Celebrating the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Nearly 500 Years Since She Appeared on Tepeyac Hill
Today is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, commemorating the time when, on a chilly December morning in 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to a poor peasant named Juan Diego on a rural hillside near Mexico City. The Virgin told Juan Diego to go tell the local bishop to build a new church so her people could gather there, and she could show love, protection, and nurturing to them.
Juan Diego replied that he was not the likely candidate, and no bishop was going to give an ear to such a poor peasant man. (This was about ten years after the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire).
The Virgin encouraged Juan Diego to try anyway. He did. The bishop rejected him. She appeared again to Juan Diego the next day in the same spot and asked him to try again. He failed again.
The following day, Juan Diego’s Uncle had fallen ill. He quickly rushed to the town to find a doctor. On his way, the Blessed Virgin appeared again in the same place. She asked if he had seen the bishop, and he replied no. And then said that he had to hurry to fetch a doctor because his uncle was gravely ill. The Virgin told him that she had already healed his uncle. “Am I not here? I, who am your Mother?”
She asked him to try the bishop a third time.
So off Juan Diego went for a third attempt, and this time, he managed to get past the gatekeepers. Before the bishop could throw him out, he managed to say, “I have seen the Blessed Virgin. She told me to bring you this message. She wants you to build a church here.”
The bishop questioned why the Blessed Virgin would appear to such a lowly peasant to deliver such a message and not appear to the bishop himself. Juan Diego said he didn’t know why. He wondered the same thing.
So the bishop said, if it really is the Blessed Virgin, tell her to give you a sign so that I should believe you. Then he threw Juan Diego out. He left dejected.
When Juan Diego returned home, his uncle was healed just as the Virgin had promised.
The next morning, on his way to town, he took a different route. He didn’t want to risk seeing the Virgin and admit he’d failed a third time. But the Virgin showed up on that alternate route and asked how things had gone with the bishop. Het told her the story. The bishop wants a sign before he’ll believe the request is valid.
The Virgin told Juan Diego to go gather the roses on the hillside (rare for winter) and bring them to the bishop. That will be his sign. So he filled his Tilma with the roses, clutched the bundle to his chest and ran off for another attempt. He told the guards that the bishop had asked him for a sign, and now he was here to deliver it.
They wouldn’t let him in. They didn’t believe the bishop would ever invite a peasant into his quarters.
Juan Diego managed to run past guards, made it to the bishop’s quarters, burst into a meeting, and said, “I have your sign from the Blessed Virgin. Then he opened his Tilma and let the roses fall onto the floor.
But the roses weren’t the sign.
The Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe
The bishop and his meeting guests were amazed to see an image of the Blessed Virgin. She looked as she appeared on the hillside to Juan Diego. Her face had the features of an Aztec. Her hands were folded in prayer, and she was framed in roses. The image covered the Tilma from the collar to the floor.
That image, now known as Our Lady of Guadalupe, is a worldwide icon associated with a mother’s love, humility, hope for the oppressed, patron of the unborn, and a multitude of miracles.
The bishop was humbled, as were his guests. He fulfilled the Blessed Virgin’s request. He recognized the miracle of the image on the Tilma and had a cathedral built with the Tilma displayed for veneration. That cathedral still stands, but it started to sink into the ground and couldn’t safely accommodate the millions of pilgrims. A new cathedral was built next to it, and the tilma hangs there to this day.
I’ve visited the cathedral. I have seen the Tilma.
The Most Visited Marian Shrine in the World
I can’t find words to describe the feeling of seeing that original image, of being in its presence..
Today, the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, where the image is displayed and venerated, is the most visited Marian shrine in the world, attracting over 20 million pilgrims each year.
Millions of miracles have been attributed to her intercession – recalling her words to Juan Diego, “Am I not here? I, who am your Mother?”
I have my own miracle. It happened over forty years ago.
Tile Representation
A few months ago, I ordered some tiles from Mexico that comprise a mosaic of the image on the Tilma. I had my friend (who is from Mexico) assemble, mount, and frame the tiles so I could create a garden with the image as the focus. Eventually, I’ll have ivy plants growing around the frame so it doesn’t look so stark, and the garden beds will fill out.
Her Message – So Pertinent for Today
At a time when greed gives way to oppression, and strength gives way to victimization, we can learn from Juan Diego – and the bishop. When our own country is shunning, torturing, and betraying people like Juan Diego, may Our Lady of Guadalupe be their silent refuge, and may those of us who can make a difference in some small way have the courage to take a stand.
Prayer for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
Beloved Mother, Our Lady of Guadalupe, you who appeared to the humble Juan Diego and offered your boundless compassion to all people, we turn to you with open hearts.
Guide us to walk a path of understanding and unity in a world often marked by division and strife. May we, like the messenger Juan Diego, have the courage to carry a message of hope and compassion to everyone we meet, building a sanctuary of peace and love in our shared world.
Hear our prayers and help us to always remember: “Am I not here, I who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and my protection?”
