Do you know how the Virgin Mary came to be known as Our Lady of Guadalupe?
It was the month of December in 1531; only 10 years after the Spanish Conquistadores conquered Tenochtitlan when the Virgin Mary appeared before the (Aztec) indian Juan Diego (St. Juan Diego).
When the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Juan Diego on a hill in Tepeyac, Mexico (present day Mexico City) she declared in his native (nahuatl) language: "I am your merciful Mother...I want to show my loving clemency and compassion to those who call upon me in their sorrows."
The miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe that appeared on St. Juan Diego's tilma is venerated to this day. Our Lady of Guadalupe is venerated as the Patroness of America and the Protectress of the unborn.
As a child, living in Mexico city (many years ago...) I can remember when my parents would take us to visit our Blessed Mother at the original Basilica. We would walk up to her and touch her (image). She was as real to me then as she continues to be in my life to this day. Today, the image is encased in a large protected frame high above the main altar. Our Lady of Guadalupe continues to intercede for our most vulnerable and disappeared lives (the unborn lost via abortion)...Are we listening to their cry, and invokking the aid of our beloved Mother?
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