Our Lady of Guadalupe

Today is also an extra special day 'cause it's also Aunty Esther's anniversary!!! Happy Anniversary!!! :-D Oh yeah, and it's also the day I got baptized a long time ago....

Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego, an 55 year old widower on Tepeyac Hill, on Saturday, December 9, 1531, on his way to Mass. Our Lady called him by "Juantzin." (In the Nahyatl language the tzin was added as a sign of respect and love. Usually close friends and families use it) She told him that she wished to have a church built where she was. Then she told him to go to the bishop and tell him of what she wished. Juan Diego said yes and told her that he would be back. Then he hurried off to Mexico City and was told to wait to be admitted. After the long wait, he was let in and the bishop asked him many questions. But the bishop decided to wait a little bit to see if this was really true. So he dismissed Juan, and Juan went back to where Mary was waiting for him. When he saw her again he told her what happened. When he had finished speaking and later apologized, Our Lady told Juan not to worry and to come back the next day. After he had attended Mass early morning, he once again was ordered to wait for a long time before seeing the bishop. When he was let in, he begged the bishop and repeated what had happened again and again. But Bishop Zumarraga still didn't move. He just told Juan to go back and ask for a sign. The bishop then whispered to his servants to follow Juan. So the servants did what the bishop asked and when Juan got to Tepeyac Hill, he just vanished right before the servants' eyes! They hurriedly reported back to the bishop who was also amazed.

Juan told everything what had happened. Our Lady instructed Juan to come back the next day, and she would give the sign that he asked for.

Later on that night, Juan's uncle came down with a terrible fever. As the time passed, it grew worse. It didn't even help when Juan's neighbors told him that everyone who caught that illness died. Poor Juan! The authority of an uncle there was the same as a parents, and this uncle of his raised him! Juan ran out of the house to find a priest to give him the sacraments. He didn't want to avoid the Blessed Virgin, but in order to save his uncle, and he didn't have much time, he decided to take another path; a different way around the hill. Of course, Our Lady caught him and Juan quickly explained that his uncle was dying. Our Lady then told him not to worry about anything. She also told him that his uncle was already cured. Our Lady then instructed him to go to the top of Tepeyac Hill where he first saw her and to gather many flowers there. Juan obeyed even though he was confused because it was too cold for flowers. But he did it anyway. He gathered beautiful roses and used his cloak called a tilma to hold them like a basket. He happily went down the hill where the Blessed Virgin was waiting for him. She arranged the flowers and told him not to let anyone see what he was carrying. So he went to the bishop but this time the doorkeeper insisted that he should see would he was carrying first. Juan opened it just a tiny bit and the doorkeeper was amazed to see the roses. He reached out to touch them but his hand went right through! They let Juan see the bishop without any delay this time.

Once Juan let go of the corners of his tilma, the bishop fell to his knees. Juan looked down and was amazed to see that there was a magnificent picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary, just what she looked like when he saw her at Tepeyac Hill!