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  • Home
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    • Contact us
  • HOMILY PREP
    • This Week
      • Third Sunday of Advent, Cycle A
        • The inner word
        • Exploring the word
        • In other words
        • Homily stories
        • Homily stories
        • Prayers
        • Quotes
      • Take Five Dailies
    • Future Weeks
      • Sundays
      • Take Five Dailies
    • Past Weeks
      • Sundays
      • Take Five Dailies
      • Preaching the News
  • LIBRARY
    • General preaching resources
      • The Inner Word
      • Exploring the Word
      • Homilies
      • Homily stories
      • Seasonal notes
        • January seasonal notes
        • February seasonal notes
        • March seasonal notes
        • April seasonal notes
        • May seasonal notes
        • June seasonal notes
        • July seasonal notes
        • August seasonal notes
        • September seasonal notes
        • October seasonal notes
        • November seasonal notes
        • December seasonal notes
      • Pastoral trends
        • What is our project?
        • It wasn't feeding me
        • Is bigger better?
        • Don't get lost in translation
        • Baptized and evangelized
        • Reconfiguring religious communities
        • Faith and networks
        • The leadership instinct: Love and fear?
        • We are all theologians
        • Catholicism is a living tradition
        • Lex orandi, lex credendi
        • Preaching to a place of pluralism
        • All religion is local
        • Cultivating Catholic commitment
        • Religious but not spiritual
        • A liminal moment
        • People groups, varied and diverse
        • Generations: Connecting young with the old
        • Invitation by example
        • A commitment to reversing church decline
        • Practice, practice, practice
        • Growing together
        • Card-punchers
        • Hollowing out and sorting out
        • The power of play
        • From the baroque to the disenchanted and back again?
        • Religion rightly understood
        • Is being Christian second nature?
        • Risking trust
        • What—and who—is truth?
        • Learning from social communications
        • Engage culture or counter it?
        • A monopoly not to be taken for granted
        • Mystics or nothing
        • It takes 19 times to know
        • And the jaws of death . . .
        • Strategic planning: See grace first
        • All is not well
        • When one plus one does not equal two
        • Secularity is the child of religion
        • The stickiness of sacramentality
        • Things aren’t what they used to be
        • How to understand the Trinity
        • Beyond the “being” of God
        • Faith: A value proposition
        • Church and social media
        • An abundant gospel in a time of institutional scarcity
        • New opportunities, “New Evangelization”
        • Vocation awareness: Discerning one’s life vocation today
        • Vocations to consecrated life: Community needed
        • What the church can learn from improv
        • For Latino Catholics, it’s all in the family
        • Megatrend: Church and society
        • New social media and church messaging
        • Family: It’s complicated
        • Society and the church
        • Stewardship: Do you have any idea?
        • What is the state of the laity?
        • Be Catholic, be compassionate
        • There's no "mystery" when it comes to faith and reason
        • Games worth playing
        • Interfaith dialogue: In-different ways
        • The church and the financial system
        • Dialogue needed about parish ministry
        • Participation is more than a laughing matter
        • More than Mass times
        • Seek an encounter with the Divine
        • Where is religion going?
        • “Not an era of change but a change of era”
        • The end of Protestantism?
        • Revitalization?
        • Irreconcilable differences
        • Be a witness, not a control freak
        • God has no grandchildren
        • Pursuing gospel truth
        • Jesus IS Justice
        • Resurrection = Incarnation
        • Strong institutions keep the richness of Catholic tradition
        • A crosscultural symphony
        • Engaging the individual
        • Retrieving the insights of See-Judge-Act
        • Transform the world as adult disciples of Christ
        • Faith communities: embracing the culture
        • Catholics agree on the basics
        • Reframe an alternative story
        • Nourish the culture of learning
        • It’s the culture!
        • Growth or decline, there are no accidents
        • A healthy balance, part I
        • A healthy balance, part II
        • Saved by science?
        • Marriage prep: More important than ever
        • Simplify the message
        • Speaking to independent thinkers
        • Individuals at a communal experience
        • Vocation: Is invitation enough?
        • Behind the model of parish life
        • Several parishes in one
        • What do Catholics look like around the world?
        • Look at the whole picture
        • The flip side of stewardship
        • Making the connection
        • The worship business
        • What can we still learn from See-Judge-Act?
        • Generativity is not an option
        • Preaching in a time of political choices
        • The end of a parochial system
        • Focus on the basics
        • Nostalgia doesn’t work, part I
        • Nostalgia doesn’t work, part 2
        • Believing implies belonging
        • Parishes as faith communities, first and foremost
        • Mass: Not the only form of worship
        • Concerning Catholic identity
        • Everyone matters: Catholicism is about pluralism
        • SHIP
        • What is our central focus?
        • Generations affect church connection
        • Believer to disciple
        • We live for love
        • Attendance challenges
        • Have trust, give permission
        • Effectively leading worship
        • Parish networks
        • Parishes: Develop a hybrid model
        • Religious trends reflect who we are
        • The church needs disciples
        • Offer a challenge to young people
        • Relate to a new generation of Catholics
        • Religion, not therapy
        • Defining Catholic identity
        • What is our brand identity?
      • The Craft of Preaching
        • The best thing I ever heard about preaching
        • Using humor in homilies
        • Funny is a state of mind
        • Tips on using humor
        • The art of storytelling
        • Storytelling content
        • Storytelling presence
        • Do's and don'ts
    • Funeral resources
      • Standard lectionary summaries for funeral readings
      • Funeral homily stories
        • Homage to our dead
        • The blessing of memory
        • The good listener
        • Simple gestures take the lead
        • No one left behind
        • Christian mysteries
        • Not just a movie star
        • Limit his golf game to nine holes
        • Celebrating those heroic souls
        • We didn't lose the game
        • I have not failed
        • Ready to meet his Maker
        • The funniest person in the room
        • Death can be sweet
        • Renouncing Satan
        • Waking from a troubled dream
        • Death matters
        • The light of life goes out reluctantly
        • Meeting death at home
        • Giving death a whirl
        • Recalling, remembering, and reciting
        • Last words
      • Funeral quotes
      • Funeral homilies
      • Prepare the funeral
        • We sang for my father
        • Guide to remembrances of the dead
        • Invocation
        • Death and mourning customs
        • Cremation
        • Wakes
        • Books
        • Funerals and death
        • Funerals for children
        • Advice for funeral homilists
        • DO's and DON'Ts
        • How to write a eulogy
    • Parish ministry resources
      • Advent | Lent resources
      • Take Five for Faith podcasts
      • Take Five for Faith inserts
      • Quotes
      • Scripture
        • Sunday summary
        • In Other Words
      • Questions Catholics ask
        • What is the "Word of God"?
        • What does the Bible say about Judgment Day?
        • What is the immaculate conception?
        • Why pray to the saints?
        • What is Purgatory?
        • Why pray for the dead?
        • How did we get from "the Way" to the church?
        • Can I come back to the church?
        • The creation story: Literally true?
        • What are Biblical miracles?
        • How can I imitate Christ?
        • Why care about poverty?
        • What is the lectionary?
        • Why is marriage a sacrament?
        • Is there salvation outside the Catholic Church?
        • What does the Bible say about discipleship?
        • Is it OK to use "real" bread at Mass?
        • Does God still call people to prophecy?
        • Why is there a church calendar?
        • Did King David compose the psalms?
        • What about heaven and hell?
        • What is Wisdom?
        • How is Jesus present in the Mass?
        • How can I live a holy life?
        • Is it OK for Christians to be rich?
        • What’s the difference between chapels, churches, cathedrals, and basilicas?
        • How can I pray?
        • Did Jesus have siblings?
        • What is pilgrimage?
        • What is the church's "magisterium"?
        • What are biblical miracles?
        • How is Jesus God incarnate?
        • How can I teach my child to know God?
        • The Mass: sacrifice or celebration?
        • How can I be happy?
        • Why sing at Mass?
        • Did Saint Paul write all his letters?
        • What is humility?
        • Who were the prophets?
        • What are the “Precepts of the Church”?
        • How do I cope with sinful thoughts?
        • How does God “answer” prayers?
        • How does the church view other religions?
        • What is Baptism?
        • What is "discernment of spirits"?
        • Is there a "right time" to be called by God?
        • What’s the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament?
        • Is there truth in other religions?
        • Does God get angry?
        • Where did Lent come from? (Part 1 of 2)
        • Where did Lent come from? (Part 2 of 2)
        • What is "salvation history"?
        • Why isn’t the “Gloria” sung during Lent?
        • How did we get the Stations of the Cross?
        • What is contemplation?
        • What is the Triduum?
        • What is devotion to divine mercy?
        • What's the purpose of incense?
        • When should I bow inside a church?
        • What are the pulpit, lectern, and ambo?
        • Who were Jesus' “brothers and sisters”?
        • Why do priests wear vestments?
        • What's the significance of Saint Joseph?
        • Why bless yourself and genuflect?
        • What is the Liturgy of the Hours?
        • Who are the Doctors of the church?
        • Why does the liturgy change?
        • What is the "deposit of faith"?
        • What is RCIA?
        • How can I understand the Holy Trinity?
        • What are the qualifications for being pope?
        • Is Christian unity possible?
        • What does it mean to be called by God?
        • What is Mary's Assumption?
        • Who was John the Baptist?
        • Who was Saint Augustine?
        • What about paraphrase Bibles?
        • What is the name of God?
        • Why did Jesus "descend into hell"?
        • Is Purgatory still "on the books"?
        • What's in a papal name?
        • What are the corporal works of mercy?
        • How does God forgive sins?
        • What was the Reformation?
        • What about violence in Hebrew scripture?
        • What was biblical "leprosy?"
        • What are the different kinds of Franciscans?
        • What about other "Gods" in Hebrew scripture?
        • What is Confession?
        • How can I be a better disciple?
        • What is conversion?
        • What are the forms of prayer?
        • Where is God leading you?
        • Does Reconciliation take humility?
        • What's the difference between teaching and evangelization?
        • What was John the Baptist's relationship to Jesus?
        • How do I discern a religious vocation?
        • Why ashes on Ash Wednesday?
        • Where does Lent come from?
        • What are the deadly sins?
        • What is the "common good?"
        • What is the Apostles' Creed?
        • Why so many shepherds?
        • What do deacons do?
        • What does the Bible say about God?
        • What is the church's "hierarchy"?
        • Who was Saint Thomas Aquinas?
        • What is a "call"?
        • What are "demons"?
        • What is the real presence?
        • What is Christ's Ascension?
        • Why is it important to participate regularly in the Mass?
        • Does Catholic doctrine change?
        • What are visions?
        • What is Pentecost?
        • What happened at the Second Vatican Council?
        • What do we know about Saint Joseph?
      • Prayers
      • The Holy Year of Mercy: Reflections
        • Go and do likewise
        • How much wrong we do ...
        • Put some muscle in your faith
        • If I did not believe ...
        • The prodigal father’s parable
        • The mark of the sinner
        • Let us . . . remember Peter
        • A good point to raise
        • Collect all six
        • Come! Live in the light!
        • God’s mercy can make ...
        • Mercy among the virtues ...
        • Faith large and small
        • I think we too are the people ...
        • I used to think mercy meant ...
        • The quality of mercy is not strain’d ...
        • Together let us pray to the Virgin ...
        • Live the cross
        • I would encourage that hate ...
        • Have a heart
        • He who cannot forgive ...
        • Love is never lost
        • A little bit of mercy ...
        • First things first
        • Sweet mercy ...
        • Royal advice on love
        • The confessional ...
        • I have always found that mercy ...
        • Gone but not forgotten
        • Charity is a supreme virtue ...
        • A hands-on gospel
        • It is not easy to entrust oneself ...
        • Be an angel
        • Forgiveness lives on
        • Give it up for Frances
        • Jesus' attitude is striking ...
        • In the past few days ...
        • Crossing the bridge
        • Love for the least
        • Image matters
        • I am always struck when I reread ...
        • God's patience ...
        • Fear not
        • Go ahead and ask
        • Blessed are the merciful ...
        • Make the most of mercy
        • It is mercy ...
        • Have mercy on me!
        • Give your body a rest
        • I will trust ...
        • Trust the past ...
        • Compassionate rule breaking
        • Please forgive me
        • We shall only resist ...
        • Let them eat bread
        • The pearl of justice ...
        • Build on God’s foundation
        • Among the attributes of God ...
        • Expand the borders of your compassion
        • Give a care
        • A healing touch
        • Difficult, Godlike—and necessary
  • Take Five for Faith
    • Daily Reflection
    • Weekday Reflections
      • This month
      • Future months
      • Past months
    • Bulletin Inserts
    • Sign up for Take Five Daily email
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  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
    • Contributors
    • Partners | Sponsors
      • VISION Vocation Guide and VocationNetwork.org
      • ACTA Publications
    • Subscription Information
    • Subscribe now
    • Terms and privacy policy
      • Terms and conditions of use
      • Privacy statement and cookies policy
    • Contact us
  • HOMILY PREP
    • This Week
      • Third Sunday of Advent, Cycle A
        • The inner word
        • Exploring the word
        • In other words
        • Homily stories
        • Homily stories
        • Prayers
        • Quotes
      • Take Five Dailies
    • Future Weeks
      • Sundays
      • Take Five Dailies
    • Past Weeks
      • Sundays
      • Take Five Dailies
      • Preaching the News
  • LIBRARY
    • General preaching resources
      • The Inner Word
      • Exploring the Word
      • Homilies
      • Homily stories
      • Seasonal notes
        • January seasonal notes
        • February seasonal notes
        • March seasonal notes
        • April seasonal notes
        • May seasonal notes
        • June seasonal notes
        • July seasonal notes
        • August seasonal notes
        • September seasonal notes
        • October seasonal notes
        • November seasonal notes
        • December seasonal notes
      • Pastoral trends
        • What is our project?
        • It wasn't feeding me
        • Is bigger better?
        • Don't get lost in translation
        • Baptized and evangelized
        • Reconfiguring religious communities
        • Faith and networks
        • The leadership instinct: Love and fear?
        • We are all theologians
        • Catholicism is a living tradition
        • Lex orandi, lex credendi
        • Preaching to a place of pluralism
        • All religion is local
        • Cultivating Catholic commitment
        • Religious but not spiritual
        • A liminal moment
        • People groups, varied and diverse
        • Generations: Connecting young with the old
        • Invitation by example
        • A commitment to reversing church decline
        • Practice, practice, practice
        • Growing together
        • Card-punchers
        • Hollowing out and sorting out
        • The power of play
        • From the baroque to the disenchanted and back again?
        • Religion rightly understood
        • Is being Christian second nature?
        • Risking trust
        • What—and who—is truth?
        • Learning from social communications
        • Engage culture or counter it?
        • A monopoly not to be taken for granted
        • Mystics or nothing
        • It takes 19 times to know
        • And the jaws of death . . .
        • Strategic planning: See grace first
        • All is not well
        • When one plus one does not equal two
        • Secularity is the child of religion
        • The stickiness of sacramentality
        • Things aren’t what they used to be
        • How to understand the Trinity
        • Beyond the “being” of God
        • Faith: A value proposition
        • Church and social media
        • An abundant gospel in a time of institutional scarcity
        • New opportunities, “New Evangelization”
        • Vocation awareness: Discerning one’s life vocation today
        • Vocations to consecrated life: Community needed
        • What the church can learn from improv
        • For Latino Catholics, it’s all in the family
        • Megatrend: Church and society
        • New social media and church messaging
        • Family: It’s complicated
        • Society and the church
        • Stewardship: Do you have any idea?
        • What is the state of the laity?
        • Be Catholic, be compassionate
        • There's no "mystery" when it comes to faith and reason
        • Games worth playing
        • Interfaith dialogue: In-different ways
        • The church and the financial system
        • Dialogue needed about parish ministry
        • Participation is more than a laughing matter
        • More than Mass times
        • Seek an encounter with the Divine
        • Where is religion going?
        • “Not an era of change but a change of era”
        • The end of Protestantism?
        • Revitalization?
        • Irreconcilable differences
        • Be a witness, not a control freak
        • God has no grandchildren
        • Pursuing gospel truth
        • Jesus IS Justice
        • Resurrection = Incarnation
        • Strong institutions keep the richness of Catholic tradition
        • A crosscultural symphony
        • Engaging the individual
        • Retrieving the insights of See-Judge-Act
        • Transform the world as adult disciples of Christ
        • Faith communities: embracing the culture
        • Catholics agree on the basics
        • Reframe an alternative story
        • Nourish the culture of learning
        • It’s the culture!
        • Growth or decline, there are no accidents
        • A healthy balance, part I
        • A healthy balance, part II
        • Saved by science?
        • Marriage prep: More important than ever
        • Simplify the message
        • Speaking to independent thinkers
        • Individuals at a communal experience
        • Vocation: Is invitation enough?
        • Behind the model of parish life
        • Several parishes in one
        • What do Catholics look like around the world?
        • Look at the whole picture
        • The flip side of stewardship
        • Making the connection
        • The worship business
        • What can we still learn from See-Judge-Act?
        • Generativity is not an option
        • Preaching in a time of political choices
        • The end of a parochial system
        • Focus on the basics
        • Nostalgia doesn’t work, part I
        • Nostalgia doesn’t work, part 2
        • Believing implies belonging
        • Parishes as faith communities, first and foremost
        • Mass: Not the only form of worship
        • Concerning Catholic identity
        • Everyone matters: Catholicism is about pluralism
        • SHIP
        • What is our central focus?
        • Generations affect church connection
        • Believer to disciple
        • We live for love
        • Attendance challenges
        • Have trust, give permission
        • Effectively leading worship
        • Parish networks
        • Parishes: Develop a hybrid model
        • Religious trends reflect who we are
        • The church needs disciples
        • Offer a challenge to young people
        • Relate to a new generation of Catholics
        • Religion, not therapy
        • Defining Catholic identity
        • What is our brand identity?
      • The Craft of Preaching
        • The best thing I ever heard about preaching
        • Using humor in homilies
        • Funny is a state of mind
        • Tips on using humor
        • The art of storytelling
        • Storytelling content
        • Storytelling presence
        • Do's and don'ts
    • Funeral resources
      • Standard lectionary summaries for funeral readings
      • Funeral homily stories
        • Homage to our dead
        • The blessing of memory
        • The good listener
        • Simple gestures take the lead
        • No one left behind
        • Christian mysteries
        • Not just a movie star
        • Limit his golf game to nine holes
        • Celebrating those heroic souls
        • We didn't lose the game
        • I have not failed
        • Ready to meet his Maker
        • The funniest person in the room
        • Death can be sweet
        • Renouncing Satan
        • Waking from a troubled dream
        • Death matters
        • The light of life goes out reluctantly
        • Meeting death at home
        • Giving death a whirl
        • Recalling, remembering, and reciting
        • Last words
      • Funeral quotes
      • Funeral homilies
      • Prepare the funeral
        • We sang for my father
        • Guide to remembrances of the dead
        • Invocation
        • Death and mourning customs
        • Cremation
        • Wakes
        • Books
        • Funerals and death
        • Funerals for children
        • Advice for funeral homilists
        • DO's and DON'Ts
        • How to write a eulogy
    • Parish ministry resources
      • Advent | Lent resources
      • Take Five for Faith podcasts
      • Take Five for Faith inserts
      • Quotes
      • Scripture
        • Sunday summary
        • In Other Words
      • Questions Catholics ask
        • What is the "Word of God"?
        • What does the Bible say about Judgment Day?
        • What is the immaculate conception?
        • Why pray to the saints?
        • What is Purgatory?
        • Why pray for the dead?
        • How did we get from "the Way" to the church?
        • Can I come back to the church?
        • The creation story: Literally true?
        • What are Biblical miracles?
        • How can I imitate Christ?
        • Why care about poverty?
        • What is the lectionary?
        • Why is marriage a sacrament?
        • Is there salvation outside the Catholic Church?
        • What does the Bible say about discipleship?
        • Is it OK to use "real" bread at Mass?
        • Does God still call people to prophecy?
        • Why is there a church calendar?
        • Did King David compose the psalms?
        • What about heaven and hell?
        • What is Wisdom?
        • How is Jesus present in the Mass?
        • How can I live a holy life?
        • Is it OK for Christians to be rich?
        • What’s the difference between chapels, churches, cathedrals, and basilicas?
        • How can I pray?
        • Did Jesus have siblings?
        • What is pilgrimage?
        • What is the church's "magisterium"?
        • What are biblical miracles?
        • How is Jesus God incarnate?
        • How can I teach my child to know God?
        • The Mass: sacrifice or celebration?
        • How can I be happy?
        • Why sing at Mass?
        • Did Saint Paul write all his letters?
        • What is humility?
        • Who were the prophets?
        • What are the “Precepts of the Church”?
        • How do I cope with sinful thoughts?
        • How does God “answer” prayers?
        • How does the church view other religions?
        • What is Baptism?
        • What is "discernment of spirits"?
        • Is there a "right time" to be called by God?
        • What’s the relationship between the Old Testament and the New Testament?
        • Is there truth in other religions?
        • Does God get angry?
        • Where did Lent come from? (Part 1 of 2)
        • Where did Lent come from? (Part 2 of 2)
        • What is "salvation history"?
        • Why isn’t the “Gloria” sung during Lent?
        • How did we get the Stations of the Cross?
        • What is contemplation?
        • What is the Triduum?
        • What is devotion to divine mercy?
        • What's the purpose of incense?
        • When should I bow inside a church?
        • What are the pulpit, lectern, and ambo?
        • Who were Jesus' “brothers and sisters”?
        • Why do priests wear vestments?
        • What's the significance of Saint Joseph?
        • Why bless yourself and genuflect?
        • What is the Liturgy of the Hours?
        • Who are the Doctors of the church?
        • Why does the liturgy change?
        • What is the "deposit of faith"?
        • What is RCIA?
        • How can I understand the Holy Trinity?
        • What are the qualifications for being pope?
        • Is Christian unity possible?
        • What does it mean to be called by God?
        • What is Mary's Assumption?
        • Who was John the Baptist?
        • Who was Saint Augustine?
        • What about paraphrase Bibles?
        • What is the name of God?
        • Why did Jesus "descend into hell"?
        • Is Purgatory still "on the books"?
        • What's in a papal name?
        • What are the corporal works of mercy?
        • How does God forgive sins?
        • What was the Reformation?
        • What about violence in Hebrew scripture?
        • What was biblical "leprosy?"
        • What are the different kinds of Franciscans?
        • What about other "Gods" in Hebrew scripture?
        • What is Confession?
        • How can I be a better disciple?
        • What is conversion?
        • What are the forms of prayer?
        • Where is God leading you?
        • Does Reconciliation take humility?
        • What's the difference between teaching and evangelization?
        • What was John the Baptist's relationship to Jesus?
        • How do I discern a religious vocation?
        • Why ashes on Ash Wednesday?
        • Where does Lent come from?
        • What are the deadly sins?
        • What is the "common good?"
        • What is the Apostles' Creed?
        • Why so many shepherds?
        • What do deacons do?
        • What does the Bible say about God?
        • What is the church's "hierarchy"?
        • Who was Saint Thomas Aquinas?
        • What is a "call"?
        • What are "demons"?
        • What is the real presence?
        • What is Christ's Ascension?
        • Why is it important to participate regularly in the Mass?
        • Does Catholic doctrine change?
        • What are visions?
        • What is Pentecost?
        • What happened at the Second Vatican Council?
        • What do we know about Saint Joseph?
      • Prayers
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Take Five for Faith Daily

Thursday
December 12
FEAST OF OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE
Of the people and for the people

Our Lady of Guadalupe is probably the most iconic image and story of Mary in North America. One reason for this overwhelming devotion is that she appeared in the form of an indigenous woman to an indigenous man—Indians being the lowest tier of Mexican society both then and now. That God’s own mother could be of the poor and for the poor continues to be a powerful message with strong implications about how we treat one another. In your prayer today, reflect on whose image Mary might take on if she were to appear in your community today. What would her face look like? And what might she ask of us?

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