Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

 

Tepeyac Hill, Mexico City

On December 9, 1531, Cuauhtlatohuac, an Indian Catholic convert who was baptized Juan Diego, was walking to morning mass when he suddenly heard beautiful music in the air near Tepeyac Hill. A shining cloud appeared. Out of the cloud appeared a beautiful Indian woman dressed like an Aztec Princess. She addressed Juan in his native language and told him to go to the Bishop of Mexico and build a chapel on the spot.

The Bishop did not immediately believe Juan. But on December 12, 1531, Juan returned to the Bishop after visiting with the mysterious lady. When he opened his cloak, roses fell to the ground and an image of the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared on the cloth where the roses had been lying. The image remained permanently on the cloth.

A Basilica was built on the spot where the apparitions were seen, more Indians converted to Catholicism, and Tepeyac became a great pilgrimage destination.

Cuauhtlatohuac is now known as Saint Juan Diego, and Our Lady of Guadalupe has become the Patron Saint of Mexico and the Americas. The miracle validated the worth of ALL PEOPLE and served as a reminder and condemnation of the cruelty of the Spanish conquistadores in Latin America.

We all have our Tepeyac,

Our hill we're hurrying over in these December days.

Perhaps, like Juan Diego,

We are even avoiding You.

In our rush to get where we're going --

To finish the shopping,

To hang the decorations,

To prepare the meal.

May each one of us be stunned,

Stopped in our tracks,

By Your call to us in our native tongue.

Alone as we may feel this Advent,

Speak to us once more --

Remind us of this:

That You are here,

That You are Our Mother,

That You love us tenderly and unfailingly.

May we gather Your roses,

So improbably blooming in the winter chill,

And shower them on a weary world,

Hungry for hope.

Amen.

~Cameron Bellm~

from http://www.jesuits.org. 

Cameron Bellm is a Catholic writer.

Prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe

O Virgin of Guadalupe,

Mother of the Americas,

grant to our homes the grace of loving
and respecting life in its beginnings,
with the same love with which
you conceived in your womb
the life of the Son of God.
Blessed Virgin Mary,
Mother of Fair Love,
protect our families so that
they may always be united
and bless the upbringing of our children.

Our hope, look upon us with pity,
teach is to go continually to Jesus,
and if we fall
help us to rise again and return to Him
through the confession of our faults
and our sins in the Sacrament of penance,
which gives peace to the soul.

We beg you to grant us a great love
of all the holy Sacraments,
which are, as it were,
the signs that your Son left us on earth.
Thus, Most Holy Mother,
with the peace of God in our consciences,
with our hearts free from evil and hatred,
we will be able to bring to all others
true joy and peace,
which come to us from your Son,
our Lord Jesus Christ,
who with the Father and the Holy Spirit,
lives and reigns for ever and ever.

Amen.

~Pope John Paul II~

May Our Blessed Holy Mother Bless You and Keep You!

Dawn Pisturino

December 11, 2021

Our Lady of Hope at Pontmain, France

 

At the height of the Franco-Prussian war, when it looked like France would lose, the Virgin Mary appeared at Pontmain, France on January 17, 1871 to Joseph and Eugene Barbedette, aged ten and twelve, respectively.

The Prussian army was marching towards the tiny village at the time. When Eugene looked into the evening sky, he saw a beautiful woman smiling down at him. She was dressed in a blue gown that sparkled with shiny stars. On her head, she wore a black veil and golden crown.

When Joseph joined his brother, he, too, saw the beautiful lady. But the boys' mother and father could see nothing. Other adults who came to witness this apparition could see nothing but three stars which formed a triangle in the night sky. When two little girls examined the star-studded sky, they vividly described the lady in the blue gown and golden crown.

As more people joined the crowd, the villagers began to pray. Every child could see the beautiful shining lady in the sky. As the crowd began to pray the Rosary, the children cried out in amazement as the lady's shimmering blue gown turned to gold. A banner appeared beneath her feet bearing these words: "But pray, my children. God will hear you in time. My Son allows Himself to be touched."

The villagers began to sing the hymn "Mother of Hope." The lady smiled. But when the villagers sang "My Sweet Jesus," the lady became sad, and a red crucifix appeared in her hands. The words "Jesus Christ" appeared. Eventually, the crucifix disappeared. The lady smiled down upon the crowd and vanished.

Miraculously, the Prussian army halted its advance and, a few days later, on January 23, 1871, the war was over. All the soldiers from Pontmain returned safely home.

Dawn Pisturino

August 1, 2021

Copyright 2021 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.

Our Lady of Zeitoun in Cairo, Egypt

Our Lady of Zeitoun Apparition,

Zeitoun, Cairo, Egypt

The Middle East has had its share of Marian apparitions. After all, Muslims also believe in Mary as the Mother of Jesus. And Christians still reside there, even though they have become a minority group.

On April 2, 1968, thousands of people in Cairo, Egypt witnessed a sighting of the Blessed Holy Mother on the roof of St. Mary Coptic Church in the Zeitoun district. This church has traditionally been regarded as a stopping point for the Holy Family during their flight to Egypt.

A Muslim bus mechanic, Farouk Mohammed Atwa, was working in his shop across the street when he happened to notice a young woman standing on the roof of the church. Thinking she was about to commit suicide, he telephoned the police. A horrified crowd gathered to watch. By the time the police arrived a few minutes later, the girl had disappeared.

But exactly a week later, on April 9th, she appeared again. This time, the crowds recognized her as the Blessed Virgin Mary. People were ecstatic! She began to appear more frequently and to stay longer. Even President Gamal Abdel Nasser came to Cairo and witnessed the apparition.

Although the Vatican was notified of the apparition by some nuns who had witnessed it, they elected to stay out of the controversy. The Coptic Church declared the apparition genuine on May 5, 1968.

The Egyptian government investigated, and the people of Cairo accepted the apparition as real. The Lady of Zietoun appeared for the last time in 1971.

Why did the Blessed Virgin Mary appear to the people of Cairo - an Islamic city? The Middle East was in turmoil at that time. People were afraid. The apparition gave people hope and comfort. Her appearance strengthened the bond between Coptic Christians, Catholics, and Muslims. 

Mary isn't just a mother to Catholics. She is a mother to ALL PEOPLE who embrace her.

Dawn Pisturino

April 19, 2020

Copyright 2020 Dawn Pisturino. All Rights Reserved.