ANNUNCIATION

The virgin's lamp burned bright.

In the dark room

of her womb,

God planted a Son

and the kingdom thrived

like the mustard seed.

A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse--

cypress will grow instead of thorns,

myrtle instead of briars .

The woman grew big with child.

Dreams and angelic visions

proclaimed the greatness of the Lord and the handmaid sang:

"Sing, sing to Yahweh,

sing in praise of God's Name.

I dance on the crescent of the moon, decked in the sun,

crowned with twelve stars,

waiting for the fruit

of my womb."

A shoot springs from the stock of Jesse--

cypress will grow instead of thorns,

myrtle instead of briars .

From "Advent Pastiche,"

EAS, 1985

Greetings, SBT Readers:

As we move into the second week of Advent, Mary takes center stage because of two great feasts -- The Feast of the Immaculate Conception which we celebrate on December 8th and then the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12th. The first, contrary to what many Catholics tend to believe, has nothing to do with the Virgin Birth, but, rather, with Mary's freedom from all taint of sin from the moment of her conception onwards. The belief in the Immaculate Conception of Mary has a long history extending to the Church Fathers; however, it was not until 1854 that Pope Pius IX declared this a dogma to be held by all Catholics.

Papal Encyclical

Mary's sanctity inspires Christians everywhere not only to acknowledge her as being "full of grace," but also to pursue their own calling to delight God. She is a role model of radical trust, absolute goodness and perfect surrender -- characteristics appropriate for the one whose Son would crush the Serpent's head. Just as Mary was a fitting "tabernacle" for the Holy Child, so we, too, are called to be worthy Christ-bearers. For Pius IX, this dogma was the answer to modernity and its lack of spiritual values; it was a call to Christians everywhere to embrace lives of holiness and to look to Mary as the perfect intercessor.

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe celebrates Mary as the Patroness of the Americas and as the Patron Saint of Mexico . The story itself is both inspiring and moving ( The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe), but rather than re-telling the story myself, I would like to focus on some key elements. In the first place, by appearing to Juan Diego as an indigenous woman, Mary demonstrated God's love for those conquered by the conquistadors. Garbed in Aztec symbols and appearing at Tepayac, a site sacred to Tonantzin, the pre-Hispanic Mother Goddess, she also provided a bridge between Aztec religion and Christianity. ( Symbolism and Our Lady of Guadalupe and

Aztec Mother Goddess) To this day, she represents God's "preferential option for the poor," and is a symbol of justice in the face of oppression. The story itself shows her standing with the poor, not the rich; with the powerless. not the elite; with simple peasants, not arrogant bishops. She calls Christians everywhere to stand with her whenever individuals, institutions and governments place vested interests over the sanctity of human life, or whenever there is discrimination based on race, ethnicity, beliefs, culture and language. And, no, Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke neither Spanish nor English; her language of choice was Nahuatl.

Advent Blessings!

Elizabeth

 PS Please note that my weekly video reflection, Sunday Chat

(see below), is an imperfect production, entirely unscripted and therefore prone to some "rough spots" in terms of clarity, content and expression! Sadly, there's no time for "re-takes"!