In Her Immaculate Heart - Catholic Herald

Faith and Family

Sometimes it seems that we finally made a turn in the right direction. We made some tough choices and are finally reaping the reward of our hard work and perseverance. We finally have a little bit of peace. This was the experience of one of our Church’s saints whom we celebrate on the 9th of December every year, St. Juan Diego. Born in 1474, he had converted to Catholicism around age 50 and was learning his catechism and attending Mass daily. Then on Friday, December 9, 1531, he heard the Blessed Virgin Mary’s sweet voice calling to him.

She had a special mission for him. The Blessed Virgin had chosen him to send a message to the local bishop to build a church in her honor on the hill of Tepeyac. She said, “I vividly desire that a church be built on this site, so that in it I can be present and give my love, compassion, help and defense, for I am your most devoted mother … to hear your laments and to remedy all your miseries, pains and sufferings.”

While devout and faithful, St. Juan Diego was not prepared for this mission. He was getting older, and in any case, the bishop would not listen to him, a poor native peasant. But Our Lady insisted that it was through St. Juan Diego, and not another, that she wanted to deliver her request. He obeyed, delivered the message and was not believed. He delivered it again and was asked for a sign. He told Our Lady of the request for a sign and miraculously he found Castilian roses growing at the top of the hill. Finally, upon delivering the roses as a sign for the bishop, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe miraculously appeared on the front of St. Juan Diego’s cloak. She looked on the cloak just as she had appeared to Juan Diego on the hill. This, finally, was a sign that the bishop accepted — a sign that continues to be visible to this day in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, on the very hill where she first appeared.

Juan’s Mission and Yours

Like many of us, St. Juan Diego was just going about his business. He was striving to be good; he was striving to live his faith, and then heaven intervened in his life. He was not ready; he was not expecting a mission beyond his daily cares. And yet, all of us striving to live our faith should expect and anticipate God’s action in our lives. We have the experience of St. Juan Diego and so many saints to learn from. We may not be called to deliver a message to a bishop, but we may be called to deliver a word of hope to a colleague or a family member or friend. We may not be addressed directly by Our Lady, yet the words she spoke in Holy Scripture have been recorded so that they could also be addressed to us: “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:5)

Ultimately, St. Juan Diego’s faith and faithfulness, humility and transparency made him a likely candidate for a special mission. He was chosen because he was little and humble. He was chosen because he was a native peasant; he did not have any high standing or position. He was chosen because he had a childlike love of the Blessed Mother. In this regard, we can all qualify. We do not have to be great in the eyes of the world to be useful to God and God’s plans. We do not have to have high standing, lofty education or great wealth. Not only can we be chosen without all those things, but perhaps because we lack all those things, we are chosen.

In Her Immaculate Heart

In the final analysis we know that we are part of a bigger plan. We know that God is good and that he has good plans. Amazingly, perhaps shockingly, those plans include you and me. Let us learn from St. Juan Diego in this month of December in which we celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Feast of the Holy Family and the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ that we are called to participate in a plan bigger than us but with actions that are just the right size for us. Like St. Juan Diego, we can have a heart that longs to serve Our Lady, a heart that loves her and wants to make her known and loved. St. Juan Diego trusted in her Immaculate Heart and miracles happened. In big and small ways, I think this is the experience of all who devote themselves to Our Lady and trust in her Immaculate Heart. St. Juan Diego, pray for us.