Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
National Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples
Homily
[Zechariah 2:10-13; Judith 13; Luke 1:39-47]
In the Archdiocese, we recently re-established our Indigenous Advisory Committee. This group of very competent leaders, representing some of the First Nations and Métis peoples of Treaty Six territory, met with me a few weeks ago to discuss the needs of their communities as well as their hopes and dreams for the future.
Many wonderful thoughts were shared, each expressive of a deep commitment to continue our walking together along the path of reconciliation and hope. I was greatly encouraged by the encounter. What I recall in particular was the insistence from the group that we need to “think big”, and “dream big”. That is to say, let’s not hesitate to imagine what could be, what should be, and then take steps towards its accomplishment. In light of this celebration in honour of the Blessed Mother, I would add: let’s also “pray big”. Let’s not allow our prayer requests to be limited by the narrow parameters of our weak human minds. This liturgical feast day reminds us that the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe with her son unleashes on earth the unlimited power of God to accomplish great things beyond human imagination and capacity.
Let’s consider what happened at Tepeyac. Her appearances to San Juan Diego, and the miraculous imprint of her image on his tilma, communicated in a clear and incontestable manner the preferential love of Christ and his Blessed Mother for Indigenous peoples. This was rightly seen as a sign of rebuke to those who were persecuting them, and a verification of their inherent dignity and real beauty in the eyes of God. And then: in a very short period of time, an estimated nine million conversions to the Catholic faith took place! To this day, the power of Mary’s visitation and intercession remains breathtaking to those who contemplate its unlimited scope. It is an encouragement to us now to “pray big”.
This call is implicit in Mary’s Magnificat. The text of this evening’s Gospel passage ends with the opening line of her beautiful acclamation of praise, which goes on to extol God as “the Mighty One”, who “has done great things for me…” God wants to do great things for us all, the people He loves beyond measure. To realize His wonders, God asks from us a faith that surrenders all to His providence and wisdom. Mary’s example teaches that God acts through people whose hearts are deeply humble and fully open to what God wills to accomplish. We must never allow our pride or our very limited imaginations to stand in the way of the wonders God can and wants to do. Instead, our call is to “pray big”, surrender in faith, and then witness God’s marvellous deeds.
When I think back to the advice offered to me during the meeting of the advisory council, the issues raised and hopes expressed represented big challenges – humanly speaking. Members spoke of the anger still residing in some people’s hearts with respect to the residential school legacy; the minds of others turned to our young people, many of whom are living without hope; other members lamented the ever growing and increasingly lethal drug culture; while still others raised the issue of inviting our people back to the Church and the need for new ecclesial infrastructure to support their life of faith or journey of healing. From a merely human point of view, these challenges are massive and daunting. But not for God, for whom nothing is impossible.
So, this evening, in this mass, let’s “pray big”. Such a prayer calls for extraordinary faith, the conviction that God can do all things, and wants to do great things for us. Again, Mary is our exemplar. During the visitation, Elizabeth describes Mary as “she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her by the Lord.” Well, what had been spoken to Mary was truly beyond human imagining – that she would be the mother of the Incarnate Word while remaining a virgin. Yet, she chose to believe that, because it is what God promised, it would be fulfilled. To “pray big”, let’s ask for the gift of “big faith”, that we can follow the example of our Blessed Mother.
Let’s ask her, too, to visit us. Wondrous things happen when Mary comes to her children. She visited Elizabeth and from the very womb of her kinswoman an unborn child leapt for joy. Her visit to Juan Diego unleashed an evangelical explosion that altered the lives of millions. In our own era, we are witnesses to the hope given to untold numbers of God’s people following the visitations by Mary at Lourdes, Fatima, and other places. Where we need her visitation above all, it seems, to me, is not only in these miraculous public apparitions, but above all, and most importantly, in our personal encounter with her within our hearts, homes, schools, and communities. It is time, in fact overdue, for us to invite the Mother of God into our lives and ask that, through her powerful intercession, we, too, shall be witnesses to God’s mighty deeds that astonish us and fill us with joy.
Whenever Mary visits, her words and very presence point to her son, Jesus. He alone is the world’s only true light and real hope. The wonder of this Eucharist is that he, who was born from Mary’s womb, renders himself truly present in the gifts transformed into his very Body and Blood. May the grace of communion with Jesus this evening strengthen both our faith in his infinite power, and our confidence that God will do wondrous things for us, because we, like Mary, believe that God will bring to fulfillment whatever He promises.
Most Reverend Richard W. Smith
Saint Joseph Basilica
December 12th, 2024