Our Lady of Guadalupe
Patroness of Latin America
Feast day – December 12
One of the most beautiful series of apparitions of the Queen
of Heaven occurred on the American continent on a December day of 1531, only
ten years after the Spanish conquest. A fervent Christian Indian in his
fifties, Juan Diego, a widower, was on his way to Mass in Mexico City from his
home eight miles distant, a practice he and his wife had followed since their
conversion, in honor of Our Lady on Her day, Saturday. He had to pass near the
hill of Tepeyac, and was struck there by the joyous song of birds, rising up in
the most melodious of concerts; he stopped to listen. Looking up to the
hilltop, he perceived a brilliant cloud, surrounded by a light brighter than a
fiery sun, and a gentle voice called him by name, saying, “Juan, come.”
His first fear was transformed into a sweet happiness by this voice, and he
mounted the slope. There he beheld the One he had intended to honor by hearing
Her Mass. She was surrounded by a radiance so brilliant it sent out rays that
seemed to transform the very rocks into scintillating jewels.
“Where are you going, My child?” She asked him. “To Saint
James to hear the Mass sung by the minister of the Most High in honor of the
Mother of the Saviour.” “That is good, My son; your devotion is agreeable to
Me, as is also the humility of your heart. Know then that I am that Virgin
Mother of God, Author of Life and Protector of the weak. I desire that a temple
be built here, where I will show Myself to be your tender Mother, the Mother of
your fellow citizens and of all who invoke My name with confidence. Go to the
bishop and tell him faithfully all you have seen and heard.”
Juan continued on his way, and the bishop, Monsignor Juan de
Zumarraga, a Franciscan of great piety and enlightened prudence, heard him
kindly and asked questions, but sent him home without any promises. Juan was
disappointed, but on his way past the hill, he once again found the Lady, who
seemed to be waiting for him as though to console him. He excused himself for
the failure of his mission, but She only repeated Her desire to have a temple
built at this site, and told him to return again to the bishop. This he did on
the following day, begging the bishop to accomplish the desires of the Virgin.
Monsignor said to him: “If it is the Most Holy Virgin who sends you, She must
prove it; if She wants a church, She must give me a sign of Her will.” On his
way home, Juan Diego found Her again, waiting, and She said to him, “Come back
tomorrow and I will give you a certain mark of the truthfulness of your words.”
The next day Juan was desolate to find his uncle, with whom
he lived, fallen grievously sick; the old gentleman was clearly on the brink of
death. Juan had to go and find a priest in the city. As he was passing the
hill, Our Lady again appeared to him, saying, “Do not be anxious, Diego,
because of your uncle’s illness. Don’t you know that I am your Mother and that
you are under My protection? At this moment your uncle is cured.” “Then please
give me the sign you told me of,” replied Juan. Mary told him to come up to the
hilltop and cut the flowers he would find there, place them under his cloak,
and bring them to Her. “I will tell you then what to do next.” Juan found the
most beautiful of roses and lilies, and chose the most fragrant ones for Mary.
She made a bouquet of them and placed it in a fold of his cloak or tilma
— a large square of coarse cloth resembling burlap. “Take these lilies and
roses on My behalf to the bishop,” She said. “This is the certain sign of My
will. Let there be no delay in raising here a temple in My honor.” With joy
Juan continued on to the city and the bishop’s residence, where he had to wait
nearly all day in the antechamber. Other visitors noted the fragrance of his
flowers, and went so far as to open his mantle to see what he was carefully
holding in it, but found only flowers pictured on the cloth. When finally he
was admitted to the presence of the prelate, he opened his cloak and the fresh
flowers fell on the floor. That was not the only sign; on his cloak there was
imprinted a beautiful image of the Virgin. It remains today still visible in
the Cathedral of Mexico City, conserved under glass and in its original state,
having undergone no degeneration in 470 years.
Juan found his uncle entirely cured that evening; he heard
him relate that Our Lady had cured him, and had said to him also: “May a
sanctuary be raised for Me under the name of Our Lady of Guadalupe.” The bishop
lost no time in having a small church built at the hill of Tepeyac, and Juan
Diego himself dwelt near there to answer the inquiries of the pilgrims who came
in great numbers. In effect, nearly all of the land became Catholic in a few
years’ time, having learned to love the gentle Lady who like God their Father
showed Herself to be the ever-watchful friend of the poor. In 1737 the
pestilence ceased immediately in Mexico city after the inhabitants made a vow
to proclaim Our Lady of Guadalupe the principal Patroness of New Spain. In 1910
She was proclaimed by Saint Pius X “Celestial Patroness of all Latin America.”
Recent studies of the image of Our Lady on the tilma have discovered in
one of Her eyes the portrait of Juan Diego, the son She chose to favor by this
triduum of heavenly apparitions and conversations.
Sources for this article were taken from: http://magnificat.ca
Prayer
Remember, O most gracious Virgin
Mary of Guadalupe, that in thy celestial apparitions on the mount of Tepeyac,
thou didst promise to show thy compassion and pity towards all who, loving and
trusting thee, seek thy help and call upon thee in their necessities and
afflictions.
Thou didst promise to hearken to our supplications, to dry our tears and to give us consolation and relief. Never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, either for the common welfare, or in personal anxieties, was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence, we fly unto thee, O Mary, ever Virgin Mother of the True God! Though grieving under the weight of our sins, we come to prostrate ourselves in thy august presence, certain that thou wilt deign to fulfill thy merciful promises. We are full of hope that, standing beneath thy shadow and protection, nothing will trouble or afflict us, nor need we fear illness, or misfortune, or any other sorrow.
Thou hast decided to remain with us through thy admirable image, thou who art our Mother, our health and our life. Placing ourselves beneath thy maternal gaze and having recourse to thee in all our necessities we need do nothing more. O Holy Mother of God, despise not our petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer us. (Here mention your petition.)
Thou didst promise to hearken to our supplications, to dry our tears and to give us consolation and relief. Never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession, either for the common welfare, or in personal anxieties, was left unaided.
Inspired with this confidence, we fly unto thee, O Mary, ever Virgin Mother of the True God! Though grieving under the weight of our sins, we come to prostrate ourselves in thy august presence, certain that thou wilt deign to fulfill thy merciful promises. We are full of hope that, standing beneath thy shadow and protection, nothing will trouble or afflict us, nor need we fear illness, or misfortune, or any other sorrow.
Thou hast decided to remain with us through thy admirable image, thou who art our Mother, our health and our life. Placing ourselves beneath thy maternal gaze and having recourse to thee in all our necessities we need do nothing more. O Holy Mother of God, despise not our petitions, but in thy mercy hear and answer us. (Here mention your petition.)
Five Hail Marys...in gratitude for the four apparitions to Juan Diego and the one to Juan Bernardino.
Our Lady of Guadalupe – Pray for us
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