Today was the funeral of my former colleague. She was from Peru and the majority of the homily was in Spanish. I tried to quietly translate the priest's words for my friends who aren't bilingual, however felt that I couldn't quite capture the beauty his words. He explained that in death, her spirit has planted a seed in our hearts and each time we show love to each other that seed sprouts into a flower - sharing a piece of her. At the end of the mass, I looked around the small church. It was a simple building with three stained glass windows and a large crucifix. Everything was painted a neutral yellow and, despite it's modest appearance, I could feel the love and community in that church. I grew up Catholic and went to mass (admittedly, sporadically) in a church that underwent a lot of renovations and at the end of it all looked very grand. These days, the holy water burns due to the hijinks that I freely participate in and the only time I visit mass is on occasions such as these. However, standing in the tiny Our Lady of Guadalupe church, I felt quite solemn and spiritual. I was suddenly curious of the story behind the namesake. Today's question is: what is legend of Our Lady of Guadalupe?
A: This miracle is documented as happening in December 1531 in Mexico. A widowed Aztec man, named Juan Diego, was travelling over the Tepeyac hill on his way to mass when he was greeted by an apparition of the Virgin Mary. She requested that he visit the Bishop Zumárraga and request a church be built in her honour at the bottom of the hill. Juan Diego complied, however the bishop was skeptical and explained that he needed a sign before constructing the temple.
Juan Diego intended to visit the Virgin to explain the bishop's response, however his uncle fell gravely ill and he did not return that day. The following morning, Juan's uncle requested that a priest be brought to perform the sacrament of Last Rites, as he did not expect to live another day. As Juan made his way to the church, his route took him over Tepeyac hill. Once again the Virgin showed herself to him. Juan explained that he was unable to convince the Bishop and that he had no time to spend with her, as his uncle was on his death bed. The Virgin Mary told Juan that his uncle had been healed and that Juan should climb to the top of the hill to retrieve the flowers as proof for the Bishop to approve the building of her church. Juan Diego showed reluctance, as the area was barren in winter, yet he respected her wishes. At the top of Tepeyac, Juan found a garden of blooming roses - in his mind, this was truly a miracle.
He gathered the flowers in his tilma, a native cactus-cloth cape, and returned to see Bishop Zumárraga. As Juan Diego released the flowers from his cape, it was revealed that an imprint of the Virgin Mary was left on the cloth. The bishop was taken aback by this miracle and ordered the construction of the church to begin.
Sources:
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church
Wikipedia: Our Lady of Guadalupe
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