From the Friars: The Miracle of Guadalupe
I have had the privilege of visiting the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City several times. It is hard to explain the holy presence that you feel there. There are many miracles associated with this apparition and the image left on St. Juan Diego’s tilma. Science cannot explain how the image of Our Lady became present on the fabric or how its natural fibers are still intact after almost 500 years. Perhaps the greatest miracle of all was the conversion of over eight million people to the Catholic Faith in a short span of less than ten years.
One fairly recent miracle happened on November 14, 1921 when enemies of the Church planted a bomb under the image. The explosion destroyed everything around the area, including the marble steps of the main altar. Windows were shattered far from the basilica. But there was no harm to the image itself or its glass covering. An iron crucifix that was bent by the force of the explosion is still on display at the shrine. It is now known as “Santo Cristo del Atentado” or “Holy Christ of the Attack.”
What I find most consoling is the simple message of our Blessed Mother. She wanted a little chapel built so the people could come to her with their worries and struggles and she would comfort them. She could have appeared to the bishop himself but instead chose a simple humble native to bring her message. And when St. Juan Diego was anxious about his uncle’s health, she exhorted him with the beautiful words: “Do not fear this sickness of your uncle or any other sickness, nor anything that is sharp or harmful. Am I not here, I, who am your Mother? … Are you not in the hallow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? …”
How blessed we are to have our own little shrine to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. And her extraordinary miracles are meant to remind us that she is always with us, along with her Divine Son, to help us on the rough road home to Heaven.
We are always in the crossing of their arms.
¡Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!
–Fr. Peter