Throughout our life all of us face situations that produce sadness, uncertainty, or crisis; losing a loved person, a rupture in the family, an illness, scarcity of resources or feeling abandoned, for example.

When we face these problems, we tend to feel unprotected, and in some cases, we feel that we have no answers. Our faith may diminish because we do not understand what is happening around us… and this causes us pain.

If we recognize that even the men and women who were with Jesus and heard His words from His mouth and experienced His love, were called “men of little faith”, we will understand why our human nature may erode our confidence.

This December 12, it would be convenient to remember that we are not alone; that since she appeared, the Virgin of Guadalupe offered us her protection and told us with tenderness: “Am I not here, who am your mother? Aren’t you under my shadow?”

On December 12, in America and in other parts of the world, we celebrate the apparition of the dark-skinned Madonna of Tepeyac, who covers us with her mantle of love and assumes the role of mother of all hope. She listens to us and accompanies us, interceding for our needs and alleviating our sorrows.

Let us remember that it was she who healed Juan Diego’s sorrows when, in their last miraculous meeting, the Indian Juan Diego was worried and told her that he was going to get help because his uncle was ill. Then the Virgin comforted him and announced to him that his uncle was in good health and asked him to go to the top of the Tepeyac hill, where he would find some roses that he should take to Bishop Zumárraga as a proof of her apparition. Shortly after, she was recognized as a source of love, mercy and piety, values that all of us must practice.

Since that day, in 1531, we celebrate our Heavenly Mother who full of tenderness and compassion, responds to the prayers of her children of all nations, races and ages. She reminds us that we are all equal before her eyes and she invites us to recognize one another as brothers and sisters, in this world that is so divided and broken.

Following her example, nobody must remain excluded. We must care with love for the poor and vulnerable, giving testimony of the love of Jesus, the Incarnate Word, through compassion, hope and reconciliation.

On the header: Virgin of Guadalupe.