Hope Displayed on Cactus Cloth: Our Lady of Guadalupe
I will share a long excerpt from a chapter of one of my newest books “Our Life, Our Sweetness, and Our Hope!: Jubilee Pilgrims of Hope with Mary” (Marian Press) to tell you the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego.
“Am I not here, who is your Mother?”
— Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego
Countless times throughout history our Mother Mary reassures us of her tender love and exclusive, unwavering protection. Mary did so when she appeared to the unsuspecting St. Juan Diego. Never in his wildest dreams did he think the Mother of God would ever speak to him, never mind appear to him with a history-changing mission and message.
[I will leave out the first part of this chapter from my book to get straight to the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Humble Juan Diego
. . . Now, let’s switch gears to learn a bit more about the devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. Let’s step way back to the year 1531, when a mysterious glowing visitor suddenly showed up on the Mexican hill of Tepeyac (in the outskirts of Mexico City) to an unsuspecting and humble Native American on his way to Holy Mass.
It was early on a Saturday morning. The sun had not yet risen when Juan Diego, with his tilma (cloak) wrapped tightly around him to stave off the bitter chill in the Mexican mountains, left his abode and began his trek. It was a six-mile hike from his home in Tolpetlac to the neighboring village of Tlatelolco, a suburb of Tenochtitlan. Though it was a long journey to complete on foot two days in a row, 57-year-old Juan Diego was faithful to going to Mass every Saturday and Sunday since his conversion to the Catholic Faith six years prior. He had been hoofing it alone for two years now since his beloved wife and traveling partner, Maria Lucia, had died.
This particular Saturday morning, a day dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, would turn out to unfold into something unbelievably miraculous — something Juan Diego could never have imagined, not in a million years — something which would change the world forever.
What was that charming music? Juan Diego had never heard such heavenly music — ever! Where was it coming from? Could it be birds singing these exquisite melodies? Juan Diego wondered as he approached Tepeyac Hill, while the enchanting music filled the air. It seemed to enrapture his heart and soul. He almost felt like he was dreaming. Could he be in Heaven? As he got closer, the music stopped. There was complete silence. And a voice called to him: “Juanito, Juan Dieguito.” He drew closer. He was unafraid. Suddenly, a glowing white cloud appeared above the crest of the hill. The earth around the apparition seemed to display glowing rainbow colors, and the surrounding foliage radiated shades of jade, gold, and turquoise. Beautiful flowers exuded an enchanting fragrance.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Revealed Herself
It was the 9th of December, and the heavenly visitor identified herself. She told Juan, “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.” The visitor is otherwise known as Our Lady of Guadalupe or the Virgin of Guadalupe. His Eminence, Raymond Leo Cardinal Burke commented on Our Lady’s words to Juan Diego:
Her words declare her vocation and mission as Mother of God, Mother of God the Son, the Second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, who took a human heart under her Immaculate Heart. … She also refers to the mystery of her Immaculate Conception by which she was chosen from the beginning of time to be the privileged instrument of the redemptive Incarnation and partner with God the Son in carrying out the work of our Redemption, the sole reason for His taking of our human flesh and becoming one of us.
He continued, “The Coming of the Son of God into the world is the true and lasting remedy of our spiritual poverty, God the Father’s perfect act of love for us as His sons and daughters. The Mother of God, Our Lady of Guadalupe, is constantly directing us to the mystery of the Incarnation which gives us unfailing hope and sound direction for our lives.”
Let’s take a deeper look at how Our Lady of Guadalupe directs us to the unfailing hope of Jesus. We first notice that the Blessed Virgin did not choose to deliver her message to a high-ranking person, a bishop, a pope. No. She chose a lowly and simple but faithful Catholic, Juan Diego. She entrusted him with a mission to communicate with the Bishop of Mexico. Mary could have gone straight to the Bishop himself with her saving mission. Yet, she desired that simple and unqualified Juan carry out the heavenly mission. I believe she calls upon us too, as unqualified as we may be. God uses the humble and faithful!
Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego on the exact spot where the evil one had inspired the worship of pagan gods. The Mother of God desired to save these souls and future generations. And she requested that a chapel be built on that very spot in her honor so that she could show her love and compassion and, most of all, glorify her Divine Son Jesus. The very nature of her mission was to manifest Divine Mercy. She desired that it be a place of pilgrimage, where she would make known her maternal love to pilgrims who come.
The Virgin of Guadalupe told her little Juanito, “I will give Him to the people in all my personal love, in my compassion, in my help, in my protection: because I am truly your merciful Mother, yours and all the other people of different ancestries, my lovers, who love me, those who seek me, those who trust me. Here I will hear their weeping, their complaints and heal all their sorrows, hardships, and sufferings.”
Mary sent Juan Diego to the Bishop with her request, and the disbelieving Bishop demanded proof of the vision. He wanted a sure sign that the message was from “the Lady from Heaven.” The Bishop indeed received his sign, and it came about in such a glorious way! This should not come as a surprise, however, because everything Our Lady does is glorious! She asked her little Juanito to collect some flowers and bring them to the Bishop as a holy sign. Sounded simple enough. But, then again, it was December. Additionally, Juan Diego’s uncle was sick, and Juan was troubled about getting to him to care for him, and now Our Lady’s requests were lovingly lying upon his shoulders.
Our Lady Allays Our Fears
Mary told St. Juan Diego, “Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not under my protection? AmI not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything.”
Mary takes care of everything. She wanted her Juanito to understand this and not be troubled. Our Lady speaks these words to our hearts as well. She allays our fears. Our Lady of Guadalupe offers great hope to us. She is our true Mother! Our Lady told Juan Diego just where he could find the flowers. Despite the December frost, he discovered beautiful roses miraculously growing atop a high hill. Our Lady then lovingly arranged them with her own hands in his tilma before he headed off to the Bishop’s residence. Can we even imagine this beautiful attention to detail on Mary’s part? We shall soon see why she arranged them with her own holy hands.
When Juan opened his tilma to reveal the luscious, beautiful roses, including Castilian roses (which did not grow in Mexico), tucked tightly against his body, something else was also revealed. That is, the colorful and vibrant miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Juan’s tilma!
Our Lady of Guadalupe’s Miraculous Image
Needless to say, the Bishop was exceedingly pleased and completely enraptured by Our Lady’s miraculous image in her native features and dress displayed on the peasant’s clothing. As I noted in my book, 30 Marian Eucharistic Visits: Adoring Jesus with His Mother:
This tilma, which was a poor-quality cactus cloth, should have deteriorated within about twenty years. However, 476 years later, it still shows no sign of decay, and the image on it completely defies all scientific explanations of its origin. Studies show that reflected in Our Lady’s eyes in the image is what was in front of her when she appeared in 1531.
The miraculous image was placed in the chapel for veneration. Juan Diego lived the remaining 17 years of his life as a hermit in a tiny abode near the chapel and cared for the church and the first pilgrims who came to pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe. We can only imagine the countless number of pilgrims with whom he spoke — telling every detail of the miraculous story again and again, no doubt, with a twinkle in his eyes.
Juan Diego died in 1548 and was buried in the first chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe. All in all, there were five apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to St. Juan Diego. The first was the initial meeting with Our Lady.
At the second apparition, Juan asked Mary to choose someone else since he felt he failed with the Bishop. Mary reassured Juan that he was her appointed messenger and asked him to remind the Bishop of her identity.
In the third apparition, Mary agreed to provide the sign the following day, December 11. But, alas, dear Juanito didn’t meet with Mary on December 11 due to taking care of his uncle, whom he feared was dying. The fourth apparition occurred in the early morning of December 12, when Juan was trying to avoid his Holy Mother while on his way to seek a priest to hear his dying uncle’s confession. Our Lady met him and then gave Juan the heartfelt and powerful words we ponder today. I mentioned them briefly earlier.
However, here they are now in full. Let them sink in:
Listen, put it into your heart, my youngest and dearest son, that the thing that disturbs you, the thing that afflicts you, is nothing. Do not let your countenance, your heart be disturbed. Do not fear this sickness of your uncle or any other sickness, nor anything that is sharp or hurtful. Am I not here, I, who am your Mother?
Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more? Let nothing else worry you, disturb you. Do not let your uncle’s illness worry you, because he will not die now. You may be certain that he is already well.
Within the first 10 years after Our Lady of Guadalupe’s apparitions in which Our Lady manifested herself to the native peoples of Mexico as a sign of her motherly care, it is said that 10 million people were converted from paganism and accepted the Catholic Faith. Conversions continue. This is the largest mass conversion in history.
Venerable Pope Pius XII declared the Virgin of Guadalupe the Empress of all the Americas. In a prayer he composed in 1945 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of her first crowning, he said, “For we are certain that as long as you are recognized as Queen and Mother, Mexico and America will be safe.”
In 1990, St. John Paul II visited Mexico and beatified Juan Diego. In 2002, this same pontiff canonized him. In 1999, St. John Paul II declared Our Lady of Guadalupe the Patroness of the Americas. The feast of Our Lady for Guadalupe is December 12.
It’s been almost 500 years since Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to the humble St. Juan Diego. Her message is the same for us now: Mother Mary loves us and desires that we turn away from sin, turn to her Son Jesus, and call upon her as our protective and loving Mother. As Cardinal Burke has stated:
It was during an age much like our own when Our Lady first appeared to St. Juan Diego some 500 years ago. Again, we are contending with disease, war, and deep spiritual confusion. Again, many poor souls are tempted to fear that all hope is lost. But Our Lord has not called us to fear. No matter the darkness of our age, men and women of faith are not without the truth and love of Christ, nor the faithful care of His mother. Through St. Juan Diego’s humble and courageous cooperation with grace, Our Lady’s intercession transformed the world and brought millions of souls to Christ. It is this same maternal care and protection that we seek today — a care and protection that she will grant us, should we earnestly ask for it.
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