Our Lady of Guadalupe, Juan Diego, the tilma

Our Mama Mary’s apparitions in Mexico are among the most inspiring and enduring testimonies of the reality of our Lady’s presence and love, and God’s.

From December 9-12, 1531, our Lady appeared to Juan Diego, an Aztec peasant who was taking care of his uncle, Juan Bernardino.

Juan Diego “on his way to church to participate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception Mas and the catechetical instruction heard beautiful music/a beautiful voice calling out his name at Tepeyac Hill.

“There, our Blessed Mother appeared to him as the “woman clothed with the sun” of the Book of Revelation, pregnant with the Child Jesus.

“She instructed Juan Diego to go to Bishop Juan de Zumárraga to request that a chapel be built in her honor on Tepeyac Hill so she might show the infinite majesty/mercy of God to all His children of America.”

Juan Diego immediately obeyed (though with hesitation) but the bishop (who was praying/working to bring together the native Americans/Spanish conquerors/settlers) did not consider the Lady’s request.

Disappointed, Juan Diego requested our Lady, during the second apparition “to send a more esteemed messenger to the bishop, so that he would believe the message.”

Our Blessed Mother instructed Juan Diego to return to the bishop with her request.

During the third apparition, December 10, Juan Diego relayed the bishop’s request for a sign so he might believe Mama Mary’s request. She promised to provide the sign for the bishop the next day.

Because his uncle was gravely ill, Juan Diego missed this December 11th appointment.

On December 12, hurrying to bring “a priest to administer the sacraments to his dying uncle, Juan Diego took a different route in order to avoid another encounter with the Blessed Mother, embarrassed that he had missed the December 11 appointment.”

Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to him, nonetheless, the fourth apparition.

Her endearing words to Juan Diego and to us all:

“Hear me, my dear little son, and let it penetrate into your heart: Let nothing discourage or frighten you, let nothing weigh you down. Let nothing alter your heart or your countenance. Do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here, who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Are you not in the folds of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else that you need?”

Our Lady assured Juan Diego “that his uncle was already cured” and instructed him to gather flowers on the hilltop for the bishop.

He gathered pink Castilian roses (not native to the place which miraculously bloomed out of season-in December), our Lady arranged these in his cloak or tilma.

When he opened his tilma to show the flowers to the bishop, the image of our Lady of Guadalupe appeared on the tilma!

The bishop immediately believed the truth of Juan Diego’s message from the Blessed Mother and hastened to have the chapel built on Tepeyac Hill.

This lilma has drawn scientific attention and continues to be revered as miraculous.

Made from rough ayate-maguey-cactus-fiber fabric, with 15-20 year-lifespan, the tilma’s material has maintained its chemical/structural integrity for almost 500 years!

The original image of the Virgin herself is iridescent and does not appear to have been painted by an artist, according to the publication of Dr. Philip Serna Callahan, NASA consultant and University of Florida biophysicist.

The crescent moon/constellations in the image were in the sky on the day of her apparition!

Experts reported that the eyes of the Virgin on the Tilma captured the scene of the apparition --with images of Bishop Zumarraga/other witnesses of the miracle!

The tilma and our Lady’s apparitions led millions of indigenous Mexican Indians to convert and, till now, still continue to draw millions of believers.