Today we celebrate one of my favorite saints, Juan Diego. He was born near what is now Mexico City in the 16th century. He was from a native American group, and was named "Talking Eagle" in their language. Then he converted to Christianity, which was pretty unknown in his area at the time. He walked 9 miles to mass every day. One day as he was walking to mass, Our Lady the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to him. She called him, "Juanito! Juan Dieguito!" which is like calling him, "Little Johnny!" like the mother than she was to him. She told him to build a church right there, which just happened to be the exact geographic center of the Americas. He told the bishop, and the bishop didn't believe it. So Mary appeared to Juan Diego again and this time she showed him a sign. She showed him roses growing in a location they didn't usually grow, and in winter. He collected some of them in his tilma, which is like a blanket worn over the shoulders with a hole for the head. When he opened the tilma to show the bishop the roses, there was a flash of light, and the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared on the tilma. To this day, no one can explain how the image was made. People have tried to destroy the image many times, including once with a bomb that destroyed much of the church where the tilma was being displayed, but it was miraculously protected each time. It's made of cactus fibers which should have deteriorated within a few years, decades at the most. But it's over 500 years old and still fully intact.
Because of this miracle, over eight million Mexican people became Christians within the next seven years. During the Reformation, when so many people left the church, Mary intervened to bring so many people into it. And she did so through little Johnny, her son in Christ. You can read more about him here.
What is God calling you to do? Will you be like Juan Diego and listen and do it, or like the bishop who didn't believe?
God, thanks for the wonderful story of this obedient saint and Our Lady who loves us. St Juan Diego, pray for us.
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