By Auxiliary Bishop Greg Kelly
Special to The Texas Catholic
Pilgrimage to Mexico City, Day 2: August 8,2024
The day was spent in and around the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the highlight of the entire pilgrimage. We were able to pray the Synod Prayer for the Diocese of Dallas in the presence of the original image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the basilica, and to celebrate Mass at the nearby Chapel of Our Lady run by the Capuchins. It was striking to see again the massive basilica with room for 10,000: to see the old basilica next to it, closed in 1975; and the other structures surrounding the expansive plaza with thousands of pilgrims, including a group who had walked for 10 days from Celaya in Guanajuato on their annual pilgrimage. At the heart of all of this was Mary’s “yes” to God, her persevering obedience and humility and courage; and St. Juan Diego’s “yes” to doing what she asked of him, mirroring her obedience, humility and courage. These are foundational realities in this continually unfolding story, and foundational realities in our lives as well.
Earlier in the day we renewed our baptismal promises at the church where St. Juan Diego had been baptized several years before his encounter with Our Lady. Already God was preparing him for this encounter and the mission to be entrusted to him. Each of us has a unique role in the unfolding of God’s plan in the world, for which God is constantly preparing us, a plan to be embraced with obedience and humility and courage, to give our own “yes” to what God asks of us. Mary is there to encourage us and accompany us and pray for us, especially in times of difficulty and suffering, to persevere in saying “yes” to God, confident that he will make our lives fruitfulness in ways we can scarcely foresee or imagine. This will be true in our individual lives, and corporately, as members of the church in the Diocese of Dallas, preparing for our first synod in 90 years.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.
P.S., Father Hap Tran cs joined us for the day yesterday. Fr. Tran is a Scalabrinian priest who served at St. Luke in Irving for two years and is here studying Spanish and living at the Scalabrinian seminary. A happy meeting.
