Below are excerpts from Oblate Father Mike McCue’s reflection on his pilgrimage to Mexico City. You can read the entire reflection here.
At the beginning of August, I traveled to Mexico City with Brother Rick Phillip, a Franciscan friend from Camden, to visit the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the tomb of Blessed Miguel Pro.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
The Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe is in a huge plaza, several football fields in size. Over the acres of the shrine are seven chapels of various sizes, representing various eras and a huge catechetical center, a garden with flowing water, a way of the cross, and a bell tower.
The centerpiece is the modern basilica built to accommodate more than 10,000 people. Its huge doors, certainly 20 feet high, let the plaza’s sunlight and cool breezes into the church. This 1979 building could not be more different in style than the typical churches of the city, its half-circle shape enables people to view the original image of Mary from all directions.
There is no person featured in art more than the Blessed Mother, and the icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe has to be among the most familiar and widespread. The image could be seen in every church and chapel, in food stalls, shops, bus stations, houses, street corners, taxis, parks, clothing, jewelry, tattoos, and more. Widespread throughout the Catholic world, no doubt, because of its beauty and because the story of its origin connects with the power of the overall Christian message.
As the story has been handed on to us, Mary appeared to a local Nahua man, a devout new Catholic, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin. She looked like the people there and spoke their language, Nahuatl. This communicated unmistakably that the God of Christianity was not a possession of the Europeans arriving on the wave of conquest but God is the Creator and Redeemer of all and Mary always shines God’s light into our world. This image imprinted on Juan Diego’s cape is a sign and reminder that reflects the light of the incarnation, helping people encounter the Living God.
Tepeyac, Mexico: Still Point in the Turning World
Brother Rick Phillip, OFM, praying with fellow pilgrims.
One high point of our visits took place on the hilltop of Tepeyac, the spot where the Blessed Mother appeared to Juan Diego. It rises high above the rest of the sanctuary and, standing there you could see all of Mexico City and the mountains in the distance. The sky was full of dramatic beauty, in one direction you could see rain falling miles away, and in the other, a pure blue sky.
Shrine of Miguel Pro, Mexico City: Pilgrim Center of Hope
Blessed Miguel Pro, a Mexican Jesuit priest, always appealed to me because he was faithful to Christ in a very difficult time. While ministering in Mexico City during a time of persecution, he was arrested and without a trial placed before a firing squad. The anti-Catholic government documented and published the event with photographs intended to deter resistance and destroy faith. Images portray a man with dignity and strong faith in the face of an ugly fate. You see him kneeling, praying with the bullet-scared wall in the background. Witnesses report that when he stood up, he blessed the soldiers, and prayed out loud. Photos show him standing without the usual blindfold, arms outstretched, like Jesus on the cross, rosary in one hand, crucifix in the other. He cried out his final words: Viva! Cristo Rey! before being executed.
Rather than extinguish faith, the images disgusted believers and people of goodwill. His life and death - his faithfulness to God, the one who is faithful to us, inspires people to choose a better way, to put violence and coercion away.
Travel offers a welcomed change of scenery and a break from the usual activities while letting us learn about a country and its people through authentic experiences and interactions. Through this pilgrimage, I was able to experience these benefits as well as see and feel the profound impact of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Blessed Miguel Pro.
Fr. Mike McCue, OSFS
Chaplain, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital
Camden, NJ
