Elisabeth Scoggin

The Reason behind Praying to Our Lady

            Now that I have learned that Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Virgin Mary; I have come to question why Catholics pray to her. What does she stand for in the Catholic religion and why do they have such a high opinion of her?

            Again turning to the internet and Google, I have found some interesting and informative facts about Our Lady. According to Catholic Culture, “She is Queen in the truest sense of the word, for she rightly reigns at Jesus’ side over the Kingdom He established”. Being Queen of Heaven and Earth, she is not only Jesus’ mother, but is “our” mother as well.

            As in my first post, I went to Sancta.org to learn more about the subject of Mary. In this website I learned what she is thought to actually do. She is the “Protectress of the Unborn”. Since the Garden of Eden, the devil is known to come in the form of a serpent. Centuries ago sacrificing people was not out of the ordinary. Children were thought to be pure and innocent and were the best to sacrifice. Thanks to Our Lady, she “Crushed this serpent in 1531”.

            According to Who and Why website, in 1961 the Pope John XXIII referred to her in a prayer as, “Mother of the Americas”, and addressed her as, “Mother and Teacher of the Faith to the peoples of the Americas”.  Even though she appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico, she is just as important in America. It was Pope John Paul II that made it known that, “He entrusted the future of the Continent to her”. It was then that he declared a Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12.

            Our Lady of Guadalupe Feast day is still celebrated today. Catholic churches hold masses and celebrate with a feast. It is a time of remembrance of her love and devotion. Mexico tends to celebrate it with more festivities than America. On December 12, thousands of people join in Mexico City at the Basilica of Guadalupe where the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary is kept. “Although it is in the Basilica de Guadalupe where the most important rituals and celebrations of this special date take place, there are fiestas all over the country in Honor of Mexico’s Patron Saint” (Inside Mexico).

            What I learned through my research is that; not only is Our Lady called the Protectress of the Unborn, she is also called, “Mother of Hope, Mother of America and the Star of the New Evangelization” (Who and Why). These are merely a few reasons why Our Lady, also known as Jesus’ mother, is still prayed to and praised today.

Works Cited

“Catholic Culture” Enthronement of Our Lady of Guadalupe. http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/activities/view.cfm?id=952

“December 12 Our Lady of Guadalupe” http://www.inside-mexico.com/guadalupe.htm

“Our Lady of Guadalupe” Protectress of the Unborn. http://www.sancta.org/patr-unb.html

“Who and Why” Who is Our Lady of Guadalupe and why is she so important to America? http://ourladyofguadalupepray.homestead.com/whoandwhy.html