Mary at Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego

[MariaChristi]

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Today is the Feast of St. Juan Diego, the poor and humble man to whom Our Lady appeared in 1531. Mary’s words to him are among the most tender of all her apparitions:

…He walked every Saturday and Sunday many miles to church, departing early morning, before dawn, to be on time for Mass and religious instruction classes. He walked on naked feet, as all the people of his class, the macehualli. Only the higher social classes of the Aztecs wore cactlis, or sandals, made with vegetal fibers or leather. He used to wear in those chilly mornings a coarse-woven cactus cloth as a mantle, a tilma or ayate made with fibers from the maguey cactus. Cotton was only used by the upper Aztec classes.

During one of this walks to Tenochtitlan, which used to take about three and a half hours between villages and mountains, the First apparition occurred in a place that is now known as the “Capilla del Cerrito”, where the Blessed Virgin Mary talked to him in his language, Nahuatl. She called him “Juanito, Juan Dieguito” , “the most humble of my sons”, “my son the least”, “my little dear”…

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.

Her words to assure him his sick uncle would be healed are certainly words which have endeared her to all:

“Hear me and understand well, my son the least, that nothing should frighten or grieve you. Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is 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. Do not be afflicted by the illness of your uncle, who will not die now of it. be assured that he is now cured.”

The best website I have found for information on St. Juan Diego and the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe is HERE. The quotes above are taken from there.

St. Juan Diego pray for us.
Mary our Mother, pray for us that we may grow as you grew in humility.
Jesus, Meek and Humble of Heart, make our hearts like Yours.

 

[liturgy96]

“Am I not here, who is your Mother?” Words fail me; how I have profited so much from her motherly care! This semester has not been exactly easy so I can truly relate…

Most Holy Mother of God, pray for us!

 

[MariaChristi]

“Am I not here, who is your Mother?” Words fail me; how I have profited so much from her motherly care! This semester has not been exactly easy so I can truly relate…

Most Holy Mother of God, pray for us!

Dear liturgy96,

Thanks for your reply. Our Mother is the best “helper” God ever created or ever will. She cares for us with His Love, all the way home to Him.

 

[HungerNThirst4R]

Thank you OP, I did not know that today is St. Juan Diego’s feast day. I must say that a new devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, as well as an overall closer devotion to Mary, has definitely been making great impacts on my life!

 

[MariaChristi]

Dear HungerNThirst,

Thanks for your reply. How good to hear that you are experiencing a new devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe as well as an overall closer devotion to Mary! What a special grace that is, for anyone who is open to God’s Holy Spirit moving within! May you continue to pay attention to all the Holy Spirit inspires you toward in learning more about our Mother Mary.

By the power of the Holy Spirit, God the Father sent His Son, born of the Virgin Mary, to save us. He continues to send Jesus through Mary to humble hearts who welcome Him and Her.