The following homily was delivered on Dec. 12, 2012 at the closing Mass of the international congress on Ecclesia in America.
When God willed that America be opened to the Gospel, he looked upon Juan Diego, a humble peasant who also received a visitation and message from heaven. According to the account of the Nican Mopohua, Juan Diego was attracted to the mountains by heavenly singing from an unknown source. He saw a noble lady, radiant, of unimaginable perfection, clothed in the sun. She introduced herself as the Mother of the true God and asked Juan Diego to tell the bishop: the miracle of the Castilian roses, which blossomed in winter on the mountain, utterly out of season; the miracle of the tilma; and the miraculous cure of Juan Diego’s uncle. Finally, grace prevailed over Episcopal prudence and human incredulity, and the chapel was built.
INSPIRED BY FAITH We are witnesses that the People of God journeying in America are saying “yes” to the call of this Year of Faith. We have hastened to this meeting to revive the gift of faith that we received 500 years ago, and we want to be witnesses of it in unity, given that this gift is the most precious inheritance that has united America, South and North, since its origins. We have come guided by the Star of the First and the New evangelization: Our Lady of Guadalupe, Empress of the Americas, whose liturgical feast we celebrate today (Dec. 12). As “Wise Men in the East,” we thought we knew this noble Lady well, but the events of this congress-the conferences, the prayers and the testimonies-have helped us to rediscover her. That is why our soul glorifies the Lord with her – because the Lord has looked upon his poor subjects and, by Mary’s maternal intercession, has touched and renewed us.
We are ready to bring the message of the Gospel with new ardor, with new methods and in a new language. We cannot repeat often enough that the Virgin Mary’s apparition to Juan Diego was instrumental to the transmission of the faith to the peoples of America. It marked the commencement of evangelization. It made possible the commencement of evangelization. It made possible the reconciliation of opponents and the diffusion of the Gospel into the hearts and culture of the natives. Blessed be God for that face of tenderness and mercy that led the people of America to adore the one savior, Jesus Christ. The song of praise and thanksgiving that rises from our hearts at the end of this congress indicates that the Holy Spirit has touched us and is urging us to take up again the way of Mary, the mother of fair love and holy hope. We have received notable graces in this Year of Faith; we are more conscious of our dignity as children of God, which makes us cry out: “Abba! Father! Thy Kingdom come! Fortified and confirmed by the blessing of the Successor of Peter, let us go to our brothers and sisters; in the power of the Spirit, let us give witness to the truth of the Gospel and of the unity of the Catholic Church, which transcends the borders of all races, cultures and social conditions. The continent that has grown under the sign of Christ the King and under the staff of Peter must transmit and spread its faith. The poor anxiously await this witness, which must be manifested in sincere charity, fraternity and effective solidarity with the least privileged.