Today is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe! On this day back in 1531, our Blessed Mother appeared in Mexico to a 57-year old peasant named Juan Diego.
According to the earliest reliable account of the story, Juan Diego was walking near what is now Mexico City (Tepeyac Hill) when he came upon an apparition of a “maiden” whom he soon came to recognize as the Virgin Mary. Mary appeared to be wearing the dress of an Aztec princess. The sash tied around her waist was a symbol of pregnancy, indicating that she was with child.
When he told the archbishop, he asked for a sign to prove what he had seen.
Upon returning, Mary instructed Juan Diego to climb to the top of the hill to gather flowers to bring back to the bishop. Reaching the crest of the hill, Juan Diego found Castilian roses, which were neither in season nor native to the region.The Blessed Mother arranged the flowers herself in Juan’s tilma (a burlap-type cloak) and instructed him in his native language to open the cloak only upon return to the bishop.
When Juan Diego arrived back at the bishop’s residence, he opened his cloak and the flowers fell to the floor. Left on the surface of his tilma was the image that’s come to be known as “Our Lady of Guadalupe." Several million Aztecs were converted to the Catholic faith by the power of this image in just under seven years.
A shrine that was subsequently built on the spot where the original tilma can still be seen is one of the most popular pilgrimage sites in the world today.
As Patroness of the Americas, may she watch over our country & us all.
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us.
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