What are you going to do with the rest of your life? 

Juan Diego was a simple Aztec man living in Cuauhtitlán, Mexico. He belonged to the poorest class of Aztec society, just one step above a slave. If you had asked him what he was going to do with the rest of his life, he would probably have an incredibly simple answer: survive. 

But one day, a beautiful Aztec woman appeared to him. She asked Juan Diego to build a shrine on the spot where she had appeared, outside of Mexico City. Juan Diego went to his local bishop with this request, but the bishop didn’t believe him and wanted a sign. 

Soon after, the woman appeared to Juan Diego again. She told him to go pick flowers and give them to the bishop. Juan Diego followed her directions, gathering the flowers he picked in his cloak. 

When Juan Diego once again asked the bishop to build the church, he opened his cloak, the flowers fell to the floor, and the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was miraculously visible on the fabric. As a result, over 9 million Aztecs converted to Christianity. 

Juan Diego’s Holy Moments changed the world. His collaboration with God and Mary set off a staggering ripple effect in the world that continues today.

Do you believe that your life can unleash a tidal wave of goodness? 

We are all confronted, sooner or later, with two of life’s quintessential questions: Are you satisfied with your life? Are you satisfied with the direction the world is moving in?

The mere fact that the questions are emerging is usually a solid indication that we are dissatisfied with both to some degree. It’s time to listen to that dissatisfaction. Don’t swat it aside like an annoying fly. Go deep into your dissatisfaction. It is a profound messenger that comes to reveal your future. 

So let me ask again: what are you going to do with the rest of your life? 

If you would allow me to make a recommendation: Do your part! Start sowing Holy Moments everywhere you go. Your Holy Moments can have an enormous impact. When people do their part miracles happen. An astounding ripple effect is set in motion when people simply decide once and for all to do their part.



Feast Day: December 9

Feast Day Shared By: Saint Leocadia, Saint Syrus, and Saint Peter Fourier

Patron Saint of: Indigenous People

Symbols: Roses and the Our Lady of Guadalupe Image

Also Known As: Cuauhtlatoatzin ("The Talking Eagle")

Canonized: July 31, 2002

Canonized By: Pope John Paul II