our lady of guadalupe
He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you. (Luke 17:6)
yesterday (12th December) marks the feast day of our lady of guadalupe
in 1531, "a lady from heaven" appeared to juan diego,a poor indian. the lady identified herself as the "mother of true God".she instructed him to have the bishop to build a temple on the site.. and left the image of herself on his tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth, which should have deteriorated in 20 years but shows no sign of decay 469 years later and still defies all scientific explanations of its origin.it apparently even reflects in her eyes what was in front of her in 1531!
according to the first formal investigation by the church abt the events,juan diego seems to be a very religious man,even before his conversion to christianity.he used to walk from his village to a church, 14 miles away, on naked feet to receive doctrine and instruction...and for mass...
the blessed virgin mary, during her apparition, talked to him in his language. she called him, "juanito,juan dieguito ...the most humble of my sons."
juan diego moved to a room, attached to the local chapel that housed the sacred image.he spent the rest of his lifetime propagating the account the appariations of the countrymen.he died on may 30,1548..at the age of 74.
juan diego received the eucharist three times a week, it was rare in those times.
juan diego is simply the model of humility for all of us... his simple faith reflects to us abt the bible passage that i've posted on top.
"our lady of guadalupe,the mother of true God and saint juan diego, the model of humility, pray for us for the love of God, the Father,the Son and the Spirit...may our simple faith make a difference today through Christ, our lord. amen."