Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, 2018

What can we say about Our Lady of Guadalupe in a very limited space? She is our sister, our friend, our guide, our protector, our inspiration, our mother.

We all need a mother—no matter how old we are. It is our mother that we instinctively know will always be there to love and accept us.

Many years ago my elder sister and I were driving on the freeway when we saw a wreck. My sister stopped to see if she could help, she was in the medical profession. A young man was lying on the grass. There were no external injuries, but there must have been terrible internal ones because he was a bluish gray. My sister said there was nothing we could do for him.

I will never forget that scene because he kept calling for his mother. I never found out if they were able to save him, but I learned an important lesson that day. A badly injured man lying on the grass with strangers around him was calling for his mother. He was calling for help, for comfort, for love and companionship.

Our Lady of Guadalupe came to us 500 years ago to reassure us that she is our loving Mother, always ready to help… and never forget to also pray for your earthly mother.