Blessed Virgin Mary was assumed into Heaven after a life of sacrificial service as the mother of our Lord, but hundreds of millions of Catholics know that she retains an active engagement in the world. She is, of course, a frequently-cited intercessor on behalf of all the faithful who ask for her assistance in gaining certain graces from her Son. Was there any doubt, for example, that the woman who persuaded her Son to save the wedding at Cana would also secure victory at the Battle of Lepanto?

But we remember her here, most particularly, for her role throughout history, when she continued to intervene and to warn humanity that the coming chastisements would be dire if people failed to perform acts of prayer and penitence. In 1531, she appeared at Tepeyac Hill before Juan Diego, a peasant native to the area that is now Mexico City, and urged an end to the practice of human sacrifice. She left a miraculous image of herself as evidence that Juan Diego could provide his Bishop. The conversions to Christianity ensued by the millions, and the practice of human sacrifice (at least, as it was performed at that time) ended. For obvious reasons, she is patroness of the Americas and of unborn children, who remain an object of human sacrifice to this day. In some political ideologies, support for committing violent acts to destroy unborn children has achieved fervent support akin to a religious cult. December 12 is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe,
PRAY FOR US.