Our Lady of Guadalupe is such a wonderful feast: Nearly 500 years ago, Mary miraculously appeared under this name and became the patroness of the Americas--of the new world. And the story is so amazing, so incredible, so miraculous, that it strengthens the faith of those of us who believe, and hopefully, it will rekindle the spark of faith in those who have begun to doubt or even lost their faith.
And this feast is especially great for a blog such as this--a blog that displays art. For today, in featuring the famous tilma of Our Lady of Guadalupe, I get to feature art that was created not by man, but miraculously by the power of God through the Blessed Virgin herself.
This great article from
Mountain Catholic, which gives 4 "literally awesome" facts about this miraculous image of Our Lady, explains:
1. It has qualities that are humanly impossible to replicate.
Made primarily of cactus fibers, a tilma was typically of very poor quality and had a rough surface, making it difficult enough to wear, much less to paint a lasting image on it. Nevertheless, the image remains, and scientists who have studied the image insist there was no technique used beforehand to treat the surface. The surface bearing the image is reportedly like silk to the touch, while the unused portion of the tilma remains coarse.
What’s more, experts in infrared photography, studying the tilma in the late 1970s, determined that there were no brush strokes (none!), as if the image was slapped onto the surface all at once, and it was discovered by Dr. Phillip Callahan, a biophysicist at the University of Florida, that the difference of appearance with its texturing and coloration of Our Lady’s skin up close compared to a small distance away is impossible to recreate:
Now
that is sacred art!
Read the other 4 awesome facts
here.
And then there is the story itself of Our Lady's appearance to Juan Diego, which is featured in today's Office of Readings. I intended to only offer an excerpt, but it's too good to abbreviate.(Hat tip:
DivineOffice.org):
At daybreak one Saturday morning in 1531, on the very first
days of the month of December, an Indian named Juan Diego was going from the
village where he lived to Tlatelolco in order to take part in divine worship
and listen to God’s commandments. When he came near the hill called Tepeyac,
dawn had already come, and Juan Diego heard someone calling him from the very
top of the hill: “Juanito, Juan Dieguito.”
He went up the hill and caught sight of a lady of unearthly
grandeur whose clothing was as radiant as the sun. She said to him in words
both gentle and courteous: “Juanito, the humblest of my children, know and
understand that I am the ever virgin Mary, Mother of the true God through whom all
things live. It is my ardent desire that a church be erected here so that in it
I can show and bestow my love, compassion, help, and protection to all who
inhabit this land and to those others who love me, that they might call upon
and confide in me. Go to the Bishop of Mexico to make known to him what I
greatly desire. Go and put all your efforts into this.”
When Juan Diego arrived in the presence of the Bishop, Fray
Juan de Zumarraga, a Franciscan, the latter did not seem to believe Juan Diego
and answered: “Come another time, and I will listen at leisure.”
Juan Diego returned to the hilltop where the Heavenly Lady
was waiting, and he said to her: “My Lady, my maiden, I presented your message
to the Bishop, but it seemed that he did not think it was the truth. For this
reason I beg you to entrust your message to someone more illustrious who might
convey it in order that they may believe it, for I am only an insignificant
man.”
She answered him: “Humblest of my sons, I ask that tomorrow
you again go to see the Bishop and tell him that I, the ever virgin holy Mary,
Mother of God, am the one who personally sent you.”
But on the following day, Sunday, the Bishop again did not
believe Juan Diego and told him that some sign was necessary so that he could believe
that it was the Heavenly Lady herself who sent him. And then he dismissed Juan
Diego.
On Monday Juan Diego did not return. His uncle, Juan
Bernardino, became very ill, and at night asked Juan to go to Tlatelolco at
daybreak to call a priest to hear his confession.
Juan Diego set out on Tuesday, but he went around the hill
and passed on the other side, toward the east, so as to arrive quickly in
Mexico City and to avoid being detained by the Heavenly Lady. But she came out
to meet him on that side of the hill and said to him: “Listen and understand,
my humblest son. There is nothing to frighten and distress you. Do not let your
heart be troubled, and let nothing upset you. Is it not I, your Mother, who is
here? Are you not under my protection? Are you not, fortunately, in my care? Do
not let your uncle’s illness distress you. It is certain that he has already
been cured. Go up to the hilltop, my son, where you will find flowers of
various kinds. Cut them, and bring them into my presence.”
When Juan Diego reached the peak, he was astonished that so
many Castilian roses had burst forth at a time when the frost was severe. He
carried the roses in the folds of his tilma (mantle) to the Heavenly Lady. She
said to him: “My son, this is the proof and the sign which you will bring to
the Bishop so that he will see my will in it. You are my ambassador, very
worthy of trust.”
Juan Diego set out on his way, now content and sure of
succeeding. On arriving in the Bishop’s presence, he told him: “My lord, I did
what you asked. The Heavenly Lady complied with your request and fulfilled it.
She sent me to the hilltop to cut some Castilian roses and told me to bring
them to you in person. And this I am doing, so that you can see in them the
sign you seek in order to carry out her will. Here they are; receive them.”
He immediately opened up his white mantle, and as all the
different Castilian roses scattered to the ground, there was drawn on the cloak
and suddenly appeared the precious image of the ever virgin Mary, Mother of
God, in the same manner as it is today and is kept in her shrine of Tepeyac.
The whole city was stirred and came to see and admire her
venerable image and to offer prayers to her; and following the command which
the same Heavenly Lady gave to Juan Bernardino when she restored him to health,
they called her by the name that she herself had used: “the ever virgin holy
Mary of Guadalupe.” [emphasis added]
Our Lady of Guadalupe, pray for us!
