b'MARIAN WISDOMMARY, AS OUR LADYOF GUADALUPEApparitions with humble Saint Juan Diego and miraculous Tilma unite culturesBy Brother Juan Pablo Espinoza Chvez, SMF At first, Juan Diego was disconcerted when he wit-or us Marianists, it is important to remember thatevery image of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a repre- nessed a young, beautiful woman alone early in thesentation of our Blessed Mother. We received her as morning on the desolate hill of Tepeyac. But she ad-our mother when Jesus gave her to us from the cross, dressed him with profound sweetness, calling him,through Saint John, the beloved disciple. But today My son, whom I love tenderly as a tiny and deli-we want to approach her as Our Lady of Guadalupe.cate child. She also identified herself as the perfectUnder the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the and ever Virgin Mary, Mother of the True God.Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Juan Diego in 1531 She asked him to take a message to Bishop Juan deon Tepeyac Hill near Mexico City. She appeared to him Zumarraga that she desired a house of prayer to beas an indigenous woman, pregnant with Jesus, and built on the hill of Tepeyac. At this church, she said,spoke with him in his native language. He was a humble I could help and console the needy and enlightenand simple man called to be her ambassador to the and strengthen anyone who would approach me aspowerful conquerors, the Spanish conquistadores.their mother.Pope Saint John Paul II beatified Juan Diego in As a humbre commun, or common man, Juan Diego1990, then canonized him in 2002. His feast day is felt he could not bring this message to the bishop, oneBasilica de Guadalupe post- Dec. 9, which was the date of her first apparition. of the most powerful men in New Spain. Besides, card by unknown artist, 1948. The feast day for Our Lady of Guadalupe is Dec. 12, he did not speak Spanish. He only spoke his nativeCourtesy of the Marian Library. the date of her final apparition. languageNahuatl. Still, he went to the cathedralof the bishop as instructed, but no one, including thebishop, believed his miraculous story of meeting theBlessed Virgin.As he returned from that visit, Our Lady appearedto him again. She insisted that Juan Diego again takethe message to the bishop and urge him to build hera house of prayer. On this trip to the cathedral, thebishop asked for a sign to make sure that it was theMother of God who had sent Juan Diego.When Our Lady appeared to him for the third time,Juan Diego gave her the bishops message, and sheagreed to give Juan Diego the sign. The next day, Juan Diegos uncle grew severelyill, and he did not visit Our Lady to get the sign, butstayed home to care for his uncle. Then, the followingday, with his uncle near death, Juan Diego went tofind a priest for him. He did not go to the hill but4 Call 1.800.348.4732'