Cardinal Tobin: Mary: Mother of Mercy
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
Mary, the Merciful Lady, helps us to seek and find love and forgiveness through her Son. Mary is the Mother of Mercy because she leads us to Jesus. Images of Mary such as the Icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help, for which we Redemptorists are privileged to serve as guardians, and the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, both show that Mary is not a goddess, the one to be worshipped, because she casts down her eyes and points to her Son, to goodness and salvation in Him.
There is a tendency today to discredit Mary, claiming that devotion to her “keeps women in their place,” in a submissive or secondary role. In fact, the Magnificat boldly proclaims the opposite. Mary is strong. She is called blessed by all generations because of the mighty works done through her by God’s Providence.
One of my favorite examples of Mary’s strength can be found in the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe. As we know, the Franciscan bishop of Mexico City, Juan de Zumárraga, refused to believe her messenger, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, a Chichimeca Indian to whom Mary appeared speaking his language and wearing native dress. The bishop—a skeptic like Zechariah—demanded a sign, so Mary miraculously filled Juan Diego’s tilma (cloak) with roses, which were not in season at that time of year (December). When Juan returned to the bishop and opened his cloak, the miraculous image of Mary appeared embedded in his tilma.
By the grace of God, through Mary’s intercession, Bishop de Zumárraga was converted—an experience every bishop should have! Convinced by the signs that the Blessed Mother offered to him, he approved her request that a chapel be built on Tepeyac Hill. The miraculous image embedded in Juan Diego’s cloak can be seen today in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is located just outside Mexico City. This is the most popular Marian shrine in the world with more than 6 million pilgrims annually.
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