“those who keep God's commandments and bear witness to Jesus”
“In this new saint you have a marvelous example of a just and upright man, a loyal son of the Church, docile to his Pastors, who deeply loved the Virgin and was a faithful disciple of Jesus. May he be a model for you who are so attached to him.” [i] These words of Pope John Paul the Great exemplify the true character of San Juan Diego, “a loyal son of the Church” and a “simple, humble Indian who contemplated the sweet and serene face of Our Lady of Tepeyac.” [ii] We learn by Juan Diego’s example how to be a son of the Church, to deeply love Our Lady and to be a faithful disciple of Jesus. This commitment to be a son of the Church, to love Mary and to be a faithful disciple of Jesus pits us against the evil one, for Jesus says, “he who is not with me is against me.” [iii][i] Pope John Paul II, Homily at the Canonization of Juan Diego, Mexico City, July 31, 2002
[ii] Pope John Paul II, Homily at the Canonization of Juan Diego, Mexico City, July 31, 2002
[iii] Matthew 12:30
[iv] John 10:10
[v] Our Lady’s words to San Juan Diego
[vi] Fr. John Hardon; Modern Catholic Dictionary; page 105
[vii] Penny Cathechism
[viii] Penny Cathechism
[ix] 1 Peter 5:8
[x] 1 Peter 3:11
[xi] 2 Timothy 2:22; 26
[xii] Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church; section 398 (CCC – 1866-1867)
[xiii] John 10:10
[xiv] 1 Peter 5:8-9
[xv] Penny Catechism
[xvi] 1962 Roman Catholic Daily Missal; Commentary; page 913
[xvii] Ordinary of the Mass (Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite); Communion of the Priest
[xviii] John 19:26-27
[xix] Opening Prayer in the Link to Liturgy packet
[xx] Romans 12:1
[xxi] 1 Peter 2:2
[xxii] Officium Divinum; Prayer after the Divine Office; Pope Leo X
[xxiii] Matthew 7:21; 24
[xxiv] Matthew 16:18
[xxv] 1 Timothy 3:15
[xxvi] Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church; section 157 (CCC – 792-795; 807)
[xxvii] Pope Benedict XVI; World Youth Day XXIII; Homily at the Closing Mass; Sydney, Australia
[xxviii] Luke 1:48
[xxix] Pope Benedict XVI; to the Chinese people prior to the Olympics in 2008
[xxx] Pope John Paul II, Homily at the Canonization of Juan Diego, Mexico City, July 31, 2002