There are many people who have gone before us, both in our biological and spiritual families, who have quietly and obscurely served God, loved others, and increased the amount of good in the world.

We are afraid: afraid that our questioning will lead to spiritual cataclysm, that once the camel’s skeptical nose gets under the tent flap, the whole shabby edifice of our faith will collapse.

Amid the pain and suffering, God remains present in our hearts. No matter how much we wail and shake our fists, He will abide with us.

In his homily for the feast, Pope Francis denounced the exclusion of so many people “from the train of life.”

While other manifestations of Mary claim at most a region or country, Guadalupe is the only one to reign over two continents.