These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.   (Rev 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/121223.cfm
Our Lady of Guadalupe is a sign of hope to us who await the coming of our God. The Brown Virgin of Tepeyac signals a new evangelization, not European, but indigenous, resulting in the baptism of over 11 million indigenous people who began the journey with Christ. As we approach the 500th anniversary of the apparitions to Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin which occurred in December, 1531, we sing the great hymn of praise: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed!”