Saint Juan Diego:
Juan Diego was born in 1474 in the calpulli or ward of Tlayacac in Cuauhtitlan, which was established in 1168 by Nahua tribesmen and conquered by the Aztec lord Axayacatl in 1467; and was located 20 kilometers (14 miles) north of Tenochtitlan (Mexico City).
On December 9, 1531, a native Mexican named Juan Diego rose before dawn to walk fifteen miles to daily Mass in what is now Mexico City. Juan lived a simple life as a weaver, farmer, and laborer. That morning, as Juan passed Tepeyac Hill, he heard music and saw a glowing cloud encircled by a rainbow. A woman's voice called him to the top of the hill. There
he saw a beautiful young woman dressed like an Aztec princess. She said she was the Virgin Mary and asked Juan to tell the bishop to build a church on that site. She said, "I vividly desire that a church be built on this site, so that in it I can be present and give my love, compassion, help, and defense, for I am your most devoted mother . . . to hear your laments and to remedy all your miseries, pains, and sufferings."
The bishop was kind but skeptical. He asked Juan to bring proof of the Lady's identity. Before Juan could go back to the Lady, he found out his uncle was dying. Hurrying to get a priest, Juan missed his meeting with the Lady. The Lady, however, met him on his path and told him that his uncle had been cured.
She then told Juan to climb
to the top of the hill where they first met. Juan was shocked to find flowers growing in the frozen soil. He gathered them in his cloak and took them at once to the bishop.
Juan told the bishop what had happened and opened his cloak. The
flowers that fell to the ground were Castilian roses (which were not grown in Mexico). But the bishop's eyes were on the glowing image of the Lady imprinted inside Juan's cloak.
Soon after, a church was built on the site where our Lady appeared, and thousands converted to Christianity. Our Lady of Guadalupe was declared the patroness of the Americas.
He died on May 30, 1548, at the age of 74.
Juan Diego deeply loved the Holy Eucharist, and by special permission of the Bishop he received Holy Communion three times a week, a highly unusual occurrence in those times.
Pope John Paul II praised Juan Diego for his simple faith nourished by catechesis and pictured him (who said to the Blessed Virgin Mary: "I am a nobody, I am a small rope, a tiny ladder, the tail end, a leaf") as a model of humility for all of us.
In His Footsteps:
Juan walked fifteen miles to attend Mass every day. Participate in Mass one day this week that is not a Sunday Mass. If this is impossible, take a long walk outside and notice the miracles of God's love during that walk. You may not see roses in the snow or hear music, but there is plenty to praise God for!
Pope John Paul II - Homily During Juan Diego's Canonization - 31 July 2002
1. I thank you, Father ... that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes; yea, Father, for such was your gracious will" (Mt 11:25-26).
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
These words of Jesus in today's Gospel are a special invitation to us to praise and thank God for the gift of the first indigenous Saint of the American Continent.
With deep joy I have come on pilgrimage to this Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the Marian heart of Mexico and of America, to proclaim the holiness of Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, the simple, humble Indian who contemplated the sweet and serene face of Our Lady of Tepeyac, so dear to the people of Mexico.
Today I address a very affectionate greeting to the many indigenous people who have come from the different regions of the country, representing the various ethnic groups and cultures which make up the rich, multifaceted Mexican reality. The Pope expresses his closeness to them, his deep respect and admiration, and receives them fraternally in the Lord's name."
The basilica is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world, and the world's third most-visited sacred site
It lead to the conversion of the Aztecs who had previously belonged to Religion that required human sacrifice (heart extraction).
It was the traditional Aztec belief that the sun God necessitated human sacrifice otherwise it would not continue to rise and set or cooperate in the needs of the Indians.
•The Aztecs sacrificed 20,000 victims a year and at special events featured sacrifices of as many as 80,000 persons over four days. •These sacrifices did not completely cease until after the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared!
Replicas of Juan Diego’s tilma made with the same type of fiber materials last only a short time before disintegrating. •After almost 500 years Juan’s tilma is still well-preserved with the image of our Lady. This same tilma is on display in the basilica in Mexico City.
It is miraculous that the tilma maintains its structural integrity after nearly 500 years.
•The tilma is made of rather sturdy and resilient hemp fiber
18 to 20 million pilgrims visit the shrine to our Lady of Guadalupe each year. In 1936 a Nobel prize-winning chemist, Dr Richard Kuhn, analysed the fibers and coloring of the tunic. He discovered the color was not of vegetable, mineral, or animal origin and was not of any known earthly element!
In May 1979, a NASA scientist after studying the image concluded “There is no way to explain the quality of the pigments used for the pink dress, the blue veil, the face and hands, their permanence… or the vividness of the colors after several centuries, during which they ordinarily should have deteriorated.
The picture is miraculously “imprinted” onto the tilma and microscopic study attests that there are no brush strokes. •The image is rendered on an unsized canvas. •At very close range one can discern the uneven texture of the handwoven cloth and its apparent transparency – a poor canvas for any sort of “painting”. •Infrared photos completed by Dr. Philip Callahan and Jody B. Smith, University of Florida biophysicist, in 1979 reveal no undersketch.
The tilma resisted a 1791 muriatic acid (an ammonia) spill that could have created a considerable hole – instead only a light staining exists. •In 1921 an anarchist placed a bomb in an offering of flowers that destroyed the shrine but left the image undamaged
Photographers and ophthalmologists have reported minute images reflected in the eyes of the Virgin. •Alfonso Marcué, the Basilica’s official photographer in Mexico city, discovered in 1929 what seemed to be the image of a bearded man, reflected in Mary’s right eye. •More than 20 years later, on May 29, 1951, Jose Carlos Salinas Chavez, rediscovered the same image located on the left eye too
Upon further inspection they said that the reflections are analagous to what is termed the Purkinje-Sansome effect, commonly found only in human eyes. •There are multiple reflections in the exact places and with the proper distortion as they would only appear in human eyes
In the identified images are a small family, an interpreter, another Indian man, and the Bishop himself. •The images within her eyes are only 1/100 of an inch in size. •Her eyes reflected and captured the scene of what was in front of Our Lady in 1531
“Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who am your Mother? Are you not under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything.” (Words of our Lady to Juan Diego)
http://www.academia.edu/7400833/The_Mira..._and_Faith
The conversion that followed the apparition was the greatest amount of people converting to a single Religion in a short amount of time in History.
