| The Story of Our Lady of Guadalupe In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a poor Indian at Tepeyac,
a hill northwest of Mexico City; she identified herself as the Mother
of the True God, instructed him to have the bishop build a temple on
the site and left an image of herself imprinted miraculously on his
tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have deteriorated in
20 years but shows no sign of decay 469 years later and still defies
all scientific explanations of its origin.
It apparently even
reflects in her eyes what was in front of her in 1531!
Her message of love and compassion, and her universal promise of help
and protection to all mankind, as well as the story of the
apparitions, are described in the "Nican Mopohua", a 16th century
document written in the native Nahuatl language.
There is reason to believe that at Tepeyac Mary came in her glorified
body, and her actual physical hands rearranged the roses in Juan
Diego’s tilma, which makes this apparition very special.
An incredible list of miracles, cures and interventions are
attributed to Her. Yearly, an estimated 10 million visit her Basilica,
making her Mexico City home the most popular Marian shrine in the
world, and the most visited Catholic church in the world next to the
Vatican.
Altogether 24 popes have officially honored Our Lady of Guadalupe. His
Holiness John Paul II visited her Sanctuary four times: on his first
apostolic trip outside Rome as Pope in 1979, and again in 1990, 1999
and 2002.
The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe is celebrated on December 12th.
In 1999, Pope John Paul II, in his homily from the Solemn Mass at the
Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, during his third visit to the
sanctuary, declared the date of December the 12th as a Liturgical Holy
Day for the whole continent.
For more on Our Lady of Guadalupe, visit
Sancta.org |
