Pope Francis has announced a Jubilee year with the motto “Pilgrims of Hope.” We live in a time when hope is very important. People are discouraged by sickness, poverty, lack of employment, lack of a good education for their children, insecurity, wars, etc….

The word “hope” comes from the Latin “sperare,” which means “to wait.” It is popularly said that “hope is the last thing to die.”

But in whom do we place our hope?

First, in God, who has promised to be with us always, who, in the encounter with Him as the God of life, promises to remain with us and who fills our lives in ways beyond our imagination. Hope implies a firm commitment to act in harmony with God’s promises and a determined anticipation of their fulfillment. But hope is not easy, yet it often comes in the most unexpected ways.

This is what happened in Guadalupe when, on a day like today in 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego, inviting him to enter into a profound relationship of mother and son through which Juan Diego, who is called by his name, experiences his own dignity. The encounter with the Virgin of Guadalupe ennobles him, dignifies him, and gives him freedom. The love of the Guadalupana takes him out of his self-abasement produced by the Conquistadors at that time, who saw the natives as inferior beings, and gives him the recognition that he is created and loved by God and has the mission to live for Him and others.

Mary of Guadalupe entrusts Juan Diego with the mission of being her messenger. She sends him to Bishop Zumárraga, the first Bishop of Mexico, to tell him that she, the Queen of Heaven, wants a Temple to be built in Tepeyac, from where: “she will give to all her love, her compassion, her help, and her protection because she is the Mother of Mercy, the Mother of all nations on earth.”

With great sadness, Juan Diego returns to her, informing her of the failure of his visit and asking her to choose a more skilled and literate messenger. She confirms that, although she could send another, it is absolutely necessary that he, Juan Diego, be the one to carry the message. We know the rest of the story.

The hope and confidence that Mary of Guadalupe gives

The hope and trust that Mary of Guadalupe gave to Juan Diego and continues to provide to all her children fills us with hope. The devotion to Mary of Guadalupe makes her continue to be present in the lives of her faithful. We can say with certainty that she began to be present among us in 1531. For more than 500 years, her tangible, visible, and maternal presence continues to expand throughout America and throughout the world.

Every year, we celebrate with gratitude and great faith what Our Lady of Guadalupe did for Juan Diego and what she does for each one of us. Her presence gives us hope amid life’s trials and difficulties.

She is love, but above all, she is hope in all that we face. Guadalupe is not the immediate remedy to all our sorrows. But her motherly love means that we do not have to face difficulties alone. She, who is the bearer of Christ, is the source of courage to confront this world and gives us a clear vision of what is in God’s plan.

Thank you, Mary, for your presence, you who are …our life, our sweetness, and our hope.