Mary, the Mother of Jesus, welcomed Him joyfully into the world. Write a note to your mother and tell her how happy you are that she joyfully welcomed you into the world. Write to your mother thanking her for her love and special care. You may want to draw a picture of you and your mother or Baby Jesus and His Mother Mary.  

                                                                                                             

The Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of Jesus, but she is also our mother. Sometimes Mary visits us on earth bringing messages of her love and care. She did this when she appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico almost 500 years ago as Our Lady of Guadalupe.

                            

In 1531, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico. She said to him, "I am the Virgin Mary, Mother of the one true God, of Him who gives life." Our Lady of Guadalupe is known as the Patroness of the Unborn because when she appeared to Juan Diego, she was pregnant with Jesus. This is why the banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe is often brought to processions and abortion facilities where people pray for an end to abortion. How can Our Lady change hearts and turn the despair of mothers and fathers who may be considering abortion, into hope that accepts new life gratefully?                             

In all of Mary's apparitions on earth, the only time she ever appeared as a pregnant mother was when she appeared to Juan Diego as Our Lady of Guadalupe. She holds within her the unborn Christ, proclaiming the sanctity of life in the womb. Mary was very young and not yet married to Joseph when she conceived Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. Why is the pregnant Virgin a perfect image to help us face our struggle against abortion? Based on her own life, what advice do you think Mary would give someone contemplating abortion?

When Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico, the Aztec people were practicing human sacrifice to appease their deities. They believed that the world would be destroyed by the gods if human sacrifices were not carried out. This is a theology of despair. Whatever moral aversion the Aztecs may have had to human sacrifice, their fear and despair made them believe they had no choice but to practice it. As a result of Our Lady's appearance, their hearts were converted and the practice of human sacrifice was abolished within a very short time. People often engage in actions that they would not otherwise consider when they feel their survival is at stake. Compare the despair felt by women contemplating abortion--and their reasons for despair--to the despair likely experienced by the Aztecs when they succumbed to the practice of human sacrifice.

RESPECT LIFE ESSAY CONTEST GUIDELINES