We visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe after coming back from the Pyramids of Teotihuacan. We got off the subway when it was about to rain. The one thing that bothered me quite a bit was how many venders and shops had been built near by the area. Apparently, the Basilica is the most visited Catholic shrine in Latin America and maybe in the world. On her Feast in 2009, December 11 and 12, more than 6 million people visited this place. Hers is the most venerated religious image in Latin America. Mexicans associate themselves with this image more than their Catholic faith itself.
The street from the subway station to the Basilica is crowded, but once you get to its property there is a very large space surrounded the main Basilica. It was here that Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego in the 16th century. The name of the hill was Tepeyac, on which is now built a beautiful church. The Basilica is right at the foot of this hill. The original Basilica can’t be used anymore, nor can it be repaired because the ground under it is sinking due to under-stream water. The new Basilica is built with a modern architecture, while many people still prefer the antiquity of the original Basilica. The two are just located next to each other.
Our seminarian group had Mass in one of the many chapels on the second floor. Each of these chapels has an open wall to the main sanctuary of the Basilica. So anywhere you sit in any chapel, you can see the main sanctuary. When a priest celebrates Mass in one of these chapels, the main sanctuary would be behind his back. This Basilica is an iconic place, religiously and culturally. I was, therefore, acting like a typical tourist: occupying myself with visiting all there were to visit and taking many pictures of the place. But I believe Our Lady wanted me to do what I should be doing as a faithful son rather than a tourist. After the Mass, when I was hurrying myself to climb the hill Tepeyac, it started to rain really hard. After trying several ways to get to the hill, unsuccessfully, I sensed that I should stay back with her and spend some time with God after the Mass. I was able visit the beautiful tabernacle at the side of the sanctuary, and then spend time reflecting and praying in front of her image hang at the main sanctuary.
This is the authentic image, which is the imprint of her image on the cloak of St. Juan Diego. It is considered a miracle that the cloak has not been ruined after more than 500 years, and even after a chemical accident in the past. If you have not heard of the story of her appearance, this is a short summary. Juan Diego, a peasant of the 15th century, saw a young lady of 16-17 on the hill of Tepeyac on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, December 8, 1531. She asked Juan Diego to go tell the local bishop to build a church to honor her at this place as the symbol of her presence with the people during their time of suffering. The bishop asked Juan Diego to ask the Lady for some signs to prove herself. When Juan Diego presented the bishop’s request, Our Lady told him to collect the roses on that hill. It was during winter when roses could not survive; and the roses he collected were those from the hometown of the bishop only. The bishop was from Spain. Juan Diego pulled up the front of his cloak to keep all of those roses and brought them back to the bishop. When he opened the cloak, what caused everyone present to kneel down in amazement and belief was not the roses but the image of Our Lady as we see today imprinted on his cloak.
I stayed in the Basilica to pray and really felt a close connection with her. It was still raining outside, and although I knew I might not be able to visit all there were to visit, I felt assured that I was where I was supposed to be. I prayed to her for everyone in my family, for the people who have died, for every single one of my godchildren, for my friends and for my own vocation. This is the Mother of God and my own Mother. In my whole life, I have always honored her with the title of Mary Help of Christians (from the Salesian tradition), Our Lady of La Vang (from the Vietnamese tradition), and now I felt so strongly connected to her because of her mission as the protector and guide of the continent of Americas, where I am spending my life and where my apostolate will be. I heartily prayed to her the prayer Don Bosco taught his children, “Mother, bring to completion what you have started in my life.”
The details of this image are the closest to the descriptions of the Lady in the Book of Revelation in the Bible. But these details will be for another post later.
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