The following was prepared by the Bishops' Committee on the Liturgy concerning the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12, 1999.
The date assigned in the liturgical calendar for the celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is December 12. This year, the feast falls on the Third Sunday in Advent. Because "Sunday must be ranked as the first holy day of all," (General Instruction of the Roman Missal, 4, see SC 106) it gives way only to solemnities or feasts of the Lord. "The Sundays of the seasons of Advent, Lent, and Easter...take precedence over all solemnities and feasts of the Lord" (GIRM, 5). On Sunday, December 12, 1999, therefore, only the texts and readings for the Third Sunday of Advent may be used. (see BCL Newsletter June, 1999).
At the same time there is a growing realization in the churches of the United States of the important role played by Our Lady of Guadalupe as the patroness of the whole hemisphere of America. The extended reflections of Pope John Paul II at the close of the Synod for America is the most recent reminder of this important pastoral consideration.
Without violating liturgical law, which seeks to safeguard an integral celebration of Sunday and the Season of Advent, there are many ways in which the prayers and readings for the Third Sunday of Advent (B) are enhanced by reference to Our Lady of Guadalupe in the homily on that day. Homilists might recall, for example, that just as the Spirit of the Lord descended upon Isaiah that he might announce good tidings to the poor and oppressed, so we hear Mary proclaim that God who lifts up the lowly has looked upon her in her lowliness. As the desert cries of Isaiah and John the Baptist announced the coming of the Lord, so the roses blooming in the arid soil of Tepeyac symbolized the blossoming of Christianity in the Americas. Our Lady of Guadalupe claimed justice for the people of Tepeyac, raising up those who were oppressed. Thus she is a "mantle of justice" for all who are oppressed. ("Is it not I, your mother, who is here? Are you not, fortunately, in my care?")
The image of the pregnant Virgin of Guadalupe is likewise an apt reminder of the focus of this Sunday on the imminent celebration of the birth of Christ. Particular attention to the preparation of liturgical space for this Sunday might, therefore, include an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Intentions in the Prayer of the Faithful may appropriately include themes reflecting concerns for unity of the Americas, and may conclude with the collect customarily used for the Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Processions in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe are appropriate on the Third Sunday of Advent as well. Many other local traditions, including the re-enactment of the story of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe outside the liturgy may likewise enhance the celebration of the last weeks of the Advent season.
The full, conscious and active participation of each member of our assemblies in the mysteries of our faith is the purpose of liturgical law. The Third Sunday of Advent this year provides us with the opportunity to maintain the importance of the Sunday celebration of the Third Sunday of Advent while enriching our experience of the Lord's incarnation by a remembrance of his mother's care for the Church in America.
A complete Spanish translation of this article appears on the NCCB website at: www.nccbuscc.org.
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