The Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe commemorates the day that the Blessed Mother appeared to Juan Diego, a poor Mexican Indian. On Dec. 9, 1531, Juan was hurrying over Tepeyac Hill, near what is now Mexico City, when a lady appeared. Tradition has it that the Virgin was dark-skinned and spoke to Diego in his native Indian language. Our Lady told him to tell the bishop to build a church where she stood.
But the Bishop did not believe Juan and required a sign. Juan Diego was directed to the top of a hill in mid-December to gather roses for the Bishop, upon Mary's direction. She instructed Juan to place the roses in his tilma, a poor quality cloak worn by the poor at this time, and not to show them to anyone but the Bishop. When Juan opened the cloak for the Bishop, fresh dewy roses fell out, apparently arranged by the hand of Mary herself. She also left for us an image of herself imprinted miraculously upon the tilma which should have disintegrated after 20 years. This year marks 475 years since her apparition and the tilma is still available today and defies all scientific explanations of its origin.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is called both The Protectress of the Unborn and Patroness of the Americas. The tilma features a true picture of Mary, as it was placed on the cloth herself. Visit this site for the miracle of Mary's Eyes as shown on the tilma of St Juan Diego.
In my time studying about this miraculous apparition, I have decided that I am being called to be more active in the anti-abortion movement. Please join me in a simple prayer:
Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
I beg you to spare the life of the unborn child,
who I spiritually adopt,
in danger of death by abortion.
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