Pope Francis tells us to accept all human life…
by Deacon Michael Bickerstaff | December 14, 2013 12:02 am
[1]Photography © by Carmelite Sisters
On Wednesday, December 11, 2013, Pope Francis sent a message to the Americas in anticipation of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe observed each year on December 12th. She is hailed as Queen of Mexico, Patroness of the Americas, Empress of Latin America, and Patroness of the Philippines. She is also acclaimed as Protectress of Unborn Children.
In his message to the Americas, Pope Francis said that we are to “accept human life at every stage, from the mother’s womb to old age…”
Tomorrow [December 12] is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Patroness of the Americas. I would like to greet all my brothers and sisters on that continent, and I do so thinking of the Virgin of Tepeyac.
When Our Lady appeared to Saint Juan Diego, her face was that of a woman of mixed blood, a mestiza, and her garments bore many symbols of the native culture. Like Jesus, Mary is close to all her sons and daughters; as a concerned mother, she accompanies them on their way through life. She shares all the joys and hopes, the sorrows and troubles of God’s People, which is made up of men and women of every race and nation.
When the image of the Virgin appeared on the tilma of Juan Diego, it was the prophecy of an embrace: Mary’s embrace of all the peoples of the vast expanses of America – the peoples who already lived there, and those who were yet to come. Mary’s embrace showed what America – North and South – is called to be: a land where different peoples come together; a land prepared to accept human life at every stage, from the mother’s womb to old age; a land which welcomes immigrants, and the poor and the marginalized, in every age. A land of generosity.
That is the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and it is also my message, the message of the Church. I ask all the people of the Americas to open wide their arms, like the Virgin, with love and tenderness. (Pope Francis)
In many ways our new Holy Father continues to challenge us. I pray that we will accept the grace with which the good God desires to bless us and for His work in the Kingdom.
Into the deep…
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Into the Deep[2] by Deacon Mike Bickerstaff is a regular feature of the The Integrated Catholic Life™ and usually appears on Sundays.
Deacon Mike Bickerstaff is the Editor in chief and co-founder of the The Integrated Catholic Life™. A Catholic Deacon of the Roman Rite for the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Deacon Bickerstaff is assigned to St. Peter Chanel Catholic Church where he is the Director of Adult Education and Evangelization.
He is a co-founder of the successful annual Atlanta Catholic Business Conference; the Chaplain of the Atlanta Chapter of the Woodstock Theological Center’s Business Conference; and Chaplains to the St. Peter Chanel Business Association and co-founder of the Marriages Are Covenants Ministry, both of which serve as models for similar parish-based ministries.
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