Advent Mission Reflection
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mission and Vocation

Review Terms:

Advent- The season preceding Christmas (the birth of Jesus) and focused on preparing the heart and the world for His coming; four weeks long, characterized by joyful hope, often confused in secular world with the Christmas season- but these are separate!

Mission- The work God tasks us with to bring the Good News of God’s love to everyone, Jesus Christ set an example in his life and invited his disciples to do the same, “Go and make disciples of all nations.” This is the core, central effort of the Church and the responsibility of every baptized Christian.

Vocation- More than a job, this is a way of life that each of us is called to by God. Every baptized person has the duty to further God’s mission, but how we do that is different based on our interests, skills and context. It is the responsibility of every Christian to discern and discover his or her vocation.

Our Lady of Guadalupe- The title for Mary of Nazareth, Mother of Jesus Christ and Mother of the Church, as a result of her apparition in Mexico just after the initial colonization by Spanish conquistadors. As a result of this miraculous event, millions of native and mixed birth Mexicans became Christian and she is now Patroness of as well as Evangelizer to the Americas.

Missionary Childhood Association- A Pontifical Mission Society founded in 1843 by Bishop Charles de Forbin-Janson to help children strengthen their relationship with God through active participation in the missionary work of the Church. The MCA offers global education, prayer and support from children to children across the continents.

Kindergarten – 3rdGrade

Week 1:

  • Read: the first half of the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe (up to second apparition)
  • Discuss: Focus on how Mary was sent by God. Mary was given the job of coming down from heaven to colonial Mexico during a time of violence and suffering. She did not come to force the native people to become Catholic, she came to show both natives and Spaniards that God wants peace. She came to tell all of them that she is their Mother and that she loves them. Mary is like our mothers- she listens to our fears and sadness, she is happy for us when we are happy and she encourages us in everything that we do.
  • Activity: Color an image of OLG noting the significance of each color. Remind the students that God sent Mary to Mexico- to share God’s love and peace.
  • Encourage the students to donate to the MCA. This is another great way that they can spread the Good News of God’s love.

Week 2:

  • Read: the second half of the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe
  • Discuss: Focus on how Juan Diego was sent by Mary. She asks Juan Diego to go to the Bishop and tell him to build a church. Why didn’t she just do it herself? Because she needs the help of people like Juan Diego and the bishop to spread the Good News. Juan Diego was a humble man but he was given a very important job. Now he isa Saint! Review the role of saints in our lives of faith. God needs us to be his messengers. When we are kind and love the people we meet, God uses us to spread the Good News too!
  • Activity: Draw or write on Juan Diego’s tilma what inspires you to do God’s work. Remind the students that Mary sent Juan Diego to the Bishop- to build a church.
  • Encourage the students to give to the MCA. This is another great way that they can spread the Good News of God’s love.

Week 3:

  • Read: the story of the Nativity,Luke 2:1-20
  • Discuss: Focus on how God sent Jesus to be born. Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Mary. He started out as a little baby but he grew up. Later on he started to work on making friends (the apostles) and teaching people about God. He also healed people and listened to their questions. He spread the good news about God’s love for everyone. He is our model and teacher. He is the one we want to be like.
  • Activity: Color a picture of the baby Jesus and draw arrows that show God’s heavenly star sending Him to be born. Remind the students that God sent Jesus to Bethlehem to be our teacher and healer.
  • Encourage the students to donate to the MCA. This is another great way that they can spread the Good News of God’s love.

Week 4:

  • Read: John 20:21 As the Father has sent me, so I send you.
    Matthew 28:19-20 Go and make disciples of all nations…
  • Discuss: Focus on how Jesus sends us out. Jesus is our example so that just like what he did, we are to do. We can make friends and teach people about God. We can help heal people and listen to their needs. Just like Juan Diego, we will be given a very special job to do. What will it be? What do you like to do? What are you good at? How can God use your talents?
  • Activity: Write or draw where Jesus is sending you- help the name their vocation. Jesus sends me to… do something, go somewhere.
  • Encourage the students to give to the MCA. This is another great way that they can spread the Good News of God’s love.

4th-6thGrades

Week 1:

  • Read: the first half of the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe (up to second apparition)
  • Discuss: Focus on how Mary was sent by God. Mary is God’s Mother. Make sure the students understand that the same Mary from the nativity is the Mary that appeared in Mexico. She resides with Jesus in Heaven and has a very special role as intercessor with God’s people. She has appeared in many different times and places. When she appeared in Mexico, she had an important job to do. She was sent to bring about peace between the Natives and Spaniards. She did not come to tell anyone that they were wrong or evil. She looked at Juan Diego with love and spoke to him respectfully. Her vocation was as a loving Mother. What does a mother do? Mary does all these things and more for every child of God.
  • Activity:Write “Mary is Our Mother” and color a picture of OLG. Have the students think about the story and what Mary did. Have them write down the different ways she showed her vocation as Mother to Juan Diego. Mary’s vocation is as Mother of God/All. Her mission is to spread the good news of God’s love to the people of colonial Mexico.
  • Encourage the students to give to the MCA. This is another great way that they can spread the Good News of God’s love.

Week 2:

  • Read: the rest of the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe
  • Discuss: Focus on how Juan Diego was sent by Mary.Juan Diego is now known as a Saint (since 2002). He is best characterized by his humility. When Mary instructs him to go to the Bishop, a task that took him WAY out of his comfort zone, he immediately says yes. When he is not successful, he patiently says that he is not worthy of the task. He is an example for all of us of a sense of humility. God calls us to do amazing things that at first will seem outside our abilities. But God and Mary truly believe in us and would not ask if we couldn’t do it! Juan Diego was Mary’s “Messenger”. He proves that even a simple man can accomplish miracles! He had a mission: to spread the good news, and a vocation: the Saint who bears the image of Mary.
  • Activity- Write “Juan Diego is a Messenger” and color the picture of him. Have the students think about what Juan Diego would have said or did. Let them think imaginatively. Juan Diego’s vocation was as a messenger for Mary. What does it mean to be a messenger? He literally carried her image, along with the roses, to the Bishop. He spoke on Mary’s behalf. This was a very important responsibility for such a humble man. Have the students write down some of the thoughts that must have run through Juan Diego’s mind. His mission was to spread the good news about Mary’s love and God’s love.
  • Encourage the students to give to the MCA. This is another great way that they can spread the Good News of God’s love.

Week 3:

  • Read the scripture passage: Lk 2:1-20 (Birth narrative)
  • Discuss: Focus on how God sent Jesus to be born.This is such a familiar scripture passage; the students will probably know it well. Help them to think differently about it. Jesus was born of Mary, but who was His Father? God! Why did God send Jesus to be born at that time and with Mary as His mother? In the nativity story it says that the angels proclaimed “good news of great joy” and that the shepherds “glorified and praised God” after visiting the child. This is mission: sharing the Good News with others! Now have them think about what Jesus did later in His life. He was a teacher and healer. He told everyone He met about God’s love and forgiveness. His whole life was about God and spreading the Gospel! Jesus’ vocation is as teacher and healer. Jesus’ mission was to spread the love of God.
  • Activity:Write “Jesus is our Teacher and Healer.” And color the picture of him and the angels/star. Have the students think about how the news spread about Jesus. He was born in a barn with the animals, very hidden away. How did anyone know about him? Because the angels and shepherds spread the Good News! Help the students think about what it is like to have good news to share. Have them write about what the angels and shepherds did to show/tell others about Jesus.
  • Encourage the students to give to the MCA. This is another great way that they can spread the Good News of God’s love.

Week 4:

  • Read: John 20:21 As the Father has sent me, so I send you.
    Matthew 28:19-20 Go and make disciples of all nations…
  • Discuss: Focus on how Jesus sendseach of us. Remind the students about the life of Jesus. He was a teacher and healer. He was kind and loving to everyone including children and people who were sinners. He is our role model and example. He told his disciples to continue his work, and we have inherited this mission. It is our mission to spread the good news about Jesus! We are responsible to proclaim God’s love in everything we do. Now, how will we do it? That is where our vocation comes in! Help the students to reflect on what they enjoy doing? What are they good at? How can God use their talents for His mission? Help them understand also that God will sometimes send them somewhere they don’t want to go (like Juan Diego).
  • Activity:Write “As the Father sent me, so I send you.” Have the students reflect on their vocations. How will they spread the good news about Jesus? Not just during Advent and Christmas, let them think long term. If they are artistic, how will that talent help? If they like to build things, how will that help? If they like computers, how will they use them to evangelize? Have them write out and draw a picture of their hopes. Tell them to pray often to have God guide them in their vocations. It is a process that takes a whole lifetime!
  • Encourage the students to give to the MCA. This is another great way that they can spread the Good News of God’s love.

7th – 12th Grades

Week 1:

  • Read: the first five pages of the Apparition Story
  • Discuss: Review the story, especially for younger students there are important details to include. Give an overview of the context, the colonization of Mexico, the Spanish and the Native Americans. Review the characters and their relationships. Now look more closely at the text. Note how the storytelling style is different, this is due to the fact that it is a text in translation. Once the students are comfortable with the basics of the story, guide them in understanding the role of Mary in particular. This Mary is the same Mary from the Bible. This time, she was sent by God to do something. What is that? Why was she sent now? Why was she sent looking and sounding like she does? The answers to all these questions are related: she was sent to evangelize and bring peace, she was sent looking and sounding like both the Native American population and the Spanish so that everyone would see something familiar in her. Even the way she identified herself shows her universal appeal. She is Mother to us all and desires very much that a church will be built… she wants to bring us to her Son, she is proclaiming the gospel in a very gentle and loving way.
  • Activity: Have the students answer the reading comprehension questions (on the first page) while looking at the text. They could either quote the text or put it into their own words. Make sure they understand the questions and their answers! The last question, “Why did God send Mary” is more of an opinion question. Help the students to think about the situation in Mexico at that time and how Mary could help.
    Now have the students compare the story of the apparitions with the scriptures. They will look at a passage from Revelation, (the longer passage is Rev 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab) and think about what the connections are. Then have them remember or review other passages from the Gospels that mention Mary (annunciation/birth of Jesus, childhood of Jesus, wedding at Cana, at the foot of the cross) and talk about her gifts and talents. Help them name her vocation- her unique way of life that allowed her to live out God’s call (more than anything, she is a mother). Finally, guide the students thinking about the effect of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s appearance. Did her actions further God’s Mission?
  • Give to MCA- help the students to understand that supporting the MCA is another way we do mission, spread the Good News of God’s love with the poorest in our world.

Week 2:

  • Read: the rest of the Apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe
  • Discuss: Now that the conclusion of the story has been revealed, have the students discuss the “surprise ending.” Why was it more miraculous that Mary had left her image on Juan Diego’s tilma/ayate than that she offered roses? What was the uncle, Juan Bernardino’s role in the story? Wasn’t Juan Diego funny when he ran into Our Lady by accident while trying to help his uncle? Some of the dramatic elements of the story are very compelling and human. Now, focus on Juan Diego in particular. His is a true Cinderella story. He started as a recent Christian convert who doesn’t even speak Spanish and who is rejected by the Bishop, but became a Saint who is revered as the man who bears the image of Our Lady for the Americas. He has a very distinct identity. But look closer at what he said and did in the text. He protested when the Bishop put him off. He was happy, sad and frustrated. Help the students to go through all of his emotions with him. How would they react in his shoes? (also point out that the Bishop had a part to play as well- only he could commission the church to be built, he also had a vocation)
  • Activity: Focus their thinking on the “unworthiness” of Juan Diego. The first questions emphasize that. These are again reading comprehension questions. When they get to the question, Why did OLG send him? Have them review the section of the story where she explains how it is necessary that he be the messenger. Let them think about why she sent him, couldn’t she have done it herself? How would it have been different in that case? From that, why then did she decide to ask a poor country farmer?
    The students are then asked to look at a passage from Micah, which is taken from the readings on St. Juan Diego’s Feast Day. Obviously his humility is emphasized, but help them think beyond that to how humility can be a great strength. It’s not just about putting yourself down, it’s also about doing the will of the one who sent you. Juan Diego had the courage to see the bishop because he was not doing his own will, it was Mary’s request he was carrying out. Next the students are asked to reflect on Juan Diego as a person. What were his gifts and talents? He was loving, respectful, honest, deeply faithful, etc. Let them connect the quality with an action as well. Finally, help them see how his life was spent in service to mission. He worked throughout the story to bring the message of the Lady to the Bishop. His vocation is as a messenger (“you who are my messenger”) but it was for the purpose of spreading the Gospel. He lived the rest of his life in service to the Lord, in fact. He for certain told others his story because how else could it have been written down?
  • Give to MCA- help the students to understand that supporting the MCA is another way we do mission, spread the Good News of God’s love with the poorest in our world.

Week 3: