St. Juan Diego and Our Lady of Guadalupe

It is late. I’ve driven from Knoxville to Mountain City, TN after dialysis today in anticipation of giving an Advent Retreat at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Mountain City. Aaaand, I just finished my pediatric telephone triage shift. All of that is to explain why I’m copping out and simply posting again what I posted last year about the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. An important feast, as she is the patroness of all the Americas.

Today, December 12, is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, or simply St. Juan Diego, was a Nahua peasant who, with his wife Maria Lucia, was among the first in Mexico to be baptized after the arrival of Franciscan missionaries in 1524. On December 9, 1531, two years after his wife had passed away, Juan Diego was walking past Tepeyac hill near Mexico City on his way to attend Mass in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary. As he passed the hill, he heard beautiful music like birds singing. A glowing cloud appeared and within the cloud stood an Indian maiden dressed like an Aztec princess. The beautiful lady spoke to him in his native language and sent him to Bishop Juan de Zumarraga, a Franciscan and the bishop of Mexico. Juan Diego was to instruct the bishop that the Lady requested a chapel be built at the site where she appeared.

Bishop Zumarraga was incredulous. He told Juan Diego to tell the Lady to give him a sign. Unfortunately, Juan Diego’s uncle, with whom he lived, was very ill. This caused Juan Diego to try to avoid seeing the Lady because he knew she would send him on another mission, which would prevent him caring for his uncle. The Lady found Juan Diego, however, and assured him that his uncle would recover. She told him to go to the top of Tepeyac hill where he would find roses blooming in December, and to pick the roses and bring them to Bishop Zumarraga as the sign he requested.

Juan Diego gathered the roses in his tilma and set off to see the bishop. On his arrival, he opened his tilma and the roses he carried fell to the ground. However, Bishop Zumarraga was not interested in the roses. He immediately fell to his knees. Juan Diego looked down and saw that, on his tilma, was the image of Our Lady as she had appeared to Juan Diego on Tepeyac hill. Bishop Zumarraga was convinced that Our Lady had visited the land of Mexico, and he arranged for a chapel to be built on Tepeyac hill in veneration of her as Our Lady of Guadalupe, according to her desire. Juan Diego’s uncle did recover, and Juan Diego was given permission to live in a hut at the foot of Tepeyac Hill where he devoted the rest of his life to the service of Our Lady of Guadalupe. It is said that, prior to 1531, missionary efforts to convert the natives of Mexico were not very successful. After the visions of Our Lady of Guadalupe, millions of native Mexicans converted to the faith.

St. Juan Diego was canonized by Pope St. John Paul II on July 31, 2002. His feast day is December 9. The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is December 12. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the patroness of the Americas. St. Juan Diego’s tilma with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe remarkably intact is exhibited in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico City.

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe:

“Dearest Lady of Guadalupe, fruitful Mother of Holiness, teach me your ways of gentleness and strength. Hear my prayer offered with deepfelt confidence to beg this favor…. O Mary, conceived without sin, I come to your throne of grace to share the fervent devotion of your faithful Mexican children who call to you under the glorious Aztec title of “Guadalupe” the virgin who crushed the serpent. Queen of Martyrs, whose Immaculate heart was pierced by seven wounds of grief, help me to walk valiantly amid the sharp thorns thrown across my pathway. Queen of Apostles aid me to win souls for the Sacred Heart of my Savior. I plead this through the merits of your merciful Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”

Sources: https://www.nationalshrine.org/blog/a-prayer-to-our-lady-of-guadalupe/

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.