In remembrance of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12, note the following resources to apply for lessons and prayers on the feast and on the Blessed Virgin Mary in general.
Song to Our Lady of Guadalupe
A beautiful rendition of a "Song to Our Lady of Guadalupe" is performed by Molly Chesna, perfect for a prayer reflection:
"Hail Mary" from Dago Red by John Fante
The following selection is quoted in The Catholic Spirit: An Anthology for Discovering Faith Through Literature, Art, Film, and Music. It is written in a "stream of consciousness" style that attempts to capture the inner thoughts of a person as the thoughts occur.
They had said at the hospital that Papa was going to die, and nobody knew it but me and Mamma and you, you Honey, but we had prayed and I sat smirking, pooh-poohing at death because we had prayed and I knew we had done our share for Papa, and that he would live.
The rest of them wouldn’t go to bed that night, they were afraid Papa would die, and they all waited, and already Grandma planned the funeral, but I smirked and went to bed and slept very happy, with your beads in my fingers, kissing the cross a few times and then dozing off because Papa could not die after my prayers, because you were my girl, my queen, and there was no doubt in my heart.
And in the morning there was wild joy to wake me, because Papa had lived and would live some more, a lot of years to come, and there was Mamma back from the hospital, beaming and sticky when she kissed us for joy, and I heard her say to Grandma: “He lived because he has an iron constitution. He is a strong man. You can’t kill that man.” And when I heard that, I snickered. They didn’t know, these people, they didn’t know about you and me, you Honey, and I thought of your pale face, your dark hair, your feet on the serpent at the side-altar, and I said, she’s wonderful, she’s sure wonderful.
Oh, those were the days! Oh, I loved you then! You were the celestial blue, and I looked up at you when I walked to school with books under my arms, and my ecstasy was simple and smashing, crushing and mad and whirling, all these things across my chest, sensations, and you in the blue sky, in my blue shirt, in the covers of my blue-covered book. You were the color blue and I saw you everywhere and then I saw the statue in the church, at the side-altar, with your feet on the serpent, and I said and said a thousand times, I said, oh, you Honey, and I wasn’t afraid of anything. . . .
Assignment
Write your own "stream of consciousness" about your faith and friendship with Mary, the Mother of God.
