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\\nFirst Reading RV 11:19A; 12:1-6A, 10AB
\\nGod\\u2019s temple in heaven was opened,
\\nand the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.
\\nA great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun,
\\nwith the moon under her feet,
\\nand on her head a crown of twelve stars.
\\nShe was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth.
\\nThen another sign appeared in the sky;
\\nit was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns,
\\nand on its heads were seven diadems.
\\nIts tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky
\\nand hurled them down to the earth.
\\nThen the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth,
\\nto devour her child when she gave birth.
\\nShe gave birth to a son, a male child,
\\ndestined to rule all the nations with an iron rod.
\\nHer child was caught up to God and his throne.
\\nThe woman herself fled into the desert
\\nwhere she had a place prepared by God.
\\nThen I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
\\n\\u201cNow have salvation and power come,
\\nand the Kingdom of our God
\\nand the authority of his Anointed.\\u201d
\\nFrom the Office of Readings:
\\nFrom a report by Don Antonio Valeriano, a Native American author of the sixteenth century
\\n(Nicon Mopohua, 12th ed., 3-9, 21)
\\nThe Voice of the Turtledove has been heard in our land
\\nAt daybreak one Saturday morning in 1531, on the very first days of the month of December, an Indian named Juan Diego was going from the village where he lived to Tlatelolco in order to take part in divine worship and listen to God’s commandments. When he came near the hill called Tepeyac, dawn had already come, and Juan Diego heard someone calling him from the very top of the hill: “Juanito, Juan Dieguito.”
\\nHe went up the hill and caught sight of a lady of unearthly grandeur whose clothing was as radiant as the sun. She said to him in words both gentle and courteous: “Juanito, the humblest of my children, know and understand that I am the ever virgin Mary, Mother of the true God through whom all things live. It is my ardent desire that a church be erected here so that in it I can show and bestow my love, compassion, help, and protection to all who inhabit this land and to those others who love me, that they might call upon and confide in me. Go to the Bishop of Mexico to make known to him what I greatly desire. Go and put all your efforts into this.”
\\nWhen Juan Diego arrived in the presence of the Bishop, Fray Juan de Zumarraga, a Franciscan, the latter did not seem to believe Juan Diego and answered: “Come another time, and I will listen at leisure.”
\\nJuan Diego returned to the hilltop where the Heavenly Lady was waiting, and he said to her: “My Lady, my maiden, I presented your message to the Bishop, but it seemed that he did not think it was the truth. For this reason I beg you to entrust your message to someone more illustrious who might convey it in order that they may believe it, for I am only an insignificant man.”
\\nShe answered him: “Humblest of my sons, I ask that tomorrow you again go to see the Bishop and tell him that I, the ever virgin holy Mary, Mother of God, am the one who personally sent you.”
\\nBut on the following day, Sunday, the Bishop again did not believe Juan Diego and told him that some sign was necessary so that he could believe that it was the Heavenly Lady herself who sent him. And then he dismissed Juan Diego.
\\nOn Monday Juan Diego did not return. His uncle, Juan Bernardino, became very ill, and at night asked Juan to go to Tlatelolco at daybreak to call a priest to hear his confession.
\\nJuan Diego set out on Tuesday, but he went around the hill and passed on the other side, toward the east, so as to arrive quickly in Mexico City and to avoid being detained by the Hea...'