Monday, March 9, 2009

The Woman Who Changed the Face of a Hemisphere!


Tonight, I was blessed to be able to attend a lecture on Our Lady of Guadalupe given by Msgr. Eduardo Chavez, Ph.D. This picture is of a copy of the image that Fr. Chavez brought with him!

I have very limited knowledge of this particular apparition and so I was looking forward to hearing what Msgr. had to say. I am told that he is one of the "leading authorities" on Our Lady of Guadalupe. Well, I was not disappointed!! Msgr. talked of the history of the area in the 1500's as well as the cultures of the Indians and the Spaniards. This is very important in understanding the images on the tilma.

"The image on the tilma shows the Virgin Mother as a mestiza (a woman of mixed race), wrapped in the sun with the moon at her feet, her robe studded with stars. Her message and will is the spreading of the love of God and that is why she asked for a temple, to offer His love to persons of every lineage who trust in Her."

"When the Virgin of Guadalupe printed her image on the humble tilma, she herself, with her own image, decorated and dignified the human being. It is she who goes through a spiritual wedding with the people. It is she who is our protection. Let us remember what she tells Juan Diego, and through him all of us: "Don't be afraid. Am I not here, I who am your mother?" And, it is she who will give us sustenance, her own Son Jesus Christ, who delivers himself in a very special way during the Eucharist. Jesus Christ, our Lord, is the center of the Guadalupan event. He is the one who gives us sustenance with his body and his blood and for this reason the Immaculate Virgin of Guadalupe wants a temple to offer all her love, which is her own Son, Jesus Christ. Thus, the center of her message and her image is not her; it is all about her Son. She shows herself as the immaculate tabernacle of God."
--Father Eduardo Chavez

It is reported that after the apparition, conversions began happening at an astounding rate! In 1539, 8 years after the apparition, almost 9 million Indians had converted!!! Wowzer!!


Prayer to the Virgin of Guadalupe


Blessed Virgin of Guadalupe, Mother of the true God for whom we live, bearer
of Jesus Christ who gives us His Spirit and gives life to the Church.

We thank you because you are our loving and compassionate Mother; because you

hear our weeping, our sorrow, because you are the remedy and the cure for our

grief, our misery and our pain.

Thank you, Mother, for placing us in your heart, for allowing us to be under your

shadow and your protection, for being the source of our joy and for keeping us in

the hollow of your robe and the crossing of your arms.

Thank you, Our Mother, because we have learned this message through your

humble son St. Juan Diego and through his intercession we ask that you fortify us

in Peace, in Unity and in Love.

Amen.


***The 1st International Marian Congress called the Guadalupe Festival will be held on Saturday, August 8, 2009 in Phoenix, Arizona! Msgr. Eduardo Chavez will be the Keynote Speaker! If you would like more information....go to http://www.guadalupefestival.org/.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Great post, Nancy. I love OLOG and the story is incredible.

Frizzy said...

Learned something new today thanks to you. Great post! Hope your feeling better and better each day.