Saturday of the First Week of Advent &
Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin

Biographical Information about St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin
Readings for Saturday of the First Week of Advent

Commentary:

Reading 1 Is 30:19-21, 23-26

This reading from Isaiah is one that gives hope to those who are without hope. God, says the Prophet hears the cry of his faithful and provides for them. The tone here, using the word "Teacher" links this passage to the Gospels where 65 times Jesus assumes that title and admits to that role (Jn 13:13).

Responsorial Psalm Ps 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

R. Blessed are all who wait for the Lord.

This hymn of praise anticipates the coming of the Messiah who restores what is lost and, again, give hope to the poor, upon whom he lavishes special blessings; "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."

Gospel Mt 9:35—10:1, 5a, 6-8

This selection emphasizes Jesus early struggle to accomplish what he came to do by himself. We sense the humanness as he says; "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few;" In the full text of the scripture St. Matthew names the 12 and then Jesus sends them, first to the Hebrew people, most of whom as we now know, rejected him.

Reflection:

We celebrate the memorial of St. Juan Diego today, it was to him that the Blessed Mother appeared, and hence through him, the grace of God through the Virgin Mary was once more given to the world. In Pope John Paul II’s Homily about him, on the occasion of Juan Diego’s canonization, he said; "Happy Juan Diego, true and faithful man! We entrust to you our lay brothers and sisters so that, feeling the call to holiness, they may imbue every area of social life with the spirit of the Gospel." As Jesus called the twelve, working through the Holy Spirit he calls all of us to bring hope to the hopeless and the Good News of the Kingdom of God to all we meet.

As we continue our Advent task of making a place for the new baby, the Christ Child, let us add to the walls of that space, a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Her continued intercessions strengthen our faith an remind us of the great love our Savior, soon to come, has for us.
As we place that picture over our hearts, as St. Juan Diego had it painted on his own during that miraculous event described once more by Pope John Paul II; "...the Virgin Mary, the handmaid "who glorified the Lord" (Lk 1:46), reveals herself to Juan Diego as the Mother of the true God. As a sign, she gives him precious roses, and as he shows them to the Bishop, he discovers the blessed image of Our Lady imprinted on his tilma." Let us say this prayer today;

Prayer to St. Juan Diego

You who were chosen by Our Lady of Guadalupe as an instrument to show your people and the world that the way of Christianity is one of love, compassion, understanding, values, sacrifices, repentance of our sins, appreciation and respect for God’s creation, and most of all one of humility and obedience;

You Whom we know is now in the Kingdom of the Lord and close to our Mother;
Be our angel and prtect us, stay with us as we struggle in this modern life often not knowing where to set our priorities;

Help us to pray to our God to obtain the gifts fo the Holy Spirit and use them for the good of humanity and the good of our Church, through the Heart of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the Heart of Jesus, Amen