Note: On Saturdays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
Juan Diego recognized the Blessed Virgin almost immediately as he approached Guadalupe’s Tepeyac hill on his way to Mass that day in December 1531. She wanted a chapel built. When Juan went back the next day, he told Mary that he had gone to the bishop about her request, 
but the bishop was less than supportive. She asked him to return the next day for proof, but Juan was unable to do so due to the illness of a close relative.
When Juan came back the following day, Mary said she would heal the relative. As for the proof, Juan was to pick flowers from the hill to take to the bishop. One didn’t typically find a lot of flowers in Guadalupe in December, but Juan did his best, putting them in his cloak. When he opened the cloak before the bishop, an image of Mary’s face was visible. It took only a year for the church to be built. Today, a basilica stands near the site.
Waiting is what we do in Advent. Waiting is what it seems we’ve all mainly done since last March. But time is precious. It took less than a year for the faithful of Guadalupe to fulfill Mary’s request. They didn’t procrastinate. And I wonder—are there places where she or her Son have made a request to me that I’m finding a reason not to act on?
