A New Tepeyac

This is a computer-generated transcription that has been included to make the homily searchable.  It has not been verified by the author. 

“Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace to help in time of need.” This passage that we heard today from the Letter to the Hebrews, I think, has a special meaning for us here at our little mission. So what’s it talking about? It’s probably not as clear to us as it would have been to those, the Jewish Christians who were first hearing this letter, because it seems that this letter was written while the temple was still standing. And so from the very beginning, from after the sin of Adam and Eve, God began preparing mankind to come back to Him, to draw them back to Him. And at a key point in the Exodus, God revealed to Moses this tent, this great special tent of meeting that He wanted to be constructed there in the midst of them, in the desert, that could go with them through the desert. And then it was inspired by that tent that centuries later, Solomon in Jerusalem, King Solomon built the Great, majestic temple. And in that tent, first of all, and then in the temple, there was the most important place. The greatest place was called the Holy of Holies. And there the Ark of the Covenant, which held the commandments, the 10 Commandments of the Covenant, was there. And on top there, in the Holy of Holies, on top of the Ark of the Covenant, there was a solid slab of pure gold which formed its lid, and that was what they called the mercy seat. And it had two cherubim, two majestic cherubim, which was the highest of the angels, statues of them on each side of this mercy seat, spreading out their wings. And it said that that was God’s throne on the earth. And the Lord said through Moses. He said, “There I will meet with you.” So they could come, that no one, no one except the high priest once a year, could enter into the Holy of Holies. But they could come. They could come, draw close, come into the temple. And there was this great cloud, this great mysterious cloud which manifested God’s presence. And so God gave very precise instructions about how to do that, very careful instruction about the dimensions, about the materials, about the colors, about the design, about how that was to be done. And so I’ll tell you a little thing. One time I remember we were sharing some of the messages we got for our Tepeyac with a bishop. I won’t say which one, he kind of laughed and said that God wouldn’t be giving instructions about candlesticks and stuff like that. And I don’t think God, I don’t know if God gave us instructions about candlesticks, but God certainly gave very detailed instruction, including about candlesticks to the Israelites. And why would God do that? Because God is a pure spirit. God is a pure spirit, but we’re not pure spirits. We have a body, and so God often uses physical material things to teach us about spiritual, invisible things. And so this letter is talking about approaching this throne of mercy to receive God’s help. And, so where can we go now to receive this mercy and this help in time of need? And so we know that we encounter God in Jesus Christ. It’s in Jesus that we come to the Lord. And where can we encounter Jesus? So we can encounter Jesus everywhere. There’s no place that we can’t turn to Him, but there are some places which help us in a special way, which make it easier for us to find Him. And one of those, of course, is nature. There are special places in nature which speak to us so intensely of God, and we often hear that about people even just coming out here to our little mission. They talk about how much they experience God’s presence and God’s peace. And in other places in nature too, like maybe at the shore or in a beautiful mountain, we sense a special presence of God. So nature is part of that. But God also has inspired us to have churches, and sometimes part of it is for practical reasons, a place where we can gather together to listen to the Word of God and to celebrate the Holy Eucharist. But also the building itself is a visible sign, and especially in times in which Christianity has been very strong. The big, beautiful buildings, a lot of the modern churches are not quite as well done, but the big, beautiful churches spoke – like say for instance, in medieval Europe, where they would have a big, beautiful church as the center of their city.  And so that would speak to them of, it was always a reminder of God’s presence with them. And in those churches where the Holy Eucharist was present. And Jesus said to St Faustina, “behold for you,” and not just for her, that is for all those He’s speaking to, “I have established a throne of mercy on Earth,” a throne of mercy on Earth. So it’s very similar to the language of the Hebrews, but He says, “the tabernacle.” Unfortunately, we don’t have tabernacle right here in this chapel because it’s open, but the tabernacle, “and from this throne, I desire to enter into your heart.” And so our churches have that special, the special grace of a tabernacle and also where we have also the confessionals to pour out mercy and the sacrament of reconciliation. So there’s all these churches, all these parish churches. But then also we know that sometimes, and actually many times, God has indicated special places that He wanted to be special. Special shrines where people could encounter Him. And we know there’s been so many examples. But I mean, just to take some of the most famous, for instance, like Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Fatima or Lourdes. You know now many people are, for instance, going to Medjugorje. So many places where, special places where it wasn’t man who decided, let’s build a church here because it’s at the center of our town, or so forth. But it was a clear indication from God that He wanted this place, and many people can experience many, many graces in those places. So that makes us think of this passage, “that it may be a place where we can come to receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” So what does it have to do with our little mission? So I want to tell you a little bit more about the story of our Tepeyac and give you a little bit of the background for that. So, as I’ve said that it was about 30 years ago, when I and several others of us were in Monterrey, and two women came saying that they had been receiving locutions, and the Lord wanted me to be their spiritual director. And so they began sharing their messages with me. And one of the things He talked about was that at a certain point He was going to give manifestations, and those manifestations would be a way to pour out many graces and mercies, and there would be a lot of healings and a lot of conversions. And so that’s great, but He didn’t exactly say when or how it would happen or where. And so first we thought it would be in Monterey, but then He led us to this little place. And we still didn’t know exactly what He was going to do, but we begin wondering if He might do it here. And so we’ve been trying to follow God’s guidance, and sometimes His guidance is very clear and precise and detailed, like we had this example in the Old Testament. And sometimes it’s given us that type of instructions, like some of the things for Tepeyac. Even, for instance, He guided us, (and I’ll come back to that in a moment), precisely, exactly where He wanted that, not just the hillside, but exactly where on the hillside. But a lot of times, His indications have been more general, and so we also have to use human means to decide. So when our Blessed Mother appeared, she appeared on Our Lady of Guadalupe on the hill, which was called Tepeyac. And there, when she appeared to st Juan Diego, she said she wanted a Teocalli. So she was speaking in the indigenous language of the Nahuatl, but a Teocalli was like her sacred little house, her sacred little house. And so in February, this was February 27, of 2017 and this was given to Brother Mikael, “soon.” And so we thought that meant these manifestations, of course, God’s “soon” is a little bit different from our “soon,” right? I’ve often joked I would like to, well, just half joking, I’d like to give God a calendar, because He seems to lose track of time, I think. But as I’ve said, we need to make preparations. “I am preparing everything, but I need your cooperation. Yes, my little one, I want you to build a little shrine at Marian Hill.” Marion Hill was what we are calling that hill, from we’ve been calling it that for many years. Marian Hill. “I will give instructions for this. People will come to this little house, Teocalli, to receive My graces.” So that’s, I think, the first time He used that word, Teocalli to speak of what He wanted. And this is the thing, the first time he’s telling us that He wants it to be on that hillside. And He says, “people will receive My graces even before I begin appearing.” So the manifestations haven’t begun yet, but He said He would begin giving graces. I was struck when I when I saw that, because I had forgotten this message. But just recently, a lot of people have been telling us that they’ve just going up there, you know it’s very simple. Those of you have been up there, know it’s very simple, but a lot of people have been telling us like people are coming to the mission for the first time. And what one fellow, he said just looking up there, just he felt very special graces. So that seems to be a confirmation of what the Lord said. So that was on February 27, 2017, and then about two weeks later, brother received the name of Tepeyac that the Lord want us to call that hillside, Tepeyac. And then the next day, sister was wondering where. So that hillside at that point, those of you who remember, it was just covered with cedars, it wasn’t cleared like it is now, just covered with cedars. And we weren’t really using it very much. In fact, we’re kind of keeping us a quiet spot and but so sister was wondering, where on that should we build it? And the natural place we thought to build it would be down below, right? Because we built it down below. People can sit up on the hillside and look down, but He said He would show her. And some of you have heard the story about how He would show her. And she was looking around. She couldn’t find a place. He said, “look for three little flowers.” And she looked and looked, and He said, “No, go up higher.” And she looked and looked. And there in the Cedar thicket, three tiny little flowers. Well, we could post the photo, because brother then took a photo of this, three tiny, super, very tiny, insignificant looking flowers. And He said, “That’s the spot.” And so I’d like, I hope we can, maybe send you the photo, because they’re so small, it’s kind of like a sign of sometimes, I mean, it’s kind of like a teaching but sometimes God’s signs are very, very small. And then, so that was the location, because we would not have thought of putting it up high. Again, the natural location would have been to put it low, and the Lord was telling us to put it up high. So that’s, I think that’s an example where He had to tell us exactly where, because if we had followed our human inclinations, it would have seemed to make sense to put it down below. And I’ll come back to why He wanted it put up high there. And then Mikael got a message saying that Peter, who had just arrived, I think a couple of months earlier, the Lord wanted him to be in charge of that project. And Peter had the very surprising experience of seeing right away, just having a meeting to begin trying to organize this project, and right away the Lord sending help. And so sometimes, I mean, it was amazing. It started so fast. And sometimes the Lord does that. Sometimes He’ll make things happen very quickly. And a lot of times He doesn’t do that. A lot of times it’s a long, hard slog, and there was a lot of that in this too. But I wanted to share with you two messages to give you a little bit of background of this two messages, or parts of two messages. The first message was in 2018. Let’s see, I think it was on February 2018 And so work, I think, had already begun by that point, there’s a question about the difference, ( I see John Weber’s here. John was one of the ones helping us, and that as a civil engineer,) and as John was struggling, because there’s a lot of questions about the different levels and solid rock up there and how to do the different concrete pads and so forth. So there was a lot of questions. And so here’s what the Lord said. He said, this was the message that sister received – “my little ones.” So first He talks about faith. “I bless all your work and the effort that you have done so far. I remind you, My children, that your faith lets me act beyond your human knowledge, beyond human circumstances and considerations.” So notice what He said, Your faith lets me act. Does that sound familiar? So those of you who don’t know, our charism is faith so that God can act. And He’s saying that faith – so he’s asking us to do a lot of things. That is, I mean that there’s a lot of human work going on there, but he’s saying, by faith, He can act beyond our human abilities. “I ask you to do what you can, and then I will do the rest.” Do what you can, and I will do the rest. “How many times my daughter, Angelica,” (so speaking of Mother Angelica) “made these acts of faith when situations seemed impossible and how many times I acted and made it work.” And then He gives some practical considerations. I won’t go into all of that, but practical considerations about the concrete, pouring the slabs and so forth, and then He talks about trust. “Remember, one Grace prepares the next, and one thing prepares the following.” So step by step. “So with our hill, it seems to you that there is no plan,” because He gave some instructions, but there’s a lot of things which weren’t clear, “but remember that I am guiding everything. You will have what you need to complete this first part. Do not worry. My little ones, I tell you, do not worry.” But you think, and feel but how do we not worry if things are so hard and we don’t have any funds or the time to do this? “I understand you. You can only see a little part of what we are doing. So the difficulties seem insurmountable. However, I see the whole picture, and thus can truly say to you, do not worry.” That was my main job, was to worry. I worried a lot about all this. And I think the other people on the team also, there’s a lot of worry. I think Peter had his share of worries too, with this. “Who can prove that what I’m asking you to do is truly for me – only I can prove it, and I will,” and that’s been a struggle we’ve had all these years, and we still can’t prove we can’t prove to anybody that we’re receiving messages from the Lord. Some people just already sense it, just reading the messages. But a lot of people say, Well, who knows, and we can’t prove it. He’s the only one who can prove it, and so He’s asked us to move forward even without being able to prove it, because, as He said, “Only I can prove it, and I will. You see, my little ones, how the funds and work will be sufficient to cover the bare minimum that is needed.” For instance, one of the things that we had to do with the roads, He wanted these roads. And roads are very expensive, especially here. But you know, through good friends like the Etheridge’s and Mike Norris and so forth. They made it possible for us to, I mean, you don’t really realize, if you’re not aware, I mean, how much the roads we take roads for granted, but the roads are very expensive, but they were necessary. He said we needed to do some of the heavy work now, because it wouldn’t be possible. Because he said, at some point there would be, we said, how many people? He said, Well, plan for like 7,000 a day. And so that’s a lot of people. And so He wanted us to get the heavy work over. “The rest will come sooner than you think is possible. Now, Florecita,” that’s Sister Amapola, “write without fear or worry. It is I Your Jesus who speaks and who guides all that is being done.” Then he talks about the all the difficulty. “Yes, my sons, who have worked so hard with me, this hill of ours that will overflow with grace and mercy and nourishment for so many,” so that’s like this passage from the Hebrews, He says, “this hill, which will overflow with grace and mercy and nourishment for so many, must be hewn out of the rock with much effort and pain. Such is my work in souls I must carve out my sanctuary in souls who have become hard as rock, that I may come down once more and dwell on them. This is the reality. This is in reality what you’re helping me do, rock by rock, inch by inch,” because that’s one thing that was so difficult up there was it’s all rock, and so everything is so hard to do. And if you start, you know, if you start doing too much, and some of the rock, you can break the concrete slabs and so forth. And he’s saying that that rock and how difficult it is is a sign of how hard souls can be, and how difficult the work can be for God to make a place for himself in our souls. So you see how the physical is a sign of the spiritual. So I wish, I wish it wasn’t that case, because that’s complicated the work up there a lot. He says,“I bless this hill. I bless all who have worked on it. I bless each of you and each one who will come. My little ones. I am the Lord of earth and sea and sky. I can do with each of these as I please. Do what you can, and I will do the rest. If I open a door, walk through it, trusting that I have opened it, and therefore I want you to enter it.” So what He’s saying there is that often He speaks not just through messages, but through circumstances, through the doors that He opens and the doors that He closes. “I know what I am doing.” That’s good. “I know what I’m doing.” He’s reminding us, because sometimes we had our doubts, so that’s good. “My little ones, I love you so much, and I thank you for your trust and your faith. I will not disappoint you. I will not disappoint you. You’re Jesus who will do what He has said. Amen.” And then there’s an excerpt from another message I’ll share. This was in November of 2018. So in this there was some questions about landscaping. But before responding to that, He says, “Children,” He’s talking about the spiritual teaching. “How much work, how many difficulties in accomplishing what I ask of you.” So we might think, well, if God asked of it, it should be easy, right? He can make it easy, and He could, and sometimes He does, but a lot of times He doesn’t. You know, God asked Jesus, Jesus mission, but was it an easy mission? Was Jesus mission easy? Not at all. And so that’s important for us to realize. Just the fact that God is asking doesn’t mean it’s all going to be easy. On the contrary, often it’ll be a very difficult path. “Our Teocalli is a testimony and a living sign of your faith and blind obedience, and a sign also of the great effort that it takes to unite, to coordinate the divine reality, My wills and desires, the life of the spirit, with the human reality, with all its limitations and charity for your brothers.” And so there’s still some things from Teocalli that we’re scratching our heads, trying to figure out how we’re supposed to do certain aspects. I won’t, I won’t go into all the details, but He’s saying that that very difficulty is a sign of the difficulties of trying to coordinate what God is asking with the human realities that we’re facing. “Present in our Teocalli is this great struggle.” So the because those who have worked in this project know how difficult. I’ll tell you a little bit. I mean, we’ve had so many meetings, because the other things we think we need to finish. We’ve had so many meetings. We’ve hired an architectural firm, and they’ve given us stuff, and that’s been helpful. But there’s so much stuff which is still not clear at all, and so this has been a long struggle. Because, again, he’s saying, receive 7,000 people. Be ready to receive 7,000 people. How can we do that here at the mission? I have no idea. I mean, it’s not that we haven’t thought about that. We’ve had a lot of meetings and stuff, but I still don’t know how it’s going to happen. We don’t know how it’s going to happen. I mean, even just the roads, can you imagine trying to – I don’t know how we’re going to do that, maybe busses and stuff like that, but still I don’t know. “So present in our Teocalli is this great struggle and suffering, and thus there will also be present in a never-before-seen manner, My victory, our victory, the victory, of My will that conquers all human adversity with its light.” So He’s saying the very struggle is which is the part of the suffering, and the sacrifice is preparing great graces. “Be patient with our little hill. What I have asked you to do. You have done.” So that’s very comforting. What I’ve asked, because we so many times we say, oh, there’s so much more to do, and we don’t know how good. And so he said, “Well, what I’ve asked you to do, you’ve done.” So that’s good. “You do not know what this means for my plans, the joy you give Me and the grace that I can already grant in this holy, sacred place that I can already grant.” And now he tells us, what is the essential part. “The important thing children, on our little hill, is the act of the will.” So the important thing, more than the human construction work is, He says, the act of our will, mine. So whose will? He says, “mine, yours and that of each one who comes,” each one who comes.  He says, “mine in having chosen this place,” that’s His decision. We didn’t choose it. He chose it. “Yours in obeying and believing and thus seconding My will.” So we had to do what He told us to do, even when it didn’t make sense. “But also that of each one who comes,” so each one of you who has come, “and their desire to draw near to me, to come to me. That is what is essential. That is what allows Me to act, that act of the will, to trust and believe.” So He says that we have the essential. “The human aspects are secondary, though also important. You know, we often focus on the human aspects. You know how to build and how to how to get people and all that. And He says all that’s important, but it’s still secondary. “Both in what is spiritual and in what is human, we have what is essential and necessary.” And so that he will list, I’ll share three things he lists. He says, “The sacred place set on high, seen by all, even if its interior cannot be seen entirely.” So again, I said we would have naturally, I think anybody would have naturally put the sanctuary down below, right, so people could sit up on the hillside and see down the sanctuary. If you put the sanctuary up top, people can’t see it, right? Because there’s people up in front of them on the hillside, and then also the sanctuary is even higher, so people can’t see. So doesn’t that sound like a crazy way to do it? Why did the Lord say that? And what He told us, well, He’ll give several reasons, but so you’ll see the reasons. He’ll come back to the reasons. I think He does. Let’s see, yeah, so we’ll come back to that. So one thing is that then He says, “the place of charity to your brothers, dignified and close by.” So that’s the St Ann’s pavilion, because He wanted a pavilion there, which would be a place for the handicapped and elderly and infirm could be, could be there to come. Because He says, when His manifestations come, there’ll be a lot of that. And then He says, “the access roads for the arrival of My children.” So the access roads are that they’re roads, but they’re also a sign of welcoming, of wanting to make it possible for other people to come. And then it gives some instructions too, on our questions about what, to make it more comfortable, and then, or what, and then he says it’s an a spiritual exercise. He says “our little hill is an exercise for all in the school of faith and of trust. In the hardship of climbing on a rugged, rocky path up to the heights where I dwell”. So just the fact of climbing up on a rugged path is, I mean, there’s a little bit of it for those who walk up this hill, there’s a little bit of it here. And he says, “Just that fact is already like a sign of the rugged path to ascend spiritually.” And He says, “raising your eyes to the holy place, to heaven, even without humanly seeing, living in a faith that doesn’t see, that just believes.”  So two things He’s saying that the reason He wanted us to put the sanctuary up high and not down below. He says, was there’s going to be manifestations, and He wanted people looking up to them as a sign of looking up to God, up to heaven, so that fact of looking up was important. And also, He said when the manifestations are there, He said the manifestations would be viewed by everybody who comes, not just by a few people, but by everybody who comes, and He said, and so there would be no problem for them to see that. And then He says, “even without humanly seeing, living in the faith that doesn’t see, that just believes,” because people sitting down below, they won’t be able to see. I mean, some people will be on the hillside. He said that, because as the hillside rises up on the other side, and so those people would be able to see Him, but the people down below are closer, but they won’t be able to see into the Teocalli. But He says, “While mass is being said,” and He says that’s not important, you know that they know what’s happening. And He says “even that is like a sign of an act of faith, because faith is believing without seeing.” So even that, even that act, and that’s why He wanted the bells, the bells, we have a little bell tower there, so people would know, but just that fact of believing without seeing during the Mass and then looking up during the manifestations. So that’s why He wanted it up high. But it was very difficult for us to do that, because we couldn’t tell people why we’re doing that, and so we couldn’t explain to people why we’re doing this crazy thing. And we were having Masses up there, and it was always kind of embarrassing, because we couldn’t say why we had done it that way. But you know that that’s that type of faith that the Lord was asking us to have for this project. “Children, I guide you also through circumstances and the needs that arise.” So again, He doesn’t guide us just through messages, those are important, but also through circumstances and the needs that arise. “Do not be afraid. Always progressing according to My plans. I am happy.” So that’s good, right? I am happy. You know that that’s good that He’s saying this, that we’re doing what He’s asked us to do. “I clasp you to my heart, and I leave you My peace, the peace of knowing that you are doing My will and that we do everything together.” And we need that, because this has been very difficult, very difficult path, and so we need this encouragement. “Thank you for your faith, my little ones. You glad in my heart, your Abba who loves you so much.” And so just to conclude, so He’s wanted us to prepare here a little shrine, a little place which can be a place of mercy and grace. Already now people are experiencing it, but I think it’s going to be much, much greater. But all of us can help to prepare it, both by our work, our offerings, our prayer, our sacrifice, our faith, all of us can help prepare because it’s not just the human work. The human work is important, but even more important is all the sacrifice and faith that that goes into it. So all of us can help receive those graces, but I mean, all of us can receive those graces, but all of us can help prepare. But already, right now in this Mass with our Blessed Mother, let us also remember these words of Hebrews, because they’re true in every Mass as we come to Holy Communion. “Let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace for help in time of need.” So right now, in this very celebration of the Holy Eucharist, and especially at Holy Communion, “let us confidently approach the throne of grace to receive mercy and to find grace to help in time of need.” Jesus, we trust in You. Amen.  

KEYWORDS / PHRASES:
Hebrews 4:14-16