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Missionaries are sent to bring a message, the good news of Jesus Christ. Today’s missionary hero was sent to bring a message also. And from this message, over 9,000,000 people converted to Catholic Christianity. The missionary’s name was Cuauhtlatohuac, which means “Eagle Who Speaks” in Nahuatl, the Uto-Aztecan language that he spoke. Fortunately for us, however, the Spaniards gave him a new name – Juan Diego.
Juan Diego was born sometime around 1474 in what we know as Mexico. When he grew up, he was a poor man who made his living as a weaver, laborer, and farmer. He was also a devout Catholic Christian who walked 14 miles each day to attend Mass.
On the morning of December 9, 1531, as he was walking to church near what today we call Mexico City, the largest city in North America, he heard music coming from a hill called Tepeyac. Suddenly, he saw a beautiful cloud encircled by a rainbow and a beautiful woman dressed like an Aztec princess. She had beautiful skin color of a Mestiza, and she spoke his Nahuatl language.
She told Juan Diego that she was the Virgin Mary and wanted a church to be built on that very site. She said she was the devoted Mother and that she wanted the people to know of her compassion, love, help and defense. She wanted to take away their sufferings and sorrows and pain.
So, Juan Diego, who was around 57-years old at the time, reported this to the bishop. The bishop, though, was skeptical. He told Juan to bring him some proof of this so-called vision. So, that’s what Juan Diego did. He went to the hill where he found beautiful roses growing in the frozen soil. After picking the roses, he took them to the bishop. When Juan opened his cloak, not only did the roses tumble out, but on the cloak was printed an amazing likeness of the Virgin Mary who had appeared to him. Today, we call the vision, Our Lady of Guadalupe.
From Juan Diego’s message, over 9,000,000 indigenous Mexicans become Catholic Christians. Today, Our Lady of Guadalupe, whose feast day is December 12th, is the patron saint of all the Americas.
Juan Diego died in 1548.
Pope St. John Paul II canonized Juan Diego in 2012. St. Juan Diego, whose feast day is December 9, is a patron saint of indigenous people.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the most beautiful Mary Apparition story, I love Our Lady Suyapa but the story of San Juan Diego is just amazing.