miraculous images of Mary

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Monica4316

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After reading the thread about the wonderworking Kursk Root icon, I started thinking about miraculous images in general.

I wanted to share about a Catholic miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Here’s some info about it:
Juan Diego, the seer of Guadalupe, was a recently baptised adult convert, aged 57, when Mary appeared to him in 1531 at Tepeyac hill, near Mexico city, formerly the site of a pagan temple. He was a widower, his wife having died in 1529. On his way to Mass on 9 December, the feast of the Immaculate Conception at the time, he saw an apparition of a beautiful young girl surrounded by light. She told him of her love for the people of Mexico, and asked that the local Bishop, Juan de Zumárraga, build a temple or church on that spot. Juan Diego presented himself before the Bishop and explained Mary’s request.
But the result was that he was initially rebuffed by the perplexed bishop, who said he would really need a sign from heaven in order to comply. On her next meeting with Juan Diego, however, the Lady promised a sign that would convince the bishop, but when he returned to his village he found that his uncle, who he lived with, was seriously ill, in fact dying, and in need of the last sacraments. He met Mary again on his way back to Mexico city to fetch a priest, and she told him that he was free to visit the Bishop, because even now his uncle was well again.
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Mary then asked Juan Diego to gather some miraculous, out-of-season, flowers, which he would find at the top of the hill and carry them in his rough cactus fibre outer garment, his tilma, to the Bishop. She strictly ordered him not to show the contents of the tilma to anyone on the way. Once there he began to tell his story while unfolding the tilma, as the Bishop, and some important guests who happened to be present, saw the wonderful Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on it. This, rather than the flowers, was the real sign for Bishop Zumárraga.
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News of the prodigy spread quickly and the result was that the Aztecs, who had been reluctant to get involved in Christianity, as the religion of their conquerors, the Spanish, flocked into the Church. The title “Guadalupe” is probably the phonetic equivalent of the title, “She who breaks, stamps or crushes the serpent,” a perfect image of the way devotion to Mary was able to destroy the vestiges of the satanically inspired Aztec religion which involved human sacrifice. Snake symbolism was very prevalent in this religion.
The miraculous Image has been preserved in Mexico now for over four and half centuries, although such fibre garments usually disintegrate within twenty years. It has defied all attempts to give it a natural explanation and thus we can have full confidence in the historicity of accounts of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
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theotokos.org.uk/pages/approved/appariti/guadalup.html

Mary’s words at Guadalupe:
theotokos.org.uk/pages/approved/words/wordguad.html

this image is still there in Mexico and has some very interesting properties… that science has not been able to explain. (to be continued :))
 
1. science can’t explain why the image hasn’t deteriorated (the tilma should have deteriorated after around 20 years)

Phoenix, Ariz., Aug 7, 2009 / 04:10 pm (CNA).- Researcher and physicist Dr. Aldofo Orozco told participants at the International Marian Congress on Our Lady of Guadalupe that there is no scientific explanation for the 478 years of high quality-preservation of the Tilma or for the miracles that have occurred to ensure its preservation.

Dr. Orozco began his talk by confirming that the conservation of the Tilma, the cloak of St. Juan Diego on which Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared 478 years ago, “is completely beyond any scientific explanation.”

“All the cloths similar to the Tilma that have been placed in the salty and humid environment around the Basilica have lasted no more than ten years,” he explained. One painting of the miraculous image, created in 1789, was on display in a church near the basilica where the Tilma was placed. “This painting was made with the best techniques of its time, the copy was beautiful and made with a fabric very similar to that of the Tilma. Also, the image was protected with a glass since it was first placed there.”

However, eight years later, the copy of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was thrown away because the colors were fading and threads were breaking. In contrast, Orozco said, “the original Tilma was exposed for approximately 116 years without any kind of protection, receiving all the infrared and ultraviolet radiation from the tens of thousands of candles near it and exposed to the humid and salty air around the temple.”

Dr. Orozco then discussed the Tilma’s fabric. He noted that “one of the most bizarre characteristics of the cloth is that the back side is rough and coarse, but the front side is ‘as soft as the most pure silk, as noted by painters and scientists in 1666, and confirmed one century later in 1751 by the Mexican painter, Miguel Cabrera.”

Following an analysis of some of the fibers in 1946, it was concluded that the fibers came from the Agave plant, however, noted Dr. Orozco, the researchers couldn’t figure out which of the 175 Agave species the Tilma was made from. Years later, in 1975, “the famous Mexican researcher Ernesto Sodi Pallares said that the species of the agave was Agave popotule Zacc,” Orozco explained, “but we don’t know how he reached this conclusion.”

Before concluding his presentation, Dr. Orozco made mention of two miracles associated with the Tilma.

The first occurred in 1785 when a worker accidentally spilled a 50 percent nitric acid solvent on the right side of the cloth. “Besides any natural explanation, the acid has not destroyed the fabric of the cloth, indeed it has not even destroyed the colored parts of the image,” Orozco said.

The second miracle was the explosion of a bomb near the Tilma in 1921. Dr. Orozco recalled that the explosion broke the marble floor and widows 150 meters from the explosion, but “unexpectedly, neither the Tilma nor the normal glass that protected the Tilma was damaged or broken.” The only damage near it was a brass crucifix that was twisted by the blast.

He continued, “There are no explanations why the shockwave that broke windows 150 meters afar did not destroy the normal glass that protected the image. Some people said that the Son by means of the brass crucifix protected the image of His Mother. The real fact is that we don’t have a natural explanation for this event.”

Dr. Orozco thanked the audience for listening to his presentation and closed by reassuring them that “Our Lady visited Mexico 478 years ago, but she remains there to give Her Love, Her Mercy and Her Care to anyone who needs it, and to bring Her Son, Jesus Christ to everyone who receives Him.”

oblatesosbbelmont.org/2009/12/12/our-lady-of-guadalupe-%E2%80%98completely-beyond-scientific-explanation/
 
2. no paint, dye, no brushstrokes, or underpainting

They were unable to find any trace of paint residue or dye of any sort on the Image. What produced the colors on Juan Diego’s cloak or how they were applied remains a total mystery of science. The Image still retains its original colors, even though it was unprotected by any covering during the first 100 years of veneration. The bluish-green color of Our Lady’s mantle is unique. It seems to be made of an unearthly shade that as yet no artist has been able exactly to match. Moreover, a painter would be incredibly foolish to choose an Indian’s tilma to work on and even more to paint right over the center seam of the cloak. And had the Virgin not turned ever so slightly to the right, the stitch would have divided her face. Just as astonishing is the fact that only the seam still holds the tilma together. The law of gravity does not allow a single flimsy cotton thread to bind two heavier materials of cloth for more than ten years, much less four hundred and fifty! In addition, the coarse weave of the tilma was utilized by the Artist in such a precise manner as to give depth to the face of the Image.

Infrared radiation photography confirmed, besides the lack of paint and brush strokes, no corrections, no underlying sketch, no sizing used to render the surface smooth, no varnish covering the image to protect its surface. According to specialists of the Kodak Corporation in Mexico, the Image bears more resemblance to a color photograph than anything else. Study of photographic enlargements of Our Lady’s face have revealed the image of a bearded man, clearly identifiable in the eyes. Rigorous investigations by leading oculists found not only the image of the bearded man but all the optical imaging qualities of a normal human eye, such as light reflection, image positioning and distortion on the cornea.

The Virgin’s mantle is covered with stars which stunningly and accurately map out various constellations as might be seen in the Mexican sky. Even more remarkably, this “star map” on the mantle is in reverse: providing a view of the constellations from beyond them, as would be seen looking through them towards the earth. The constellations are consistent with what astronomers believe was in the sky above Mexico City the day the Image was formed, December 12, 1531. The colors of the tunic and mantle are important ones in the Aztec hierarchical structure, ones typically reserved for the emperor.

Recent gynecological studies have also identified signs of pregnancy in the image and a special flower, the Quincunx, over the place where the heart of the unborn child would be. This flower is the Aztec symbol of the Lord of the Universe.

The great majority of the miraculous aspects of the Image were not discovered until the 20th century, when the technology and archaeology made the discoveries possible. This is 400 years from the creation of the Image.

olrl.org/prophecy/ladyofg.shtml
 
THIS AUTHOR HAS NOT had the blessing of visiting the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, nor does he ever expect to be given that privilege. Therefore, in describing the miraculous Image I can only relate what has come to my mind, either from contemplating the excellent copies I have had before me while writing this article, or from what I have garnered from other Guadalupan commentators. But a copy, even though it contains the same message—the same heavenly face—cannot sup*ply that sense I spoke of in my account of the whole story. The sense of Presence! For that experience one must go to Tepeyac Hill.

In gazing upon the Picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe, let the beholder not forget that he is looking at a Portrait made in Heaven. It is not the work of man. That is what makes this Picture essentially different, aside from all the other miraculous circumstances, from any other Madonna in existence. In Guadalupe, we are really contemplating something that belongs in Heaven, not on earth. For on earth we are supposed to live by faith, not by vision. Yet, what we have here before our mor*tal eyes is what the angels and saints eternally see and praise above.

For her Mexican Portrait Our Lady posed, so to speak, with a smile soft and sweet. In her countenance there is to be seen the quiet joy of perfect peace and beatitude. Painters like Murillo and Fra Angelico have captured on canvas the virginity of Mary; while others, like Raphael, have succeeded in divinizing her mater*nity. Nevertheless, as Fr. Lee points out, “In their best productions the work attracts attention to itself: the style, the school, the man, proclaim themselves . . . In Our Lady of Guadalupe it is different. The Picture has nothing to say of itself … It but presents her who came in the light and the music, who spoke the sweet words . . .”

Nor does the Image portray the type of beauty that would bring pleasure merely to the eyes. It is infinitely more uplifting than that. The loveliness herein to be contemplated, indeed the loveliness that Our Lady wishes us to see in her miraculous Portrait, is that which radiates holiness, simplicity, purity, and compassion, written on a face resplendent with grace and glory. It is the sinless soul of Mary that shines through the Image on Juan Diego’s tilma. An attractiveness more lasting and more God-directing than any of the vain homocentric chimeras that Hollywood produces. The face we see here before us is the masterpiece of God. “More beautiful or more lovely than it,” wrote Fr. Abad, the Jesuit poet, “there is nothing in this world!” And what the Mother of God said at Lourdes to St. Bernadette she pre-announced at Guadalupe, not in words but by a Picture: “I am the Immaculate Conception.”

Moreover, there is a treasure-house of doctrinal symbolism in the Image. For the illiterate natives, the tilma read like a holy book. It was a sermon more convincing than even St. Anthony could have delivered. The Virgin of Tepeyac came to them in their bitterest hour with promises of her maternal protec*tion. The miraculous Picture was the seal of her fidelity.

And who was this Woman? She was greater than all their gods. And yet she was of the same human nature as they. The sun, which they had worshipped, served to glorify her; the stars adorned her garment; the moon was her pedestal; and the wind, represented by the angel with wings outstretched, was happy to be her cape-bearer. Thus, all the principal elements of nature, representing the whole of creation, were subject to her. But, by her folded hands pointing up to heaven, and by her bowed head, she clearly acknowledged One greater than she to whom she herself was subservient. She was not God, the Portrait said, certainly not some goddess. There was only One God, the Creator of all things. This God loved man so much that He sent His Only Begotten Son, sharing the same Nature as Himself, to become man for the salvation of the world. This was the Incarnate God that the Virgin of Tepeyac was carrying in her womb. His cross, embroidered on His Virgin Mother’s collarpiece, was the same sign revered by the Spanish conquerors. It was a symbol of their redemption as well, for upon it every man’s ransom was copiously paid.

The Verdict Of Science

Like the much publicized Shroud of Turin, the tilma of Juan Diego is a standing miracle. Skeptical investigators have many times been allowed, after hours, into the Guadalupan basilica to scrutinize the Image inch by inch with sophisticated analytic detectors. Their conclusions were always the same: the work is beyond the power of man to produce. Professor Philip Callahan, a scientist and painter from the University of Florida, was a member of a team that examined the tilma in 1979 using the latest in infrared photography—a foolproof method of unveiling the underlying elements in paintings. After three hours of tests the examiners concluded that the Image was absolutely unexplainable. And the preservation of the colors in their original brightness after four hundred and fifty years? Impossible!—humanly speaking. Furthermore, the burlap canvas, which no artist in his right mind would ever choose for a painting, had received no preparation at all. A surface such as that positively could not be painted upon smoothly. But any attempt at a natural explanation was thrown out altogether when the infrared lens unveiled no brush marks whatsoever on the original Picture. Nor were other analysts able in their laboratories to find a trace of paint residue or dye of any sort on the original Image. What produced the colors on Juan Diego’s cloak, or how they were applied, remains a total mystery to science. In fact, even the restful bluish-green color of Our Lady’s mantle is unique. It seems to be made of an unearthly shade that as yet no artist has been able to exactly match.
 
And to take the matter one step further. A painter would be out of his mind to choose an Indian’s tilma to work on, but even more so to paint right over the center seam of the cloak. And had the Virgin (who of course was fully aware of what the outcome would be) not turned ever so slightly to the right, the unseemly stitch would have divided her face in half. Perhaps just as astonishing is the fact that only the seam still holds the tilma together. The law of gravity does not allow a single flimsy cotton thread to bind two heavier materials of cloth for more than ten years, much less for four hundred and fifty. There is still more to wonder at. The coarse weave of the tilma was utilized by the Artist in such a precise manner as to give depth to the face of the Image. “It may seem strange for a scientist to say this,” admitted Professor Callahan, “but as far as I am con*cerned, the original picture is miraculous.”

One would think that the Mexicans would be satisfied with the Image as it was given by Heaven to them. But no, bold as children, they decided every now and then to improve upon this work of God with human hands and brushes. The areas they touched up are the only sections of the Picture now showing any signs of cracking. This of course is what naturally happens when paint made with human hands gets old. So displeased was Our Lady with this over-pious foolishness that she permitted the moon, which they had painted silver, to turn black. Perhaps the Queen of Mexico should have left imprinted beneath her Image the words of her Risen Son to St. Mary Magdalene when He revealed Himself to her at the tomb, Noli me tangere (Do not touch me).

The Man In Her Eye

But to say merely that the Picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a wonder to behold is to fall a little short of the reality. It is more than just wonderful; it is the wonder of the world. It is a miracle. A miracle that occurred in our land. And if miracles never cease, as the saying goes, neither has this one. For it was left to our time to discover the surprising fact that in Our Lady’s eyes could be seen the bust of a man. This astonishing discovery was made in 1951 when a draftsman was scrutinizing the Virgin’s face under a magnifying glass. Spontaneously, a new explosion of interest in the devotion was enkindled worldwide. When the eye was blown up many times its normal size by photographers, the reflection of the man was so clearly discernible that observers could see, from the shape of his shoulders, that he must have been holding something outward for view when the picture was snapped. I’m sure you’ve already arrived at the correct conclusion. The mysterious man, the apple of Our Lady’s eye, was her own “Dear little one,” Juan Diego.

It must be that the Blessed Virgin was actually present, though not visibly, in the room with her ambassador, and directly across from him, as he unfurled his tilma before Bishop Zumarraga. It was thus that she posed to have her picture taken, so to speak, on the tilma in the place the flowers had occupied. The rough cloth acted like a photographic plate, reproducing the Image across from it, not just in the negative—as if this would have been less of a miracle—but in full color. You see, at the very moment the Image appeared, the unsuspecting Indian was caught on film reflected in the Blessed Mother’s eyes, even though she was invisible. No painter could have possibly produced this reflection. No painter would even have thought of trying! And more, the man in Our Lady’s eye has a depth and a distortion in his frame that perfectly corresponds to the laws of optical curvature. Astonishing? Yes, miracles usual*ly are.

My belief that miracles have happened in human history is not a mystical belief at all. I believe in them upon human evidences as I do in the discovery of America . . . . Somehow or other an extraordinary idea has arisen that disbelievers in miracles consider them coldly and fairly, while believers in miracles ac*cept them only in connection with some dogma. The fact is quite the other way. The believers in miracles accept them (rightly or wrongly) only because they have some evidence for them. The disbelievers in miracles deny them (rightly or wrongly) because they have a doctrine against them. — G.K. Chesterton (1874-1936)

catholicism.org/miraculous-image-guadalupe.html

More information on the mystery of the Lady’s eyes: (very cool)
sancta.org/eyes.html

and here’s a website with more information:
sancta.org/
 
Here’s my question 🙂

if you’re Catholic, what do you think of this image? what does it mean to you?

If you’re non Catholic, do you believe this is possible?

there are many miraculous images both in the Catholic and the Orthodox churches. (the Orthodox church has many wonderworking icons)

if you’re a Protestant, Mormon, JW, - what is your view of such images?

thanks 🙂
 
This image means a lot to me. Our Lady’s words at Guadalupe express nothing more than simple, pure love, a love that led to the conversion of literally MILLIONS of natives after the apparition. The miraculous tilma should remind us all to love our neighbor and, most of all, Our Lord and His Mother
 
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