It was on December 9, 10, 11, and 12, 1531 when the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to an Indian convert named Juan Diego, by a hill called Tepeyac in a small village called Guadalupe, near Mexico City. The Lady asked Juan Diego to build a church on the spot of the apparition with the promise: “No one who seeks me here in true need or affliction shall go away unconsoled.” The message was conveyed to the Bishop of Mexico, but the Bishop asked for a sign to verify the claim. The visionary, Juan Diego, was told by our Lady to go and collect flowers from the place of the first apparition – though it was not the season for flowers – and Juan Diego brought them back to the bishop in his tilma (a sort of a cloak). When he opened the cloak, a miraculous image of the Blessed Virgin was seen. With the giving of this sign, our Lady’s message was accepted, and soon a small chapel was built. Today it is a magnificent shrine and basilica, and there Our Lady of Guadalupe is honored as patroness of all the Americas.
Scientific researches claim that the image, though created in 1531, has almost photographic qualities. As in modern photography, the eyes of the Blessed Virgin contain images of those standing in the room when Juan Diego opened his tilma.While the tilma remains intact, the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe endures. Mary’s call to build a church is symbolic of a deeper call, that is, it is a call to gather people together in faith, hope and love, with the promise of help and consolation to the poor and the weak of this world. That woman mentioned in the Gospel of Luke also comes from a poor family. She describes herself as the maidservant of the Lord. And we consider ourselves her children. We call her as our mother. In our devotion to the Blessed Mother, how far have we gone in conveying the message of hope to others? We are called to become signs of God’s love and life here in our world. As the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of Guadalupe, gazed upon the lowly ones, we are challenged to bring love and life to others especially the poor and the weak in our present community. As we continue in our celebration, let us ask the Lord that he may form us according to the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary who has compassion especially to the poor and lowly.
Scientific researches claim that the image, though created in 1531, has almost photographic qualities. As in modern photography, the eyes of the Blessed Virgin contain images of those standing in the room when Juan Diego opened his tilma.While the tilma remains intact, the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe endures. Mary’s call to build a church is symbolic of a deeper call, that is, it is a call to gather people together in faith, hope and love, with the promise of help and consolation to the poor and the weak of this world. That woman mentioned in the Gospel of Luke also comes from a poor family. She describes herself as the maidservant of the Lord. And we consider ourselves her children. We call her as our mother. In our devotion to the Blessed Mother, how far have we gone in conveying the message of hope to others? We are called to become signs of God’s love and life here in our world. As the Blessed Virgin, Our Lady of Guadalupe, gazed upon the lowly ones, we are challenged to bring love and life to others especially the poor and the weak in our present community. As we continue in our celebration, let us ask the Lord that he may form us according to the heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary who has compassion especially to the poor and lowly.
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