Today’s feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of all the Americas, recalls the apparition of our Blessed Mother on the hill of Tepeyac in present day Mexico City from December 9th through the 12th in the year 1531. Guadalupe is the Spanish translation of the Aztec phrase that Juan Diego heard Mary associate herself with – the name, interestingly, in Aztec means “she will crush the serpent of stone.”
In the same year – 1531 – thousands of miles away in what today we call Germany – Martin Luther was pro- claiming his doctrine of protest and rebellion from the Catholic faith. As Martin Luther was convincing millions of Catholics to leave the faith, our Blessed Mother, through the miraculous image that appeared on Juan Diego’s tilma, convinces millions of Native Americans to convert to the faith.
As the Protestant rebellion was tearing down millennia of Church theology and sacred tradition, Our Lady was building up the understanding of both the Spanish clergy in Mexico and the Native American population, of the love of God and the assurance of her protection.
Our Lady spoke to Juan Diego in his native dialect. She identified herself and said: “Juanito, the humblest of my children, know and understand that I am the ever virgin Mary, Mother of the true God through whom all things live. It is my ardent desire that a church be erected here so that in it I can show and bestow my love, compassion, help, and protection to all who inhabit this land and to those others who love me, that they might call upon and confide in me. Go to the Bishop of Mexico to make known to him what I greatly desire. Go and put all your efforts into this.”(1)
Of course you probably know the rest of the story. The Bishop is told, disbelieves Juan Diego, the bishop asks for a sign, Juan Diego reports back to Mary and is told by her to cut the Castilian roses that are growing and put them in his poncho which is called a tilma. The tilma is opened in front of the Bishop and other witnesses, the roses fall out, and the miraculous image of Our Lady appears on the tilma. But is this story true? What are the facts that surround it?
Our Lady of Guadalupe is honored as a feast throughout the Americas on this day because of the miraculous events associated with this particular three-day apparition, a very few being:
1) The extraordinary conversion of multi-millions of Native Americans, and the Aztecs in particular, who, as a blood thirsty civilization, were known to kill as many as 20,000 human beings in one day to appease the blood lust of their primary god.
2) The roses that Juan Diego cut were native of Damascus, Syria, and did grow in Spain, but were unknown in Mexico at that time.
3) The tilma, or poncho, that Juan Diego wore was made of the agave fibers traditionally used by the Native Americans. These fibers were a natural substance that should have deteriorated within 35 years, and yet, today, the 480th anniversary of the event – this tilma is still in excellent condition.
4) Through scientific analysis done over the last forty years, it has been determined that the pigments used on the tilma are not of natural or man-made material, and there is no glue or sizing on the tilma to fix the pigment in place. Plus the colorization or iridescence of the image on this “icon not made with human hands” would not have been able to be produced by a human artist in the 16th century. This iridescent effect would have been seen only in nature.
5) Our Lady is represented in the colors and dress of a pregnant Aztec princess. Modern astronomical research has shown that the stars on Our Lady’s image are in the configuration of the stars in the heavens on the nights of the apparition in 1531. Most remarkably, a microscopic analysis of Our Lady’s eyes was completed by Peruvian engineer and optical scientist Dr. Jose Aste Tonsmann (who trained at Cornell University and worked at IBM). He magnified the iris of the Virgin’s eyes 2,500 times and, through mathematical and optical calculations, was able to identify the witnesses of the Guadalupan miracle at the moment Juan Diego unfurled his tilma before the bishop and other witnesses [the bishop was Juan de Zumarraga, the Franciscan bishop of Mexico City.] (2)
But most importantly, these few miraculous facts about the icon of Our Lady of Guadalupe, do not stress the key issues of this apparition.
You see, Our Lady came to the Mexican people – as she comes to us this Advent season – as a pregnant young woman who is promoting life and her protection – not only for her unborn child – but for all of us.
Our Lady calls to us through this icon to stress that she loves us, has compassion for us, sees our tears, and desires to offer us her love and comfort. As the Mother of the incarnate Son of God she also points to her Son, and desires a church to be built so He can be properly worshipped and so she can be there to assist us in our prayers to God.
Mary has always reminded us that He is the One, True, All Powerful God who desires our love and respect. She also stresses that she is always here to provide her protection.
I commend to you to do some research this week on this magnificent Church approved apparition which indicates the Lord’s and Our Lady’s love for us. How blessed we are to have the spiritual motherhood of Mary, and the Fatherhood of the One True God.
Copyright © 2011 Deacon Paul O. Iacono All Rights Reserved
Footnotes and sites to investigate for more information:
(1) From a report by Don Antonio Valeriano, a Native American author of the 16th century; as published in the Supplement of the New Feasts and Memorials for the General Roman Calendar – The Liturgy of the Hours.
(2) “Science Sees What Mary Saw From Juan Diego’s Tilma” Zenit News Service, 2001.
Zenit News Agency. Science Stunned by Virgin of Guadalupe’s Eyes. 1/14/2001
http://www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/index.html
The Fra Angelico Institute for Sacred Art 