Like Moses at the burning bush, Juan Diego asked our Lady, and who shall I say you are who are sending me?
And she responded in his native language of Nahuatl. She called herself "Tlecuatlecupe," (Ta-LAY-Cau-tul-CUP-pe) which means "the one who crushes the head of the serpent"
Remember, that at that time in Mexico the Catholic Church was very small. The first missionaries to Mexico only arrived in 1519. The bishop to whom Juan Diego was sent, was the first bishop of Mexico. The native religion was still very much in full force. In 1487, when Juan Diego was just 13 years old, he would have witnessed a most horrific event: the Aztec ruler at the time, dedicated a new temple pyramid to the chief gods of the Aztec pantheon, which involved the human sacrifice of over 80,000 men over a period of four days and four nights.
Human life was not valued. Pagan Gods, such as the winged-serpent God—Quetzalcoatl—were worshipped through unimaginably bloody human sacrifice. And so, for our Lady to introduce herself as “the one who crushes the head of the serpent” had a number of meanings. Firstly, it was a reference to Scripture—for Genesis foretells how the seed of the woman will crush the head of the serpent. Revelation, too, depicts the woman with child pitted against the ancient serpent returned. But her introduction was also prophetic in that the religion of human sacrifice which worshipped the serpent God would soon be crushed.
What was in 1531 an almost entirely pagan culture almost entirely converted to Christ. According to a contemporary chronicler, nine million Aztecs became Catholic in a very short time. And even though Catholicism flourished in Mexico for about 400 years, we know that the old serpent is always conspiring to regain his lost territory.
The last 100 years have seen terrible persecution of the Church: state sponsored persecution, the murder of holy priests, outlawing of monasteries, seizing of Church property, atheism, and also the neopagan worship of santa Muerte, a female deity of death.
Wherever holy faith is abandoned, the powers of evil and death will soon return, but Our Lady is unfailing protection and strength to all who devoutly implore her assistance.
The Feast of Guadalupe is an important Advent feast, to remind us that we prepare during Advent to celebrate the birth of Christ the Savior, victor over the powers the ancient serpent—of sin and death. And so throughout Advent we do well to invoke Our Lady in our prayers for conversion--the conversion of our culture, especially for those who, because of their errors and false beliefs spread and participate in evil intentionally or unintentionally, and our own conversion—that the powers of evil and death may have absolutely no place in our hearts.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and the Right to Life Movement, pray for us, that we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ, for the glory of God and salvation of souls.
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We bring our prayers to God through Mary.
That Our Lady may protect the Church from all evil, and aid us in the mission of the Gospel.
That all government leaders may be awakened to the supreme dignity of each human life, and that all people of our nation may work together for an end to the culture of death.
For all mothers, that they may find in Mary the example and strength to carry out their vocation.
For all refugees forced to flee from their homes, that God may bring peace to them and their country of origin.
That the sick may draw strength, consolation, and healing by turning to Our Lady, who intercedes for us from her place in heaven.
For all who have died, and for all the poor souls in purgatory, and for X. for whom this Mass is offered.
We pray, O Lord our God, that the Virgin Mary, who merited to bear God and man in her chaste womb, may commend the prayers of your faithful in your sight. Through Christ our Lord.
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