Today is the amazing Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The Knights of Columbus put together a timeline of stories about the apparition and times when it was mentioned in official documents.
I had forgotten that, at the Battle of Lepanto, when the admiral flew an image of Mary, it was specifically image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
Other highlights from this timeline include …
1946 Our Lady of Guadalupe is declared Patroness of the Americas AND
1979 Pope Saint John Paul II went to Mexico on his first trip as pope to celebrate mass in the sanctuary of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
There were two or three investigations over the centuries into the image, starting back in the 1600’s. Each investigation reached the same conclusion; the image is unearthly.
The first time that my mother had a Transient Ischemic Attack was on a Monday, December 8 in some year. I know, because although I got to Sibley hospital that day I did not get to Mass. It bothered me for about two seconds. But I was supposed to be helping with a play about this miracle, for my homeschooling group for Friday that week, December 12. My job was to make double cloaks for Juan Diego so they could be switched, one with an image and one without. I sat down on Thursday night and drew a picture as fast as I could.
A picture of the image that I drew then. It has faded a bit and you can see the computer reflecting the light…
The school of music known as Mexican Baroque produced several composers who wrote music for Matins for the Virgin of Guadalupe. My current favorite is Manuel Arenzana (1762-1821).
Bits of his work are on Youtube.
Responsorium 2: Vidi speciosam sicut columbam … Which translates as … I saw the fair one rising like a dove above the streams of water:
You can also find these two easily … and probably more. Responsorium 5: Signum magnum apparuit (A great sign appeared in the heavens…) Responsorium 7: Elegi et sanctificavi locum istum (I have chosen and sanctified … )
**In case a refresher on the story is needed. We had a children’s book about Juan Diego which talked about three Johns and four days.
Day One: Juan Diego (the first John) goes to Mass (15 miles away) on December 9. He meets Our Lady on the way and she asks him to have a chapel built where she is standing. He goes to Bishop Juan Zumarraga (John # 2) and the bishop thinks he’s crazy. On his way home he meets the lovely lady again and she says, keep trying.
Day Two: Juan Diego goes back to see the bishop again and this time the bishop tells him to ask for a sign so the bishop will know the apparition is true. Juan meets Mary on the way home and she says, sure you can have a sign. See you tomorrow.
Day Three: Juan Diego’s uncle Juan Bernardino (John #3) falls ill. Juan Diego tends to him and goes nowhere.
Day Four: Juan Diego sets out to find a priest for his now dying uncle and tries to go around the hill where he has seen Our Lady. He is ashamed of missing his meeting with her. She intercepts him, promises to heal his uncle, and tells him to go pick the beautiful Castilian roses that are growing at the top of the hill. Zumarraga is from Castile so this will be a double and triple sign. She personally arranges the roses in his tilma (cloak).
Juan Diego of course, takes the roses to the bishop and when they fall out of his tilma there is a picture of the beautiful Virgin on the tilma. The miracles that surround this image are many.
You can find information about which stories are true and which aren’t on the Knights website. https://www.kofc.org/en/news-room/our-lady-of-guadalupe/truths/index.html
Janey's blog 