Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared in Mexico in 1531 as the pregnant mother of the Son of God, Jesus the Christ. She appeared to Juan Diego, a simple widower, who is now the first canonized saint indigenous to the Americas.

The Virgin Mary holds a special place in the Mexican culture. It’s precisely because she did not appear as a European woman, but rather as an Aztec princess. Her features and dress are the subject of much discussion. These are imprinted in the Tilma, the cloak of Juan Diego, where her image became infused. And it has remained visible for nearly 500 years. The Tilma’s structural survival for five centuries is itself miraculous. The maguey cactus fabric threads from which the cloak is made generally disintegrates after 40 years. The image still shows no signs of disintegration.

Some Image facts

• The image has defied reproduction by brush or other methods that might have been available in the 16th century or even today. There are no brush strokes visible even microscopically. Modern scientists confess that the image properties are unique and inexplicable even through modern processes.

• The stars on the Virgin’s mantle coincide precisely with the constellations in the sky at the time of her visitation on December 12, 1531.

• The lady in the image is pregnant as indicated by the dark girdle conforming to Aztec custom above her waist. She is with child.

• The image of the woman matches generally the biblical description of the heavenly queen of Revelation Chapter 12: She is clothed with sun; and has the moon under her feet. She displays a cosmic royal presence, the blue-green hue being one of the colors of royalty in the Aztec culture.

• The lady in the image bears a black cross on the brooch at her neck. She is associated with the God of the Spanish Missionaries yet her hands in a prayerful possession testify that she is not herself a goddess.

Some interpretative suggestions

• The woman’s image surrounded by sun rays, was seen by the Aztec Indians as making her greater than their dreaded sun-god.

• Her foot, resting on the crescent moon led natives to see her as superior to the lunar image of their foremost Aztec deity, the feather serpent. It also evokes for Christians the reality of a serpent being crushed as foretold in Genesis. (Gen 3:15).

• Some see in her rose-colored garment shadows the suggestion of a map of Mexico pointing to the Tepeyac area of the apparition.

Application – then and now

Mexico and much of the Americas celebrate her feast on December 12. This is the date her image was revealed in the Tilma. She is seen as the catalyst for Christian conversion, supported by the efforts of Catholic missionaries. She is credited with the cessation of child sacrifice to Aztec gods.

Then, children were sacrificed to placate the gods of the Aztecs. Today, we see children sacrificed even before birth on the altar of convenience and self-centered thoughtlessness.

May Our Lady of Guadalupe intercede on our behalf to her Son for an end to abortion. So that we may see the cessation of child sacrifice in the Americas. For a second and final time.

[Readings: ZEC 2:14-17; LK 1:26-38]

Jerry DeMelo Jr.

Mr Jerry DeMelo, Jr OP is a life-long Catholic and life professed Lay Dominican. A graduate of the Naval Academy, he served in the US Submarine Service. He is presently a Judicial Officer in California. Jerry enjoys Catholic Pilgrimages, teaches a weekly Bible study as well as the Diaconate formation program for the Diocese of Fresno. Mr DeMelo is on the Board of Directors of Gratia Vobis Ministries.

3 Comments

  1. Kathy Oliveira on December 14, 2022 at 3:06 pm

    I pray U. S. A. will cease sacrificing the unborn out of convenience and self-centeredness. Thank you Jerry

  2. Steve Wee on December 12, 2022 at 10:38 pm

    Always love the facts about our Lady of Guadalupe. Thank you Jerry and happy birthday!

  3. Radhika Sharda on December 12, 2022 at 9:25 am

    Great reflection, Jerry, thank you for this.

Leave a Comment





Subscribe!

Categories