The Lord's 3 visits to the Patriarchs, Prophets, and the Gospel

"The Lord also has something very fitting to say about a fruitless
tree, 'Look, it is now three years that I have been coming to it.
Finding no fruit on it, I will cut it down, to stop it blocking up my
field.' The gardener intercedes... This tree is the human race. The
Lord visited this tree in the time of the patriarchs, as if for the
first year. He visited it in the time of the law and the prophets, as
if for the second year. Here we are now; with the gospel the third
year has dawned. Now it is as though it should have been cut down, but
the merciful one intercedes with the merciful one. He wanted to show
how merciful he was, and so he stood up to himself with a plea for
mercy. 'Let us leave it,' he says, 'this year too. Let us dig a ditch
around it.' Manure is a sign of humility. 'Let us apply a load of
manure; perhaps it may bear fruit.' Since it does bear fruit in one
part, and in another part does not bear fruit, its Lord will come and
divide it. What does that mean, 'divide it'? There are good people and
bad people now in one company, as though constituting one body."
--St. Augustine--(excerpt from Sermon 254.3)

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November 21st - Our Lady of Quinche
Also known as La Pequeñita, Virgen de Monte del Sol, Virgin of the Rock

Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary in the image of a cedar statue in
Quinche, Ecuador. About two foot tall, it was carved in 1586 by Don
Diego de Robles, an artist who created many other images of Mary. He
carved it on order from the Lumbici Indians, who were unable to pay
for it at delivery. Diego traded the statue to the Oyacachi Indians in
exchange for a large load of cedar for future projects.

Legend says that the vision of Our Lady appeared in a cave to some of
the Oyacachi, promising to protect their children; the image Diego
brought for trade looked just like the lady in the vision. The
Oyacachi asked Diego to stay and help them build a shrine for the
statue; he declined and started home. His horse threw him as they
crossed a bridge, and Diego was miraculously saved after he had prayed
for Our Lady‘s intervention; he understood that this was a sign, went
back to the Indians, and built an altar for the statue.

In 1604 the statue was moved to the local village of Quinche and a
chapel was built for it. A new sanctuary was built in 1630 where the
statue stayed until the church was destroyed in an earthquake in 1869.
The church was re-built, and housed the image until moved to another
new church in 1928; in 1985 the Vatican proclaimed the chapel to be a
national sanctuary of Ecuador. Many miracles, especially healings,
have been associated with the image, and there is a huge catalog of
songs in several languages that have been written in devotion over the centuries.

The statue is on display here and taken out of the Basilica on the
feast day of November 21 and processed through the town.

Patronage Ecuador


Saint Quote:
The Devil writes down our sins-- our Guardian
 Angel all our merits.  Labor that the Guardian
 Angel's book may be full, and the Devil's empty.
-- Saint John Vianney

Bible Quote:
"The surviving remnant of the House of Judah will bring forth new
roots below and fruits above; for a remnant will issue from Jerusalem,
and survivors from Mount Zion. Yahweh Sabaoth's jealous love will
accomplish this."  Isaiah 37:31-32


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Salutation to the Blessed Virgin Mary

Hail, holy Lady, Most holy Queen,
Mary, Mother of God, Ever Virgin;
Chosen by the most holy Father in heaven,
Consecrated by Him,
With his most holy beloved Son
On you descended and in you still remains
All the fullness of grace and every good.
Hail, His palace.
Hail, His tabernacle.
Hail, His robe.
Hail, His handmaid.
Hail, His Mother.
And hail, all holy virtues,
Who, by the grace and inspiration of the Holy Spirit
Are poured into the hearts of the faithful
So that, faithless no longer,
They may be made faithful servants of God
Through you. Amen.

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