Our Lady of Guadalupe

When my phone alarm went off this morning at 2:30 am I was disorientated thinking that someone was calling me with an emergency. Waking from the fog of sleep, I soon realized that I set the alarm to go to church this morning at 4 am. When driving to the church, the roads were wet and it was pouring rain, my car being the only one on the road. I thought what am I doing who is going to be there so early, no one is even up yet! When I got closer to the church, I started to see people walking in the rain, many without umbrellas. Soon I arrived at the church and found that the parking was limited, there were many cars there. After parking I walked into the church. As soon as I opened the doors the sound of trumpets , guitars and singing filled the air. I saw that the pews were filled with people, young people, babies, families, old people. The church was filled with a "presence", the presence of love you could reach out and touch it.

This was the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Being that I have gone to this church prior and worked with a group of Spanish speaking people in this church, I recognized that most of the people were of Mexican decent and many not, "documented". Now the usual word one hears on the radio or super conservative TV shows is these are the "illegals"... The ones, the predominate "talking heads of the media", call the blight of this country. These same "talking heads" also usually call themselves God fearing and believing people, yet they rip into a whole nation of people with their hatred and fear mongering that these "illegals" are taking away jobs and menacing society with crimes committed. Now granted, I am sure there is a percentage of those coming into the Country in this manner that are undesirable, as there is a percentage of "Americans" that are undesirable and living here.

Yet to call someone illegal, denotes criminal activities. I upon working with these people have heard many stories as to why they come to the United States, from poverty, to finding hope in a land that their own Country cannot offer them. I never heard them say anything against America or its native people, they so much want to be like the "Americans". When someone wants to be like you it is not a threat, it is a compliment, that you are a goal to be reached, not something to destroy. No, I choose to call these people "undocumented" not "illegals", for they are not coming as criminals, they are coming to be better, to have better, they are coming with hope and faith that life can offer, more then that, which they leave. In essence they are saying to each and everyone of us, please help me, for you are looked upon as being good and honorable by us, in you we see hope. Yet many instead of reaching out a hand to help another; choose to smack it down and call them names. In doing so they, those who are doing the name calling, the smacking down, they are the "illegals" for they are breaking the law of God and that is love. You are to love your neighbor as yourself, you cannot say you love God and hate your neighbor, for if you do so you are a liar. Not only are you an "illegal" in breaking the law of love, you, bear false witness to God by saying you love him and worship him, when you hate your neighbor at the same time.

So on this day, early in the morning I am treated by God to spend time with my brothers and sisters from Mexico as they show their love of God and his mother in song and praise. I sit in the back of the church and I watch these people of faith and my eyes fill with tears and I say a silent prayer for forgiveness for all the times in my life I was a "talking head" judging others who were not like me, shooting them down verbally, diminishing them in my thoughts , words and deeds. I am feeling deep sorrow and pain, for when I did these things to the least of my brothers and sisters, I did so to God and how ashamed I am. With these thoughts a little child dressed in Native Mexican clothing smiles at me, as if to say I know what you are thinking and I love you, sing with me now and forget the past and lets move forward with love. I smile back at her and start to sing and I am humbled to be in a church filled with those labeled "illegals" ... These are the people that may not be the "rightful heirs" to the country I call mine, but they are the "rightful heirs" to the Kingdom of God, by their love. Maybe one day they will be in heaven and those who condemn them now will be asked to leave the Kingdom of God, for they are truly "illegals" not knowing how to love and this is an offense in heaven that will bar you for all eternity in the Native land of God.

Facts about the tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Many know of the amazing and mysterious facts surrounding the Shroud of Turin, but not many know of the ones surrounding the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.. The image is on the tilma of the man who saw her Juan Diego. A few facts are:

1) the tilma is made of woven grass fibers, having a life expectancy of 75 years, yet the tilma is over 460 years old and still in good condition. To this day there is and was no protective covering placed upon the tilma itself.

2) During the turmoil in Mexico in the 1930's someone placed a bomb in a vase of flowers before the tilma. It exploded, the force of the bomb was so great that 6 foot brass candlesticks and a 6 foot crucifix on the altar melted completely backwards, yet the tilma was not harmed in any manner.

3) the eyes on the tilma, in the the 1970's, an opthamologist testified that when he looks into the eyes of the image on the tilma with his instruments, he sees what he would normally see looking into human eyes of a living person. Just as what a "live" person is looking at it is reflected in their eyes, reflected in the eye of the image on the tilma, are those who have been identified as the people the Virgin would have been looking at in the room at the moment the tilma was unfolded and the image appeared.

4)the veil and the crown.... Computer studies of the arrangement of stars on the veil show they are in the exact configurations of the constellations that were visible in the night sky of what is now Mexico City the day of the apparition. The entire geographical topography of Mexico has been identified in the shadow of her garments. Another significance of the stars on the veil has to do with the Indians worship of the stars. By wearing them , she signals to them that she is more powerful than the many stars they worship. The golden flowers on her garment are signs and symbols of her special election in God, the golden flowers symbolizing grace.

5)the one she worships... The beautiful lady on the image is not God. Her hands are folded in prayer and her head is bowed in reverence to the One greater than she, the invisible Lord and God and Creator of the world.

6) the rays she stands before.... There are 144 rays. She appears surrounded by rays of the sun while hiding the sun itself. This told the Indians who worshipped the sun that she was more powerful than the sun.....Could the 144 rays, have a connection to the number 144,000, referred to in the Apocalypse?

7) the facial features on the face... The face of the Virgin Mary's on the tilma is a composition of all races. Each of the races can find something of their own in her image. She is for all races all people.

.....................the list of such facts as the above are numerous I give you just a sampling here, there have been books written about the tilma, some even calling the tilma a "Gospel" of sorts for contained within it is an entire message of the mighty works of God.

So remember, you "talking heads" that criticize the people who walked in the rain on this day to give praise to God through the woman whose image is on the tilma, remember who her Son is, and when you judge others and refuse to help them and love them... just remember the power of the Son of this woman, who appears in the tilma, he who could do such marvels.... Remember and repent, learn to love and act in love....