The Way of Mary: Milagro!

 Good Thursday morning, good Advent pilgrims on The Way of Mary. Today is the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patron saint of The Americas.

Some people call her "*Their* Lady of Guadalupe," the patron saint of Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, and parts of California (which, of course, were once part of Mexico).

No matter what, if any, your religious persuasion, I think it's time to claim Mary who, in 1531, appeared four times to Juan Diego, an Indigenous Mexican peasant of Aztec descent, as the patron saint of The Americas.

Juan Diego was canonized in 2002 as the Church's first indigenous American saint.

The word that came to me in my morning meditation was "milagro" which is Spanish for "miracle". I think we are in a moment in time when it is - and increasingly will be - very important for us to keep the eyes of our hearts open and expect miracles.

Here's why I say that.

First of all, especially in these days when "Mass Deportation" is hot on the lips of many people in North America - either with enthusiastic support or deep, troubling concern - I think it's significant that Mary's apparition was that of an indigenous American.

Mary spoke to Juan Diego in his own language and the image she left on his tilma (poncho/cloak) is that of a young woman with mixed Indigenous and European features (mestiza).

There is no doubt that we are entering a very dark time in the history of this country. Revenge and Retribution are the stated primary tools of the new administration to "Make America Great Again." I don't know how two negatives make a positive but apparently, this is the "new math" of this ideology.

Then, there's the objectification, suppression, and oppression of "the other" - meaning anyone who isn't of Western European origin, who doesn't practice a particular brand of Christianity that is understood to have a rabidly evangelical zeal and is the historic and dominant religious expression of this country. And, , of course, this means the suppression and oppression of all those who are not male or support the social-cultural understanding of the superiority of being male. And, White.

Freedom of religion means you are free to be Christian. Freedom of speech means you are free to repeat the dominant ideology.

Freedom of assembly means you are free to gather to support the present administration; if you protest, you will face the possibility of facing American soldiers with guns.

Reproductive Freedom? Well, that's fine as long as women follow God's will, as determined for you by the dominant Religious hierarchy which is, of course, male and/or male-identified.

It's 1984. Two and two make five. Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past. History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.

Oh, but there's no need to worry. It's just libtards, getting hysterical. That's just him, right? That's just his bluster. He's just trying to 'shake things up' and 'drain the swamp'.

I think we learned in his first term to believe him and know that he believes his own lies.

One of the messages of Mary of Guadalupe was to build a church. The bishop at the time took that to literally mean to build an actual church, which was completed on the site of a former place of Aztec human sacrifice.

This was interpreted through the lens of Western, Christian hegemony as evidence of the superiority of one religion and ideology over another. It was delivered with the imprimatur of the Mother of God.

I don't think that's what Mary was saying, any more than Jesus wanted Peter to build three booths when He appeared on the mountain with Moses and Elijah.

I think Mary's message is a timeless one that doesn't have anything to do with buildings and structures but more to do with creating the visible, tangible presence of The Body of Christ in the world.

I think Mary's message was not one of hegemony but radical diversity, equality, and inclusion. One of the clearest things she said was, "Listen to the people." She wanted the institutional church to listen to the people's lamentations and remedy their sorrows.

Indeed, she wanted to be a symbol of unity for those who were struggling to leave oppression. Instead, the bishop used the money and resources at his disposal to build a grand cathedral with opulent vestments to be worn by clergy who could read and interpret the scriptures for poor, illiterate people dressed in rags.

Instead of feeding the hungry with real food, they were fed with the crumbs of bread from the Table of the Lord and promised a better life in the next.

It will take a miracle for the institutional church - and The Americas - to finally hear Mary's message over 500 years later, but it endures as does her image on Juan Diego's tilma.

We are going to need a miracle to get through this time. Which is not a problem, really. I believe that miracles happen every day. Every person is a miracle. Every moment is a miracle.

I believe miracles happen every day because I believe we are miracles that contain the possibility of miracles. If only we can open our eyes, we'll see God's love everywhere.

I think the miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe and her message is enduring and timely. I think we need to listen to her.

I hope something good happens to you today.

Bom dia.