Gathering Roses on a Winter Day

Sing and rejoice, daughter Zion! Now, I am coming to dwell in your midst—oracle of the LORD. Many nations will bind themselves to the LORD on that day. They will be my people, and I will dwell in your midst. Then you shall know that the LORD of hosts has sent me to you. (Zechariah 2:14-15)

We celebrated the feast of St. Juan Diego on December 9. Today, we celebrate Mary’s appearances on Tepeyac Hill in Mexico. The heavenly visitor came to her people on December 9, 1531. Juan was a fifty-five-year-old convert to the Catholic faith. He was going to Mass when our Lady stopped him as he was making his way down Tepeyac Hill. Mary asked him to go to the bishop. She wanted a great church built on the very spot where she was standing. The poor man was overwhelmed. He wanted with all his heart to do what the Lady commanded. But how could he approach the bishop? How could anyone believe such an unusual request? Juan Diego went to the bishop. The bishop, not sure if he should believe this amazing story, thought of a way to handle the situation. “Ask for a sign,” he told Juan. Before granting the Lady’s request, the bishop wanted proof.

Early on the morning of December 12, Juan Diego was hurrying along the path. His uncle was dying and he was going for the priest. Mary met Juan and told him that his uncle was better. (Juan found out a little later that his uncle had been cured at that moment.) The Lady wanted Juan to go back to the bishop to ask him to build a church. Juan told Mary that the bishop had asked for a sign.

Mary sent Juan into the rocky area nearby and told him to gather the roses that were there. Juan was puzzled. It was winter and the bushes were bare. But Juan followed Mary’s instructions and was surprised to find that there really were roses—beautiful roses! Juan picked them all and went to the bishop. He carried them carefully in his tilma, or cloak. In the bishop’s house, he let down his cloak and the beautiful roses fell to the floor. Juan smiled and then realized that something else was capturing the bishop’s attention. He followed the bishop’s eyes, which were riveted to his cloak. There on his tilma was a beautiful image of Mary, exactly as she had appeared on Tepeyac Hill. The bishop had received his sign, and Mary would have her church.Today a great church, called a basilica, marks the spot where Our Lady of Guadalupe came to her people. Our Lady of Guadalupe was named patroness of Mexico by Pope Benedict XIV. She is also patroness of Latin America and the Philippines. (Saint A Day, iMissal App)

Here are few details which might help us celebrate the Divine Motherhood of Our Lady and seek Her intercessory prayer for protect:
Guadalupe means “The Wolf River” (“Guada” = river, “lupe” = wolf), a name derived from Arabic during 8th century, the Moslem occupation of Spain. During her apparition to Juan Bernadino, Our Lady revealed that she wished to be known as “the ever-virgin Holy Mary of Guadalupe”. Catholic historians believe that Mary would have spoken this in the native Aztec language of Juan Bernardino, which would have communicated “Guadalupe” as coataxopeuh, which is pronounced “quatlasupe” (sounding very much like Guadalupe). This is indeed significant because the breakdown of the word coatlaxopeuh is the following: oa means “serpent”, tla means “the”, xopeuh means “to crush or stamp out.” Putting this all together, you have the name “Quatlasupe” meaning “the one who crushes the serpent” (and the Aztecs worshiped a serpent-god Quetzalcoatl). This allusion to Mary as “the woman” of Genesis 3:15 is remarkable as it is also used by the Church as one of the Scripture references supporting the dogma and feast of the Immaculate Conception which we celebrated on December 8th.

If you happen to have an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, this Explanation of the Symbolism will be most beneficial for today’s reflection.

The miraculous image produced on the apron or tilma of Blessed Juan Diego is rich in symbolism. The aureole or luminous light surrounding the Lady is reminiscent of the "woman clothed with the sun" of Rev. 12:1. The light is also a sign of the power of God who has sanctified and blessed the one who appears. The rays of the sun would also be recognized by the native people as a symbol of their highest god, Huitzilopochtli. Thus, the lady comes forth hiding but not extinguishing the power of the sun. She is now going to announce the God who is greater than their sun god.

The Lady is standing upon the moon. Again, the symbolism is that of the woman of Rev. 12:1 who has the "moon under her feet". The moon for the Meso-Americans was the god of the night. By standing on the moon, she shows that she is more powerful than the god of darkness. However, in Christian iconography the crescent moon under the Madonna’s feet is usually a symbol of her perpetual virginity, and sometimes it can refer to her Immaculate Conception or Assumption.

The eyes of Our lady of Guadalupe are looking down with humility and compassion. This was a sign to the native people that she was not a god since in their iconography the gods stare straight ahead with their eyes wide open. We can only imagine how tenderly her eyes looked upon Blessed Juan Diego when she said: " Do not be troubled or weighed down with grief…Am I not here who am your Mother?"

The angel supporting the Lady testifies to her royalty. To the Meso-American Indians only kings, queens and other dignitaries would be carried on the shoulders of someone. The angel is transporting the Lady to the people as a sign that a new age has come.

The mantle of the Lady is blue-green or turquoise. To the native people, this was the color of the gods and of royalty. It was also the color of the natural forces of life and fecundity. In Christian art, blue is symbolic of eternity and immortality. In Judaism, it was the color of the robe of the high priest. The limbus or gold border of her mantle is another sign of nobility.

The stars on the Lady’s mantle shows that she comes from heaven. She comes as the Queen of Heaven but with the eyes of a humble and loving mother. The stars also are a sign of the supernatural character of the image. The research of Fr. Mario Rojas Sánchez and Dr. Juan Homero Hernández Illescas of Mexico (published in 1983) shows that the stars on the Lady’s mantle in the image are exactly as the stars of the winter solstice appeared before dawn on the morning of December 12, 1531.

The color of the Madonna’s dress is rose or pale-red. Some have interpreted this as the color of dawn symbolizing the beginning of a new era. Others point to the red as a sign of martyrdom for the faith and divine love.

The gold-encircled cross brooch under the neck of the Lady’s robe is a symbol of sanctity.

The girdle or bow around her waist is a sign of her virginity, but it also has several other meanings. The bow appears as a four-petaled flower. To the native Indians this was the nahui ollin, the flower of the sun, a symbol of plenitude. The cross-shaped flower was also connected with the cross-sticks which produce fire. For them, this was the symbol of fecundity and new life. The high position of the bow and the slight swelling of the abdomen show that the Lady is "with child". According to Dr. Carlos Fernández Del Castillo, a leading Mexican obstetrician, the Lady appears almost ready to give birth with the infant head down resting vertically. This would further solidify her identification with the woman of Rev. 12 who is about to give birth. (http://www.olgaustin.org/symbolism.shtml)

During this time of Advent, let us not forget this important fact that the Virgin who appeared to Juan Diego, and who is printed on his tilma, is with child! We can pray to Our Lady of Guadalupe for the graces we most need. She’s a gentle and good Mother who’ll speak to the Heart of her Son for us.

Hail Mary full of grace…

¡ Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe !

Peace in Christ,
Father Vincent-Vuong Nguyen