Our Lady of Guadalupe

Appearance to Juan Diego
The year was 1531 in Mexico near today what is Mexico City.  Juan Diego, a simple peasant Aztec had great faith in a culture and society that was sacrificing upwards of 9,000 people a day to the Sun, the Moon, and other gods.  Juan Diego's heart was stirred up to seek Christ and his love for the Lord was profound.  Juan Diego walked miles each day to attend mass secretively as he desired to received Christ in the Eucharist at a small chapel up atop a steep hillside.  Juan Diego was walking on December 9th up toward Tepeyac Hill when Mary first appeared to Him as a young girl.  He was startled and did not know what to make of this apparition as she spoke to him in his native Nahuatl language asking him to ask the Bishop to have a church built in that area. The next day Mary appeared again and asked him to speak to the Bishop.  Still not knowing how to explain what he experienced, Juan went his way.  By December 11th Juan Diego's uncle was very sick and he had to tend to care for him.  On December 12th trying to take another way as to avoid Mary if she were to appear again, Mary sought him out and the Blessed Mother provided Spanish roses at a time when no roses at all could possibly grow in that elevation during the winter in Mexico.  Our Lady told Juan Diego to take those roses back to the Bishop.  He put them in his tilma (cloak) made out of a rough sack like material.  After walking several miles when he revealed the roses as a sign from Mary inside his tilma was the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  This miracle not only convinced the Bishop but lead to the Aztecs conversion in Mexico.  Upwards of 8,000-9,000 Aztecs were being baptized each day as were others throughout the country converting to Christianity because of the grace of the Virgin Mother.  In Spanish the saying goes, "No sabes que soy tu madre?  Do you not know that I am your mother?"  Not only is she our Mother, she is the Mother of all children and unites us to Christ.  Her love and Mercy, her grace and desire to connect us with the heart of Jesus is her deepest longing.  Oh Blessed Mother show us the way to our Lord and keep us protected in the mantle of your grace.  Give us your heart and keep us in yours so that we might receive the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Symbols on the Tilma

There is great symbolism and meaning behind each of the intricate designs and details on the Tilma of Juan Diego which has the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Mary appears on it to be about 15 years old and is pregnant with the savior in her womb.  The black ribbon that is tied among her waist indicates her pregnancy.  Take notice of her solemn face and how she is holding her hands in prayer, as she reflected upon all things in her heart.  There is a bright Sun around her head signifying the glow of the Aztec Sun and radiance of heaven on high.  Below the Blessed Mother's feet is the moon, an important symbol for the Aztec empire and Mexicans as the moon held great power in their culture.  Near her feet is an angel the guardian of Heaven and Earth.  The garb that Mary has on is a teal color which was symbolic of Aztec royalty, fitting as she is the Queen of the Church.  The star patter on that robe was studied by astronomers and is the exact star pattern that was in the skye above Mexico City and Tepeyac Hill the night of December 12th, 1531 when she appeared to Juan Diego and gave him the sign.  The roses that are imprinted on her robe are Spanish roses, the same which Our Lady gave to Juan Diego to bring to the Bishop.  Certainly through God's divine power Mary coming onto the scene in a profound way transformed the Mexican culture and converted millions.  Her abundant grace bestowed upon Juan Diego a peasant reinforces that she is the Mother of all who call on her name. 

Prayer
May our Lady of Guadalupe enlighten you heart.  May her miraculous power and abundant grace fill you with the Holy Spirit, her spouse, that she might consecrate you to her Son Jesus.  May we be united with the Heart of Our Mother and may through her intercession may she keep us in her most pure Heart that we are connected to the sacred Heart of Jesus.

Don't You Know that I am your Mother?

Who are you Most Blessed Virgin Mary

Imagine being fourteen years old and told the greatest and most important news of your life.  You would be helping to issue in the changing of the world.  You are needed to do something that has never been done before and that people have been waiting for for centuries.  Would you come up with the cure for cancer, a way to resolve poverty, or stop the violence that plagues our society continuously?  What if that decision was being made for you and you did not have a choice?  What if I told you that one person would change the world and all of humanity even until the end of time.  You might think to yourself, who could this person be and how could she be a young, uneducated teenage girl from a poor town that know one had ever heard of...What if you knew her?  What if you allowed her to change your life and the life of those you loved.

Many Christians and even Catholics with a strong faith don't quite understand the importance of Mary for us as believers.  This young girl went from peasant to the mother of the Savior of the World.  How could this be?  God saw the greatness in her, the holiness, and the willingness for Mary to carry out his plan for salvation.  By saying, "YES" to God's call on her life amidst being scared, confused, and overwhelmed, Mary became the mother of Jesus Christ and our Mother too--the Mother of the Church.

At the foot of the cross there were two people who remained with Jesus and did not leave his side, the beloved disciple, John, and Mary, Jesus' mother.  When we look back at the scene and the road to Calvary and all those who promised to stick by our Lord's side, only to abandon him, his mother stood with him through it all.  Mary was given John as her son from Jesus and John was told that she would be his Mother...

“When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple who he loved standing nearby, he said, ‘Dear woman, here is your son,’ and to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ From that time on, the disciple took her into his home.” (John19:26-27)

Certainly, Jesus initiated the profound relationship between Mary and John as a model for all of us to have with the Imaculata—Mary our blessed mother. She desires to guide, protect, and be with us each day. She is the one who knew her Son, Jesus, better than anyone and who trusted in God’s miraculous plan for her life. Mary desires to lead us closer to Christ through relationship with her as she intercedes for us and by her immaculate and holy blessing on our lives connects us to the very heart of Christ.

The Rosary

When I was growing up my great grandmother would pray the rosary but I didn’t understand what it was or why she took at this light blue stand of beads on a daily basis. It wasn’t until I was about 13 that I said the rosary for the first time. I said the prayers although not knowing the power and what they were for. Now, 18 years later after somehow a seed of faith and devotion to Mary was planted in my heart, not a day goes without praying the rosary.  The rosary is far more than a series of rote prayers.  When we enter the mysteries with our whole heart, we enter into the life of Jesus and we journey with him toward holiness.  We have the opportunity to use each mystery as a way to pray for intercessions for those who need it in our families and in our world, as well as a way to meditate on the love of Christ and the grace of Our Mother who is there to guide and protect us as we venture to grow closer to her Son.  The devotion to the blessed mother and consecrating my life to Her and to Her Son has radically transformed my life and provided great inner peace. The intercessions that I have received have been profound, not because of anything I did or who I am, but all because of the graces, promises, love, and promised protection of Our Mother who loves us and wants us all to know Her Son. The quickest and surest way to holiness and to sainthood is through total consecration to Mary and Jesus. When we die to ourselves and devote body, soul, and mind to the Lord we become fully alive and complete.  When we thirst for Jesus and ask the Blessed Mother for her most pure heart and to keep us in her heart, then we can be forever connected to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

The Blessed Mother in My Life 

My personal experiences of prayer and dedication to the blessed mother grew exponentially after being the recipient of a number of miracles. Along with praying the rosary daily, I where the scapula given by Mary to St. Simon Stock in 1251 after she appeared to him and promised whoever wears the brown scapula would be spared of eternal fire. It was a long trip out to Buffalo from Albany, NY on a cold December 18th Sunday a week before Christmas. I was set to pick up my best friend from Syracuse for the Bills vs. Browns game. As I often did on many car trips I took out my rosary I had gotten at the Vatican and started to pray for family and friends. Three decades in the weather had turned from rain and 43 degrees to freezing resin and ice in a matter of seconds. My small sedan traveling at 65mph on the Thruway hit a patch of black ice and my car began to slide directly toward the tractor trailer right next to me. In a matter of seconds I would be totally underneath the 18 wheeler as my life over...I yanked the wheel the left to avoid being crushed by the big rig and what happened next was something I never experienced. In a matter of less than ten seconds which seemed to last an eternity, my car did two complete 360s, and flipped two and a half times upside down rolling across the highway, only to be stopped by a massive snow bank which kept me from rolling into oncoming traffic. One thought went through my mind as this all transpired and that was, “Lord if I don’t survive please let my wife and my family know I love them.” When the whirlwind of events ceased I was hanging upside down and knew I was conscious but didn’t know how badly I was hurt or if the car was on fire. The roof was completely smashed in and the windshield destroyed. All of the doors where smashed except the rear passenger side exit. I knew I had to try to get out. When I crawled out of the car with rosary in my hand it was as if God placed an angel there at that moment as a State Trooper said, “I watched that whole crash and I cannot believe you don’t have a scratch on your body, not to mention that you are alive.” All I could say was, “Me either, except I had some protection,” as I showed her my rosary.

An event like that where you experience supernatural grace and protection, divine assurance and Mary’s intercession will radically shake up your world. This was the most profound physical experience on top of being saved by the Blessed Mother’s grace while scuba diving in a lake and getting stuck under a dock with no light or no more Oxygen in the tank, praying for the healing of numerous sick members of my family—cancer leaving and healing ensued, a baby to be born with. I arms and legs and mental retardation is a perfectly healthy four year old, and many others including the blessing of faith upon so many I know and love.

So why does Mary care so much for us? It is because as Our Mother she wants us to be filled with joy and to be united with Jesus. She knows that in this world only one thing will make us fulfilled and that is relationship with Her Son. God gave that Son to Her and now she wants to give us to Him.

Prayer: May the Blessed Virgin Mary guide and protect you.  May the light of her immaculate grace shine upon you.  May her trust in the Lord be what inspires you to trust God's plan for your life.  May you give Her your Heart so that she can give you the Sacred Heart of her Son, Jesus. 

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary,
that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection,
implored your help, or sought your intercession,
was left unaided.
Inspired by this confidence,
I fly unto you, O Virgin of virgins, my Mother.
To you do I come, before you I stand, sinful and sorrowful.
O Mother of the Word Incarnate,
despise not my petitions,
but in your mercy, hear and answer me.
Amen.