Our Lady of Guadalupe

Am I not here, I who am your Mother? 

Are you not under my shadow and protection? 

Am I not the source of your joy? 

Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, 

in the crossing of my arms? 

Do you need something more? 

Let nothing else worry you or disturb you.

---Our Lady to Juan Diego

The miraculous image, which is preserved in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, shows a woman with native features and dress. She is supported by an angel whose wings are reminiscent of one of the major gods of the traditional religion of that area. The moon is beneath her feet and her blue mantle is covered with gold stars. The black girdle about her waist signifies that she is pregnant. Thus, the image graphically depicts the fact that Christ is to be "born" again among the peoples of the New World, and is a message as relevant to the "New World" today as it was during the lifetime of Juan Diego. --from the Vatican website.

Photos and information about the Guadalupe Shrine in Mexico City here.

While today is indeed the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Third Sunday of Advent takes prominence in the Liturgical Calendar at Sunday Mass.