Do you really see Mary as your mother? Do you really see yourself as her child?
As we covered a few days ago, in 1531, Mary, the Mother of God, appeared as a young woman to an indigenous peasant named Juan Diego. She asked him to build a church, but that seemed impossible to him. Mary continued to appear to him and on December 12, she instructed him to gather roses from a hillside and present them to the bishop as a sign.
Juan Diego gathered the roses in an old tilma (a simple indigenous cloak). When he later unfolded the cloak for the bishop, a stunning image miraculously appeared on the tilma. It was an image of Mary, known today as Our Lady of Guadalupe, Queen of Mexico, and Patroness of the Americas.
The tilma has been examined several times by scientists and all manner of miracles have been discovered. But the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe doesn’t just show the incredible power of God. Mary also teaches us that she is truly our mother.
Before Mary returned to heaven, she gave Juan Diego an incredibly encouraging message of love. And today, on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, she has the same message for 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!”
Read these words slowly. Read them more than once. And bring whatever is concerning you to Mary. She is your mother and she cares for you with tender love and powerful protection!
