In 1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared
to a humble Native American at Tepeyac, a hill northwest of what is now Mexico City.
She
identified herself as the ever virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all things, Lord
of heaven and the earth.
She made a request for a church to be built on the site, and submitted her wish to the
local Bishop. When the Bishop hesitated, and requested her for a sign, the Mother of God obeyed without delay or question,
sending Her native messenger to the top of the hill in mid-December to gather an assortment of roses for the Bishop.
After complying to the Bishop's request for a sign, She also left for us an image of herself imprinted
miraculously on the native's tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have deteriorated in 20 years but shows
no sign of decay 475 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 14 million visit her Basilica, making her Mexico City home the most popular Marian shrine and the most visited
Catholic sanctuary in the whole world.
Altogether 25 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.
During the same visit Pope John Paul II entrusted
the cause of life to her loving protection, and placed under her motherly care the innocent lives of children, especially
those who are in danger of not being born.
The above article and extensive information
on Our Lady of Guadalupe can be found at www. sancta.org,
