Archbishop Lori’s Homily: Re-Consecration of the Knights of Columbus to Our Lady of Guadalupe

Re-Consecration of the Knights of Columbus to Our Lady of Guadalupe
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico
February 3, 2023

Introduction

Yesterday, we reflected on the consecration of Christ’s humanity to God the Father, and on how that consecration has been reproduced time and again. Today, we have come on pilgrimage to this Basilica to re-consecrate ourselves and our beloved Order, the Knights of Columbus to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe. Gazing at her image, contemplating her beauty, we are drawn to her, and she, in turn, draws us afresh into the heart of our Order, and to its principles of charity, unity, and fraternity. Indeed, Mary reveals anew what Fr. McGivney taught us so well, one may even say that she ‘reveals us to ourselves’. How so?

The Principle of Charity

In the bleakness of winter – not merely the weather – but the bleakness of Juan Diego’s poverty and the sterility of the Church’s mission, Mary journeyed into the hill country of Mexico to visit her people; she came in love. Her love is evident in the Child of her womb, the very incarnation of the Father’s love. Her love is evident in her affection for Juan Diego and for his people. Indeed, Mary did not merely visit Juan Diego – she pursued him when he evaded her. She expressed her maternal love and the beauty of her love in the castellan roses that Juan Diego gathered in the dead of winter, and in the image of herself that she left behind, an image indelibly impressed upon the heart and minds of countless women and men. It is the image of a loving mother who sends us forth to bear witness to the love of her crucified Son and to do so by lovingly serving the needs of others, just as Blessed Michael McGivney taught us to do. Our Lady of Guadalupe: confirm us in the principle of charity.

The Principle of Unity

Msgr. Chavez and Carl Anderson have demonstrated convincingly how Our Lady of Guadalupe brought together the diverse cultures of Spain & Mexico. For example, her left hand, is darker, a skin like that of the native people, whereas her right hand is lighter, skin like that of European people. In her eyes is a reflection of Juan Diego but also Bishop Zumaraga, a native of Spain. In the polarized world of the 16th century, Mary stood as a sign of unity. So too, the prayers of Our Lady of Guadalupe help us, as Knights, to be a source of unity in a Church that is often stymied by its divisions, and in a world badly polarized by ideologies and by willfulness. Our Lady of Guadalupe: confirm us in the principle of unity.

The Principle of Fraternity

On the hill of Tepeyac, the Blessed Virgin said to Juan Diego, “Am I not here, I who am your mother? Listen, my son, to what I tell you now. Do not let anything worry or afflict you. Do not fear illness or any troublesome happening or pain. Am I not here, I who am your mother? …” If Our Lady of Guadalupe is the spiritual mother of us all, then are we not brother and sister to one another in Christ? Are we not bound together by our common love of the Mother of God? This spiritual solidarity, this beautiful kinship, prompts us to be “there” – for any Knight and his family who are in their hour of need. It prompts us to be brother and sister to everyone who needs our love and concern. Our Lady of Guadalupe: confirm us in the principle of fraternity.

Evangelization

After the apparitions in 1531, evangelization in the Americas rapidly accelerated. Whereas the mission of the Church had languished up to that time, afterwards, in short order, some nine million embraced the faith. In these days of waning faith, when the Church’s mission in many corners of the globe seems to languish, we, the Knights of Columbus, are called to a ministry of evangelization – called to bear witness to the Gospel, called to inculcate the Gospel in the hearts of men as husbands and fathers and in their families. Our Lady of Guadalupe: confirm us in our baptismal vocation to evangelize.

Dear Mother, we love you. We thank you for your promise to help us in our need. We trust in your love that dries our tears and comforts us. Teach us to find our peace in your Son, Jesus Christ, and bless us every day of our lives.

Archbishop William E. Lori

Archbishop William E. Lori was installed as the 16th Archbishop of Baltimore May 16, 2012.

Prior to his appointment to Baltimore, Archbishop Lori served as Bishop of the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn., from 2001 to 2012 and as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Washington from 1995 to 2001.

A native of Louisville, Ky., Archbishop Lori holds a bachelor's degree from the Seminary of St. Pius X in Erlanger, Ky., a master's degree from Mount St. Mary's Seminary in Emmitsburg and a doctorate in sacred theology from The Catholic University of America. He was ordained to the priesthood for the Archdiocese of Washington in 1977.

In addition to his responsibilities in the Archdiocese of Baltimore, Archbishop Lori serves as Supreme Chaplain of the Knights of Columbus and is the former chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty.

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