Time of Transformation

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, invite us to reflect on how the experience of the love and mission of God is the foundation of transformations in both individuals and society.

 

Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish

The Reading from the Prophet Zechariah is an Expansion on the Themes of the First Three Visions.

* [2:10] Land of the north: refers to Babylon (v. 11), in a geographic rather than a political sense, as the place from which exiles will return. The designation is “north” because imperial invaders historically entered Palestine from that direction (see Jer 3:18; 23:8).

* [2:15] Many nations…my people: a way of expressing God’s relationship to people in covenant language. The covenant between God and Israel (see Jer 31:33; 32:38) is here universalized to include all nations.

* [2:16] The holy land: the Lord’s earthly territory, a designation found only rarely in the Old Testament. (“Zechariah, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB,” n.d.)

The Text from the Book of Revelation proclaims The Woman and the Dragon.

* [12:1–6] The woman adorned with the sun, the moon, and the stars (images taken from Gn 37:9–10) symbolizes God’s people in the Old and the New Testament. The Israel of old gave birth to the Messiah (Rev 12:5) and then became the new Israel, the church, which suffers persecution by the dragon (Rev 12:6, 13–17); cf. Is 50:1; 66:7; Jer 50:12. This corresponds to a widespread myth throughout the ancient world that a goddess pregnant with a savior was pursued by a horrible monster; by miraculous intervention, she bore a son who then killed the monster.

* [12:2] Because of Eve’s sin, the woman gives birth in distress and pain (Gn 3:16; cf. Is 66:7–14).

* [12:3] Huge red dragon: the Devil or Satan (cf. Rev 12:9; 20:2), symbol of the forces of evil, a mythical monster known also as Leviathan (Ps 74:13–14) or Rahab (Jb 26:12–13; Ps 89:11). Seven diadems: these are symbolic of the fullness of the dragon’s sovereignty over the kingdoms of this world; cf. Christ with many diadems (Rev 19:12).

* [12:5] Rule,iron rod: fulfilled in Rev 19:15; cf. Ps 2:9. Was caught up to God: reference to Christ’s ascension.

* [12:6] God protects the persecuted church in the desert, the traditional Old Testament place of refuge for the afflicted, according to the typology of the Exodus; see note on Rev 11:2. (“Revelation, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB,” n.d.)

The response from the Book of Judith describes how Judith Displays the Head of Holofernes.

* [13:12–20] Elements from chaps. 8–9 are echoed here. The assembly of the people at Judith’s return parallels the meeting of the town officials summoned by Judith in 8:10. Uzziah blesses Judith in 8:5 and again in 13:18–20. (“Judith, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB,” n.d.)

The Gospel of Luke proclaims Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth.

* [1:43] Even before his birth, Jesus is identified in Luke as the Lord.

* [1:45] Blessed are you who believed: Luke portrays Mary as a believer whose faith stands in contrast to the disbelief of Zechariah (Lk 1:20). Mary’s role as believer in the infancy narrative should be seen in connection with the explicit mention of her presence among “those who believed” after the resurrection at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:14).

* [1:46–55] Although Mary is praised for being the mother of the Lord and because of her belief, she reacts as the servant in a psalm of praise, the Magnificat. Because there is no specific connection of the canticle to the context of Mary’s pregnancy and her visit to Elizabeth, the Magnificat (with the possible exception of v. 48) may have been a Jewish Christian hymn that Luke found appropriate at this point in his story. (“Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB,” n.d.)

Desiree Nownes comments her experience was always that the church was a sanctuary from the evils of the world and a place that the poor, hungry, and downtrodden could turn to. In recent years, She feels that the church has taken on a very political stance and is not the protector of the poor, needy, and puts out more wrath than love. As we stand before our creator, will we be able to say that his church welcomed all who sought refuge from the dragon and evilness in the world? During this time of Advent as a time of light, can we dispel the darkness and welcome a season of Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love?

Life is hard. Times are difficult. I am exhausted by the world and the despair I see.

I contemplate peace and pray for guidance against those who only wish hardship and ruin on others.

Be our light, Lord. Bring back the nurturing and protective nature of the church and its teachings. May they know we are Christians by our love.

“I (almost) always come limping into Advent,

desperate for light, but almost too tired to look for it.

Then, I remember, the light comes to look for me,

and that’s the whole point.” (Annie B. Jones) (Nownes, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “Mary conceives the Creator of all things,” by an anonymous early author from the Greek church.

"Gabriel flew down from the vault of heaven and came to Nazareth; standing before the virgin Mary, he cried to her, 'Rejoice! You shall conceive a son more ancient than Adam, the Creator of all things and Savior of those who cry to you. Rejoice, pure virgin!' Gabriel brought from heaven good tidings to the Virgin, and he cried out to her, 'Rejoice! You shall conceive him whom the world cannot contain; he shall be contained within your womb. You shall bear him who shone forth from the Father before the morning star!' (Psalm 110:3).

"The co-eternal Word of the Father who has no beginning, not being parted from the things on high, has now descended here below, in his boundless love taking pity on fallen humankind. He has assumed the poverty of Adam, clothing himself in a form strange to him." (excerpt from STICHERA OF THE ANNUNCIATION) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 1:26-38 comments that In today’s first reading, the prophet Zechariah proclaims, “You shall know that the Lord of hosts has sent me to you” when “many nations” join themselves to the Lord (Zechariah 2:15). Just so, we can rejoice that the Lord has sent our Blessed Mother to us because of the way people from “many nations,” including our own, have joined themselves to the Lord as a result of her appearances.

God sent the prophet Zechariah to Israel with a message of salvation. He sent the angel Gabriel to Mary with a message of salvation. He sent the Virgin Mary to the Americas with a message of salvation. And he’s sending you to your friends, family, and community with a message of salvation. So don’t be afraid to share the good news about Jesus; it’s just as powerful today as ever!

“Lord, thank you for sending me into the world!” (“Meditation on Luke 1:26-38,” 2025)

Friar Jude Winkler comments how Zechariah speaks about the Lord coming to rescue Zion and Judah will be His own portion. God will make a home among His people. The Ark of the Covenant was seen in the Temple announcing God coming for judgement. We may think of Mary and the Immaculate Conception but it also is the Church giving birth to Jesus throughout history. The primordial rebellion against God is presented in sweeping of the stars. In Luke, the Holy Family starts in Nazareth, which is in the region of Galilee. They travel to Bethlehem in Judea for a Roman census, where Jesus is born, and then return to Nazareth shortly after. 

This account differs from the Gospel of Matthew, in which the Holy Family appears to be living in Bethlehem. In Luke, the Spirit greets Mary in the perfect tense, indicating she is always full of grace. Mary is a bit troubled that she would bear Jesus, “Yeshua”  or“Yahweh saves” who in the light of The Holy Spirit we understand as the Only Son of God. Friar Jude addresses the difference in Zachariah and Mary’s question, valid in the case of Mary who becomes the new Ark of the Covenant, Her pregnancy was also possible. Those damaged by sin are not able to be totally vulnerable as was Mary. The visitation where Mary travels to Ein Karem and Elizabeth can recognize Mary’s surrender to the will of God as John the Baptist, in Elizabeth’s womb, gives witness to the Lord. Friar Jude comments that The “Magnificat” is chosen by Luke to illustrate how Mary proclaims the greatness of God.

Fr. Mike Schmitz reminds us of the context of Galatians and reiterates Paul’s admonition not to revert to our previous ways of life now that we have been freed from the yoke of slavery. He also discusses the works of the flesh which separate us from Christ and the fruits of the spirit which result from a life lived in God, reminding us that we will reap what we sow in due season. Today’s readings are Acts 25, Galatians 4-6, and Proverbs 29:15-17.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces author Stephanie Duncan Smith who writes about her experience of suffering a miscarriage during the Advent season. She recounts how averse she felt to the holiday celebrations in her time of grief.

The God of Advent is not a God of indifference, but the God who imagined mirror neurons into existence—the cell network responsible for so much of what makes us human, which is the basic ability to read and respond to the emotional needs of others. Every human encounter of empathy begins with mirror neurons firing in witness to pain.

It is fitting, then, that the sacred year begins with Advent. Human pain is the call—every nerve ending crying out. The Incarnation is the response—every mirror neuron of God firing, volcanic in awakening. God hears the crash and cries of our great fall and, like a mother, comes running. Emmanuel rushes through time and space to be not just near our hurt, but human with us in it.

What I had missed was the very essence of Advent: This is an entire season dedicated to hearing the hurt and naming the night. We are not just allowed to do so, we are openly called to do so. (Rohr, n.d.)

We seek the consolation of the Spirit as we negotiate our journey through challenge and loss with trust in God to transform our lives through love, mercy and compassion.

References

Judith, CHAPTER 13 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/judith/13?18 

Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1? 

Meditation on Luke 1:26-38. (2025, December 12). Word Among Us. https://wau.org/meditations/2025/12/12/1444284/ 

Nownes, D. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved December 12, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-december-12-2025 

Revelation, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/revelation/12 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved December 12, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/advent-heals-the-hurt/ 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). For with God Nothing Will Be Impossible. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved December 12, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Zechariah, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved December 12, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/zechariah/2?14 

Covenant and Community

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today, Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, invite us to celebrate and share the joy of our relationship with Christ especially with people to whom we can bring love and support.

Community and Care

The reading from the Prophet Zephaniah, proclaims “Shout for joy, daughter Zion!”

h. [3:14] Zec 9:9.

i. [3:17] Jl 2:27. (Zephaniah, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

The reading from the Letter of Paul to the Romans celebrates Mutual Love.

f. [12:9] 2 Cor 6:6; 1 Tm 1:5; 1 Pt 1:22 / Am 5:15.

g. [12:10] Jn 13:34; 1 Thes 4:9; 1 Pt 2:17; 2 Pt 1:7 / Phil 2:3.

h. [12:11] Acts 18:25.

i. [12:12] 5:2–3; Col 4:2; 1 Thes 5:17.

j. [12:13] Heb 13:2; 1 Pt 4:9.

k. [12:14–21] Mt 5:38–48; 1 Cor 4:12; 1 Pt 3:9.

l. [12:14] Lk 6:27–28.

m. [12:15] Ps 35:13; Sir 7:34; 1 Cor 12:26.

n. [12:16] 15:5; Phil 2:2–3 / 11:20; Prv 3:7; Is 5:21. (Romans, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

The response from the Prophet Isaiah expresses Israel’s thanksgiving to the Lord.

* [12:1–6] Israel’s thanksgiving to the Lord, expressed in language like that of the Psalms. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB, n.d.)

In the Gospel of Luke, Mary’s Visit to Elizabeth is celebrated in the Canticle of Mary known as the Magnificat.

* [1:43] Even before his birth, Jesus is identified in Luke as the Lord.

* [1:45] Blessed are you who believed: Luke portrays Mary as a believer whose faith stands in contrast to the disbelief of Zechariah (Lk 1:20). Mary’s role as believer in the infancy narrative should be seen in connection with the explicit mention of her presence among “those who believed” after the resurrection at the beginning of the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 1:14).

* [1:46–55] Although Mary is praised for being the mother of the Lord and because of her belief, she reacts as the servant in a psalm of praise, the Magnificat. Because there is no specific connection of the canticle to the context of Mary’s pregnancy and her visit to Elizabeth, the Magnificat (with the possible exception of v. 48) may have been a Jewish Christian hymn that Luke found appropriate at this point in his story. Even if not composed by Luke, it fits in well with themes found elsewhere in Luke: joy and exultation in the Lord; the lowly being singled out for God’s favor; the reversal of human fortunes; the fulfillment of Old Testament promises. The loose connection between the hymn and the context is further seen in the fact that a few Old Latin manuscripts identify the speaker of the hymn as Elizabeth, even though the overwhelming textual evidence makes Mary the speaker. (Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB, n.d.)

Andy Alexander, S.J. comments that upon hearing that her elderly relative Elizabeth is also pregnant – because nothing is impossible with God – Mary’s first and immediate instinct is to go and help Elizabeth.  Full of grace, and carrying the human expression of God’s dying-to-self love, Mary shows us that when we receive God’s love, the grace will be there to share it with others.  To highlight this central part of our faith, our new Pope, Leo XIV, outlined this movement in his inauguration homily.

Brothers and sisters, I would like that our first great desire be for a united Church, a sign of unity and communion, which becomes a leaven for a reconciled world.

In this our time, we still see too much discord, too many wounds caused by hatred, violence, prejudice, the fear of difference, and an economic paradigm that exploits the Earth’s resources and marginalises the poorest. For our part, we want to be a small leaven of unity, communion and fraternity within the world. We want to say to the world, with humility and joy: Look to Christ! Come closer to him! Welcome his word that enlightens and consoles! Listen to his offer of love and become his one family: in the one Christ, we are one. This is the path to follow together, among ourselves but also with our sister Christian churches, with those who follow other religious paths, with those who are searching for God, with all women and men of good will, in order to build a new world where peace reigns!

This is the missionary spirit that must animate us; not closing ourselves off in our small groups, nor feeling superior to the world.  We are called to offer God’s love to everyone, in order to achieve that unity which does not cancel out differences but values the personal history of each person and the social and religious culture of every people.

Brothers and sisters, this is the hour for love! The heart of the Gospel is the love of God that makes us brothers and sisters. With my predecessor Leo XIII, we can ask ourselves today: If this criterion “were to prevail in the world, would not every conflict cease and peace return?” (Rerum Novarum, 20).

With the light and the strength of the Holy Spirit, let us build a Church founded on God’s love, a sign of unity, a missionary Church that opens its arms to the world, proclaims the word, allows itself to be made “restless” by history, and becomes a leaven of harmony for humanity.

Together, as one people, as brothers and sisters, let us walk towards God and love one another.  [Inauguration homily] (Alexander, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “John prophecies from the womb,” by Maximus of Turin (died between 408-423 AD)

"Not yet born, already John prophesies and, while still in the enclosure of his mother's womb, confesses the coming of Christ with movements of joy - since he could not do so with his voice. As Elizabeth says to holy Mary, 'As soon as you greeted me, the child in my womb exulted for joy.' John exults, then, before he is born. Before his eyes can see what the world looks like, he can recognize the Lord of the world with his spirit. In this regard, I think that the prophetic phrase is appropriate: 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you came forth from the womb I sanctified you' (Jeremiah 1:5). Thus we ought not to marvel that after Herod put him in prison, he continued to announce Christ to his disciples from his confinement, when even confined in the womb he preached the same Lord by his movements." (excerpt from SERMON 5.4) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Luke 1:39-56 comments that our joy, however, is not something we should hide or keep to ourselves. As Jesus’ followers, our lives should shine with the joy and light of God’s love. Through our demeanor and our actions, we can make that joy readily apparent to everyone we meet. We can bring the light of Christ to a world that often sits in darkness!

On this special feast day, perhaps you could pray the joyful mysteries of the Rosary, or maybe just the second decade, the Visitation. As you do, let the joy so evident in this scene bubble up in your heart. Then “go in haste” to share this joy with all those you encounter today!

“Lord Jesus, help me to shine with the joy I experience in knowing you.” (Meditation on Luke 1:39-56, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments on the joy expressed by Zephaniah to visit Jerusalem ruled by God himself. Paul’s Letter to the Romans speaks of Christian virtues that we see in the reaction of Mary and Elizabeth. Mary set out for the hill country to Ein Kareem outside Jerusalem. Mary celebrates the fact of raising the lowly as the Queen of the anawim, people who but for the grace of God are not going to make it. Mary remains for three months and this refers to a greater sign nearby where David left the Ark for three months. Friar Jude reminds us of the role of Mary as the new Ark of the Covenant.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces indigenous author Sherri Mitchell who describes how we can heal our collective human shadow through compassion and spiritual maturity. There are other times when we meet our shadows with darkness. When this happens, we will simply expand the shadow and create more space for harm to occur. So how do we face the shadows that we see, and make the choice to bring light instead of darkness? How do we get to the place where we are willing to stop blindly lashing out, and end the illusion of war within ourselves and with others? 

We do so by facing ourselves, in every reflection, in every moment, with some degree of compassionate awareness and spiritual maturity. This is the real challenge of our lives…. 

The question is not why we are here, but how we show up most powerfully to meet the times that we are part of. The work that we are required to do is to reconcile the external world that we have created with the inner wisdom that we have acquired. Can we see how we, collectively, have played a role in the reality that is unfolding around us? Can we look at the world that we’ve created and identify our fingerprint in the design?…  

Are we willing to recognize the patterns of harm that we have been involved in, and consciously choose to heal the reverberations of that harm that are unfolding all around us? Will we as a species finally find a way to create a reality of peaceful coexistence, now that we know that failing to do so would be a complete destruction of ourselves? (Rohr, n.d.)

We ask the Spirit to inspire our action to bring loving support to people to celebrate their lives as children of God.

References

Alexander, A. (n.d.). Daily Reflection Of Creighton University's Online Ministries. Creighton University's Online Ministries. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/053125.html 

Isaiah, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Bible Readings. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/12?2 

Luke, CHAPTER 1 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1?39 

Meditation on Luke 1:39-56. (n.d.). The Word Among Us: Homepage. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://wau.org/meditations/2025/05/31/1289960/ 

Rohr, R. (n.d.). Embracing the Shadow: Weekly Summary. Center for Action and Contemplation. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/weekly-summary-embracing-the-shadow/ 

Romans, CHAPTER 12 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/romans/12?9 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). Joyful Anticipation of the Messiah. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/?ds_year=2025&date=may31a 

Zephaniah, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved May 31, 2025, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/zephaniah/3?14