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Dear Friend of Saint Joseph Abbey,
One day as he was gazing at a copy of the Image of
Our Lady of Guadalupe, Pope John Paul II confided, "I feel drawn to this
Image, because this face is full of tenderness and simplicity. It calls to
me..." Later, on May 6, 1990, during a pilgrimage to Mexico, the Holy
Father beatified Juan Diego, the messenger of Our Lady, and, on this
occasion, he said, "The Virgin chose Juan Diego, among the most humble, to
receive this loving and gracious manifestation, the apparition of Our Lady
of Guadalupe. Her maternal face on the holy Image that she left us as a
gift is a permanent souvenir of this."
In the sixteenth century, the Blessed Virgin, moved
with pity for the Aztec people who, living in the darkness of idolatry,
offered to their idols multitudes of human victims, deigned to take into
her own hands the evangelization of these Indians of Central America who
were also her children. One of the Aztec gods, originally considered the
god of fertility, had transformed himself over time into a ferocious god.
A symbol of the sun, this god was in continuous battle with the moon and
the stars and was believed to need human blood to restore his strength; if
he died, life would be extinguished. Ever new victims, to be offered to
him in perpetual sacrifice, therefore seemed essential.
An eagle on a cactus
Aztec priests had prophesied that their nomadic
people would settle in the place where an eagle would be seen perched on a
cactus, devouring a serpent. This eagle appears on the Mexican flag today.
Having arrived on a swampy island, in the middle of Lake Texcoco, the
Aztecs saw the foretold sign: an eagle, perched on a cactus, was devouring
a serpent. This was in 1369. There they founded their town Tenochtitlan,
which would become Mexico City. The town expanded to become a city on
pilings, with many gardens abounding in flowers, fruit, and vegetables.
The organization of the Aztec kingdom was very structured and
hierarchical. The knowledge of their mathematicians, astronomers,
philosophers, architects, doctors, artists, and artisans was excellent for
that time. But the laws of the physical world remained scarcely known.
Tenochtitlan drew its power and wealth primarily from war. The conquered
cities had to pay a tribute of various foodstuffs and men for war and
sacrifices. The Aztecs' human sacrifices and cannibalism are almost
unequaled throughout the course of history.
In 1474, a child was born who was given the name
Cuauhtlatoazin ("speaking eagle"). After his father's death, the child was
taken in by his uncle. From the age of three, he was taught, as were all
young Aztecs, to join in domestic tasks and to behave in a dignified
manner. At school, he learned singing, dancing, and especially the worship
of many gods. The priests had a very strong influence over the population,
whom they kept in a submission bordering on terror. Cuauhtlatoazin was
thirteen years old when the great temple at Tenochtitlan was consecrated.
Over the course of four days, the priests sacrificed 80,000 human victims
to their god. After his military service, Cuauhtlatoazin married a young
woman of his social status. Together they led a modest life as farmers.
In 1519, the Spaniard Cortez disembarked in Mexico,
leading 500 soldiers. He conquered the country for Spain, yet was not
lacking in zeal for the evangelization of the Aztecs. In 1524 he obtained
the arrival of twelve Franciscans to Mexico. These missionaries quickly
integrated into the population. Their goodness contrasted with the
harshness of the Aztec priests, as well as that of some conquistadors.
They began to build churches. However, the Indians were reluctant to
accept Baptism, primarily because it would require them to abandon
polygamy.
Cuauhtlatoazin and his wife were among the first to
receive Baptism, under the respective names of Juan Diego and Maria Lucia.
After his wife's death in 1529, Juan Diego withdrew to Tolpetlac, 14 km
from Mexico City, to the home of his uncle, Juan Bernardino, who had
become a Christian as well. On December 9, 1531, as was his custom every
Saturday, he left very early in the morning to attend the Mass celebrated
in honor of the Blessed Virgin, at the Franciscan fathers' church, close
to Mexico City. He walked past Tepeyac Hill. Suddenly, he heard a gentle
and resounding song that seemed to come from a great multitude of birds.
Raising his eyes to the top of the hill, he saw a white and radiant cloud.
He looked around him and wondered if he was dreaming. All of a sudden, the
song stopped and a woman's voice, gentle and graceful, called him: "Juanito,
Juan Dieguito!" He quickly climbed the hill and found himself in the
presence of a very beautiful young woman whose garments shone like the
sun.
"A church where I will show my love"
Speaking to him in Nahuatl, his native language, she
said to him, "Juanito, my son, where are you going?"—"Noble
Lady, my Queen, I am going to the Mass in Mexico City to hear the divine
things that the priest teaches us there."—"I
want you to know for certain, my dear son, that I am the perfect and
always Virgin MARY, Mother of the True God from Whom all life comes, the
Lord of all things, Creator of Heaven and Earth. I greatly desire that a
church be built in my honor, in which I will show my love, compassion, and
protection. I am your Mother full of mercy and love for you and all those
who love Me, trust in Me, and have recourse to Me. I will hear their
complaints and I will comfort their affliction and their sufferings. So
that I might show all My love, go now to the bishop in Mexico City and
tell him that I am sending you to make known to him the great desire I
have to see a church dedicated to me built here."
Juan Diego went straight to the bishop. Bishop Zumárraga,
a Franciscan, the first bishop of Mexico, was a pious man and full of
zeal, who had a heart overflowing with kindness towards the Indians. He
heard the poor man attentively, but fearing an illusion, did not put much
faith in his story. Towards evening, Juan Diego started on his way home.
At the top of Tepeyac Hill, he had the pleasant surprise of meeting the
Apparition again. He told her about his mission, then added, "I beg you to
entrust your message to someone more known and respected so that he will
believe it. I am only a simple Indian whom you have sent as a messenger to
an important person. Therefore, he didn't believe me, and I do not want to
greatly disappoint you."—"My
dearest son, "replied the Lady, "you must understand that there are many
more noble men to whom I could have entrusted my message and yet, it is
because of you that my plan will succeed. Return to the bishop tomorrow...
Tell him that it is I myself, the Blessed Virgin MARY, Mother of God, who
am sending you."
On Sunday morning after the Mass, Juan Diego went to
the bishop's house. The prelate asked him many questions, then asked for a
tangible sign of the truth of the apparition. When Juan Diego went home,
the bishop had him discreetly followed by two servants. At Tepeyac Bridge,
Juan Diego disappeared from their sight, and despite all their searches on
the hill and in the surrounding area, they could not find him again.
Furious, they declared to the bishop that Juan Diego was an impostor who
must absolutely not be believed. During this time, Juan Diego told the
beautiful Lady, who was waiting for him on the hill, about his most recent
meeting with the bishop. "Come back tomorrow morning to seek the sign he
is asking for," replied the Apparition.
Roses, in the middle of winter!
Returning home, the Indian found his uncle ill, and
the next day, he had to stay at his bedside to take care of him. As the
illness got worse, the uncle asked his nephew to go look for a priest. At
dawn on Tuesday, December 12, Juan Diego started on the road to the city.
Approaching Tepeyac Hill, he thought it best to make a detour so as not to
meet the Lady. But suddenly, he perceived her coming to meet him.
Embarrassed, he explained his situation and promised to come back when he
had found a priest to administer last rites to his uncle. "My dear little
one," replied the Apparition, "do not be distressed about your uncle's
illness, because he will not die from it. I assure you that he will get
well... Go to the top of the hill, pick the flowers that you will see
there, and bring them to me." When he had arrived at the top of the hill,
the Indian was stunned to find a great number of flowers in bloom,
Castillian roses that gave off a very sweet fragrance. Indeed, in the
winter, the cold allows nothing to survive, and besides, the place was too
dry for flowers to grow there. Juan Diego gathered the roses, enfolded
them in his cloak, or tilma, then went back down the hill. "My dear son,"
said the Lady, "these flowers are the sign that you are to give the
bishop... This will get him to build the church that I have asked of him."
Juan Diego ran to the bishop. When he arrived, the
servants made him wait for hours. Amazed at his patience, and intrigued by
what he was carrying in his tilma, they finally informed the bishop, who,
although with several people, had him shown in immediately. The Indian
related his adventure, unfolded his tilma, and let the flowers, which were
still shining with dew, scatter to the floor. With tears in his eyes,
Bishop Zumárraga
fell to his knees, admiring the roses from his country. All of a sudden,
he perceived, on the tilma, the portrait of Our Lady. MARY's
image was there, as though printed on the cloak, very beautiful and full
of gentleness. The bishop's doubts gave way to a sure faith and a hope
filled with wonder. He took the tilma and the roses, and placed them
respectfully in his private oratory. The next day he went with Juan Diego
to the hill where the apparitions had taken place. After having examined
the sites, he let the seer return to his uncle's house. Juan Bernardino
had been completely cured. His cure had taken place at the very hour when
Our Lady appeared to his nephew. He told him, "I have also seen her. She
even came here and talked to me. She wants a church to be built on Tepeyac
Hill and wants her portrait to be called 'Saint MARY of Guadalupe.' But
she didn't explain to me why." The name "Guadalupe" is well known by the
Spanish, because in their country there is a very old sanctuary dedicated
to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The news of the miracle spread quickly. In a short
time, Juan Diego became well-known. "I will spread your fame," MARY had
told him, but the Indian remained as humble as ever. To make it easier to
meditate on the Image, Bishop Zumárraga
had the tilma transported to his cathedral. Then work was begun on the
construction of a small church and a hermitage for Juan Diego on the hill
of apparitions. The next December 25, the bishop consecrated his cathedral
to the Most Blessed Virgin, to thank her for the remarkable favors with
which she had blessed his diocese. Then, in a magnificent procession, the
miraculous Image was carried to the sanctuary that had just been completed
on Tepeyac Hill. To express their joy, the Indians shot arrows. One of
them, shot carelessly, went through the throat of a participant in the
procession, who fell to the ground, fatally wounded. A great silence fell
and intense supplication rose to the Mother of God. Suddenly the wounded
man, who had been placed at the foot of the miraculous Image, collected
himself and got up, full of vigor. The crowd's enthusiasm was at its peak.
Millions of Indians become Christian
Juan Diego moved into his little hermitage, seeing to
the maintenance and cleaning of the site. His life remained simple—he
carefully farmed a field close to the sanctuary that had been placed at
his disposal. He received pilgrims in ever larger numbers, and enjoyed
talking about the Blessed Virgin and untiringly relating the details of
the apparitions. He was entrusted with all kinds of prayer intentions. He
listened, sympathized, and comforted. A good amount of his free time was
spent in contemplation before the image of his Lady. He made rapid
progress in the ways of holiness. Day after day, he fulfilled his duty as
a witness up until his death on December 9, 1548, seventeen years after
the first apparition.
When the Indians had learned the news of Our Lady's
apparitions, an enthusiasm and joy such as had never been seen before
spread among them. Renouncing their idols, superstitions, human
sacrifices, and polygamy, many asked to be baptized. Nine years after the
apparitions, nine million Indians had converted to the Christian faith—nearly
3,000 a day! The details of the Image of MARY moved the Indians deeply—this
woman is greater than the sun-god since she appears standing before the
sun. She surpasses the moon god since she keeps the moon under her feet.
She is no longer of this world since she is surrounded by clouds and is
held above the world by an angel. Her folded hands show her in prayer,
which means that there is Someone greater than she...
Even in our time, the mystery of this miraculous
Image remains. The tilma, a large apron woven by hand from cactus fibers,
bears the holy Image, which is 1.43 meters tall. The Virgin's face is
perfectly oval and is a gray color verging on pink. Her eyes have a
profound expression of purity and gentleness. The mouth seems to smile.
The very beautiful face, similar to that of a mestizo Indian, is framed by
a black head of hair that, up close, is comprised of silky locks. She is
clad in a full tunic, of a pinkish red hue that no one has ever been able
to reproduce, and that goes to her feet. Her bluish-green mantle is edged
with gold braid and studded with stars. A sun of various shades forms a
magnificent background, with golden rays shining out.
The fact that the tilma has remained perfectly
preserved from 1531 to this day is inexplicable. After more than four
centuries, this fabric of mediocre quality retains the same freshness and
the same lively color as when it was new. By comparison, a copy of the
Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe painted in the 18th century with great
care, and preserved under the same climatic conditions as Juan Diego's,
had completely deteriorated in a few years.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a painful
period of revolutions in Mexico, a load of dynamite was put by unbelievers
at the foot of the Image, in a vase of flowers. The explosion destroyed
the marble steps on the main altar, the candelabras, all the
flower-holders. The marble altarpiece was broken into pieces, the brass
Christ on the tabernacle was split in two. The windows in most of the
houses near the basilica were broken, but the pane of glass that was
protecting the Image was not even cracked. The Image remained intact.
The most moving experience of my life
In 1936, an examination conducted on two fibers from
the tilma, one red and the other yellow, led to an astounding finding—the
fibers contained no known coloring agent. Ophthalmology and optics confirm
the inexplicable nature of the Image—it
seems to be a slide projected onto the fabric. Closer analysis shows that
there is no trace of drawing or sketching under the color, even though
perfectly recognizable retouches were done on the original, retouches
which moreover have deteriorated with time. In addition, the background
never received any primer, which seems inexplicable if it is truly a
painting, for even on the finest fabric, a coat is always applied, if only
to prevent the fabric from absorbing the painting and the threads from
breaking the surface. No brush strokes can be detected. After an infrared
analysis conducted on May 7, 1979, a professor from NASA wrote, "There is
no way to explain the quality of the pigments used for the pink dress, the
blue veil, the face and the hands, or the permanence of the colors, or the
vividness of the colors after several centuries, during which they
ordinarily should have deteriorated... Studying this Image has been the
most moving experience of my life."
Astronomers have observed that all the constellations
present in the heavens at the moment Juan Diego opened his tilma before
Bishop Zumárraga
on December 12, 1531, are in their proper place on MARY's mantle. It has
also been found that by imposing a topographical map of central Mexico on
the Virgin's dress, the mountains, rivers and principal lakes coincide
with the decoration on this dress.
Ophthalmological tests have found that MARY's eye is
a human eye that appears to be living, and includes the retina, in which
is reflected the image of a man with outstretched hands—Juan
Diego. The image in the eye conforms to the known laws of optics,
particularly to that which states that a well-lighted object can be
reflected three times in an eye (Purkinje-Samson's law). A later study
allowed researchers to discover in the eye, in addition to the seer,
Bishop Zumárraga
and several other people present when the image of Our Lady appeared on
the tilma. And the normal microscopic network of veins in the eyelids and
the cornea of the Virgin's eyes is completely recognizable. No human
painter would have been able to reproduce such details.
Three months pregnant
Gynecological measurements have determined that the
Virgin in the Image has the physical dimensions of a woman who is three
months pregnant. Under the belt that holds the dress in place, at the very
location of the embryo, a flower with four petals stands out—the
Solar Flower, the most familiar of Aztec hieroglyphs, and which symbolized
for them divinity, the center of the earth, heaven, time, and space. On
the Virgin's neck hangs a brooch, the center of which is decorated with a
little cross, recalling the death of Christ on the Cross for the salvation
of all mankind. Many other details of the Image of MARY form an
extraordinary document for our age, which is able to observe them thanks
to modern technology. Thus science, which has often been a pretext for
unbelief, helps us today to give prominence to signs that had remained
unknown for centuries and that science is unable to explain.
The Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe bears a message of
evangelization: the Basilica of Mexico is a center "from which flows a
river of the light of the Gospel of Christ, spreading throughout the earth
through the merciful Image of MARY" (John Paul II, December 12, 1981 ). In
addition, through her intervention on behalf of the Aztec people, the
Virgin played a role in saving innumerable human lives, and her pregnancy
can be interpreted as a special appeal on behalf of unborn children and
the defense of human life. This appeal has a burning relevance in our
time, when threats against the lives of individuals and peoples,
especially lives that are weak and defenseless, are widespread and
becoming more serious. The Second Vatican Council forcefully deplored
crimes against human life: "All offenses against life itself, such as
murder, genocide, abortion, euthanasia... all these and the like are
criminal: they poison civilization ; and they debase the perpetrators more
than the victims and militate against the honor of the Creator" (
Gaudium et Spes, 27). Faced with these plagues, which are expanding as
a result of scientific progress and technology, and which benefit from
wide social consensus as well as legal recognition, let us call upon MARY
with confidence. She is an "incomparable model of how life should be
welcomed and cared for... Showing us her Son, she assures us that in Him
the forces of death have already been defeated" (John Paul II,
Evangelium vitae, March 25, 1995, nos. 102, 105). "Death and life are
locked in an incredible battle; the Author of life, having died, lives and
reigns" (Easter Sequence).
Let us ask Saint Juan Diego, canonized by Pope John
Paul II on July 31, 2002, to inspire us with a true devotion to our Mother
of Heaven, for "MARY's compassion extends to all those who appeal to her,
even when this appeal is nothing more than a simple 'Hail, MARY'" (Saint
Alphonsus de Liguori ). Especially if we have fallen into serious sin, she
who is Mother of Mercy will obtain for us the Mercy of God.
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