A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. [Revelation]
Sing and rejoice, O daughter Zion! See, I am coming to dwell among you, says the Lord. Many nations shall join themselves to the Lord on that day, and they shall be his people, and he will dwell among you, and you shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you. [Zechariah]
Marian devotion is one of the most prominent signs of Catholicism, whether East or West. Here in the United States and south of our southern border, the devotion resulting from an apparition of Mary to a humble peasant on a hill in Mexico in 1531 has a very prominent place. This would be particularly important to Mexican Catholics. Despite some sentiment to the contrary since almost every country south of the border has a particular Marian devotion, a Nicaraguan student once said to me, "I'm Nicaraguan. She's not OUR Lady!" - Pope John Paul II proclaimed Our Lady of Guadalupe to be the patroness of all the Americas! The image from the cloak ("tilma") of St. Juan Diego on display at the shrine in Mexico City is visited by thousands of pilgrims every year.
The significance of the image is multi-layered. Mary is presented as a young, pregnant mestizo woman surrounded by many symbols. She is seen by many as God's favor and presence among the poor and oppressed people of the Americas. I have seen reproductions and stylized versions of the famous image on all kinds of surfaces in Texas and elsewhere in the Southwest of the USA. I have met both women and men with the first name "Guadalupe!" There is no question of the power of the image and the one who is depicted in it!
As with all Marian apparitions, whether Guadalupe, Lourdes, Fatima, Medjugorje, etc.., people of faith are invited to consider the message and the person, Mary, who brings it. These should all point to the Son of Mary and strengthen the faith of those who are drawn to the particular devotion. The celebration of this feast is a reminder of the Blessed Mother's maternal care as well as a reminder of what her Son's teachings challenge us to do for others, especially the poor and oppressed of the Americas.