Thank you for your friendship, hospitality, and the grace of fellowship. God bless you and have a joyful Advent!
- Todd Chen
No comments:
Post a Comment