Our Lady’s Promise: I Remain With You

This Homily weaves together . . .

. . . the Visitation (Luke 1:39–45), the mystery of Advent, and the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, revealing a single, unifying truth: the Lord is always on the way to His people.

God does not arrive once and withdraw; He continually comes, drawing near in mercy, joy, and life. This dynamic is first revealed when Mary, bearing Christ within her, hastens to Elizabeth. Though unseen, Christ Himself arrives, and His presence awakens joy, life, and praise. The leap of John the Baptist becomes the first fruit of salvation’s nearness.

He Continually Comes

That same pattern unfolds across history, most vividly at Tepeyac in 1531, where Our Lady visits a wounded people and a struggling Church. Through Juan Diego, Mary brings Christ’s joy into barrenness, transforming despair into life. The miracles . . . healing, roses blooming from stone, and the enduring image on the tilma . . . unfold in sequence, culminating in a sign that abides, just as Mary remained with Elizabeth and Christ remains with His Church.

Throughout, Mary is revealed as the one through whom Christ comes, not only once, but always . . . into hearts, cultures, and history itself. Where He arrives, life stirs, joy breaks forth, and meaning is restored.

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Our Lady’s Promise: I Remain With You

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A Quote from the Homily

Imagine a greeting so powerful that its words don’t matter. . . The voice of the woman with the joy of salvation growing in her womb speaks in such a tonality that that joy penetrates the life of another.

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Art Work

The Virgin of Mercy or Madonna della Misericordia.: Italian Painter: Piero della Francesca: 1462

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Why was this image selected:

Mary stands sheltering the faithful beneath her mantle, a powerful visual expression of abiding presence. Like the tilma that endures and Mary’s three-month stay with Elizabeth, the painting reflects the promise: I am not going anywhere.