Our Lady of Guadalupe

Happy feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe! She has a very special place in my heart.

The Story of Ruth

I have been listening to the advent series by The Chosen on The Hallow App. Each day a passage of the bible is read, and then we meditate on it. One of the bible passages that we meditated on was the story of Ruth. Her husband, father-in-law, and brother-in-law passed away. Her mother-in-law encouraged both her daughter-in-laws to return to their families. But Ruth decided to stay, and embraced the faith of her mother-in-law. Ruth eventually met her second husband, Boaz, and had a son. Her grandson was Jesse, who became the head of the family tree of Jesus.

All of this happened because it was God’s plan. In the moment of grief, I’m sure none of the women understood why their husbands died. It’s hard to see the big picture when you’re caught up in grief. But if Ruth’s first husband hadn’t passed away, she wouldn’t have gotten married to Boaz and the family line of Jesus wouldn’t have existed. Our suffering brings us closer to God- literally in the case of Ruth and her family.

How Ruth’s story is similar to mine

This story resonated with me because of my family line, and because of my loss. Both of my dad’s parents were married to someone else before they were married to each other. Both of their first spouses passed away. Then they met and got married and had my aunts and dad. If they hadn’t have gone through the pain of losing a spouse, they wouldn’t have met each other and I wouldn’t be here.

If I hadn’t miscarried Jesse, then I wouldn’t have Elijah. It doesn’t mean I am happy how it all happened, and I still wish that I could have both babies with me here. But God knew that He needed Jesse with Him in heaven, and that Elijah was needed here on Earth. We may never understand why things happen or the big picture of God’s plan. But He is with us through all the pain, suffering, and joy as well. He also sends us His mother to help us.

Our Lady of Guadalupe’s role in my life

I bring up this story on Our Lady of Guadaloupe’s feast day because she actually played an important part in it. Back when I was very early on in my pregnancy with Shiloh, I had a dream of her. I couldn’t see her face, but she was holding onto a rosary that was an umbilical cord for an unborn baby. Shortly after I found out I was expecting Shiloh. I didn’t know what the dream meant and was worried maybe I was losing the baby, so I didn’t say anything about it. When the pregnancy progressed and everything was good, I thought maybe she wanted me to pray for the unborn.

Then my depression came, and I thought that maybe she wanted me to know that the rosary was my lifeline to her. And it was. And then I got pregnant with Jesse. And then I found out I was losing Jesse. So I wrapped my rosary around my hand and handed my baby over to her to take care of in heaven. It became even more appropriate that Jesse is buried at Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine in La Crosse, WI. It brings me peace knowing that she is constantly watching over Jesse. She is also watching over all of us and tucks us under her mantle.

Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!

Additional Information

If you have never been to the Shrine, but want to know what it’s like, here is a video tour that Al McCauley made for one his Fish on Fridays video series.

I also highly recommend the Advent #Pray25 featuring The Chosen series on Hallow. Each day is about 10 minutes and you just listen to the passages and meditate. It’s very easy to fit into a busy schedule!