On December 12, we honor Our Mother, the "brown Madonna" also lovingly known as Our Lady of Guadalupe, the patroness of the Americas and the Philippines.
Here's her story:
The brutal Aztec empire worshipped the sun, the moon and the stone serpent. For these gods they performed human sacrifice, slaughtering 20,000 – 50,000 people every year. The Spanish forces conquered the Aztecs in 1521, but the Catholic faith did not take root. Many hated the Spaniards because of their abuses, so human sacrifices continued.
Then Mary appeared to Juan Diego, a widower, 57 years old, a humble, simple native Mexican Aztec; a new convert who was willing to walk barefooted several miles to attend mass and catechetical classes. Mary’s apparition happened between December 9 and 12, 1531 at the hill of Tepeyac, Mexico. She left a miraculous sign, her own image, imprinted on his tilma or garment.
On the tilma, the pregnant Mary was blocking the sun, stepping on the moon, and wearing a cape covered with stars. These all symbolized her dominion over the Aztec gods. She appeared to be a very beautiful lady carrying Jesus in her womb. She referred to herself as, “I am the one who crushes the head of the stone serpent.” Between 1531 and 1538, eight to nine million Aztecs were converted, and human sacrificed vanished.
This apparition was confirmed by Pope John Paul II last August 31, 2002 when Juan Diego was canonized as a saint.
Mary has been called Our Lady of Guadalupe because the native Aztec word she used “tecoataxopeuh” sounded like Guadalupe, a title of Mary in Extramadura, Spain. The meaning of the word reminds us of her Immaculate Conception, “the one who crushes the head of the serpent stone.”
Her influence was felt in the Philippines 33 years later. A second wave of Spaniards, led by Miguel Lopez de Legaspi , landed in Mactan, Cebu in 1565. Forty-four years earlier, Magellan’s men burned down Lapu-Lapu’s village, sowing much hatred. Legaspi thus feared Rajah Tupas, King of Cebu, and thousands of his warriors. Legaspi infuriated the people further by firing on the warriors.
But when the Fray Andress de Urdaneta and his missionaries disembarked, he held aloft a painted banner of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Recognizing the men in black as friendly, Rajah Tupas allowed them to approach. As Father Urdaneta drew closer, Rajah Tupas was completely captured by the beautiful Lady on the banner. That broke the ice. Hearing the story of Guadalupe in Mexico, the soldiers were allowed to come down. That was the beginning of the Church in the Philippines.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the official Patroness of the Philippines. In 1999 Pope John Paul II entrusted to her care all children, especially the unborn.
- From the Archdiocese of Manila
On a personal note, I have had many answered prayers through Our Lady of Guadalupe, mostly about requests for conceiving a baby. There are also stories of how Our Lady of Guadalupe became instrumental in the fruition of religious vocations (Fr. Ian, are you reading this?). There's another new priest-friend, Fr. Randy Vergara, SSS, who lovingly shares his image of Our Lady of Guadalupe to churches, families and friends for veneration and for asking special favors. One friend also attests to having been granted a U.S. visa, though seemingly impossible, through Our Lady's intercession. I also have a friend, Bro. Stanley Villavicencio, who alongside the propagation of devotion to Our Lord's Divine Mercy, brings along an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on his "missions" because Our Lady once told him, "Are you not bringing me along with you so that I will be with my Son?" And in one of these missions of his, I bore witness to how people were instantaneously cured of their ailments. Some swear that they saw Our Lady "open" her half-opened eyes to show her beautiful blue eyes.
The eyes of Our Lady of Guadalupe seems to be the most enigmatic. Scientists have studied the corneal eye in the tilma, enlarging it and in its reflection shows the image of Juan Gonzales, the interpreter of Juan Diego, at the moment when Juan Diego unfolded his tilma in front of Bishop Zumarraga.
In veneration of the image, I too have experienced the sensation that I was being lovingly watched by those enigmatic eyes. But the more profound experience I had was that I felt her deep sorrow through her eyes. I would like to believe that I saw tears streaming down those eyes. In my heart, I heard her say, "Where are all my children? Why are they killing my babies?" And in my heart, I hear the muffled cries of all the aborted babies. This is the new scourge of the days we are now living in. If in the times of the Aztecs she appeared to Juan Diego because of all the human sacrifices and atrocities committed by the pagan priests and natives, Our Lady of Guadalupe is once more making her presence felt among us begging us to sanctify and respect life, most specially that of the unborn.
And so on her feastday, we remember her, the Mother of Jesus, as she speaks to us:
"Know for certain that I am the perfect and perpetual Virgin Mary, Mother of the True God... Here I will show and offer all my love, my compassion, my help and protection to the people. I am your merciful Mother, the Mother of all who love me, of those who cry to me, of those who have confidence in me. Here I will hear their weeping and their sorrows... their necessities and their misfortunes... Listen and let it penetrate your heart... Do not be troubled or weighed down with grief. Do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Are you not in the folds of my mantle? In the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else you need?"
- Words of the Blessed Virgin spoken to Juan Diego on the 9th and 12th of December at Guadalupe, Mexico. (Francis Johnston, "Our Lady of Guadalupe", Compiled by F. Adolf Faroni, SDB)
