The mysterious tilma
“Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms?” — Virgin of Guadalupe
In year 1531, neither rich nor influential Juan Diego experiences a vision of a young woman at a place called the Hill of Tepeyac, part of the region of Guadalupe, in suburb of Mexico City. The story of the mysterious tilma is the story of Juan Diego, the story of over 9 million conversions to Catholicism in less than 7 years — the story of the supernatural!!
Here’s for you a Lenten read on ‘The Guadalupe event’!!
The Aztec norms: In the 1500’s, the Aztecs rule Mexico and surrounding regions. The God dogma in the Aztecs carries too much weight. They have this deep-rooted belief that God is quick to punish, that He should be constantly appeased through dire sacrifices and that God does not demand much act of love. So, they honor their Gods through human sacrifices that also includes the first-borns, aligning to the need of blood debt. All things unopposed in the name of God and the unquestioned surrender of the faithful continues until the Spanish conquest. With the Spanish conquest comes the Catholic missionaries. It is hard to build inroad into the Aztec rules of worship and their freaky beliefs, yet few believers do check-in. The missionary intent to catholic conversion should not be viewed as an uncharitable cause; considering the despicable state of their religious affairs I would think they meant real business to propose a loving God! However, it is not easy to lodge a new school of thought into their naïve conscience — the proposition that God can love and show unconditional mercy!!
Who is St.Juan Diego — Among the few who are baptized is Juan Diego. Some of his family members also accept the new faith. The publications dating back to 1530s accounts details of the five apparitions of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God. The Virgin Mary works on Juan Diego’s tilma, his simple but also his prized possession. Few unseasonal fresh flowers carried in his tilma to the bishop leaves an impression of the Virgin Mary’s miraculous image on the tilma. It is five centuries since this image and today it is intact on the altar at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The reason why Mother of God chooses Juan Diego to spread her message, I can think of only his profound grace that has integrated into him ever since he received his baptism. Well, I do not want to delve into the best known details, they are available on guru wiki — Juan Diego — Wikipedia and Our Lady of Guadalupe — Wikipedia
One maybe inclined to think that the story of the Guadalupe event is a deceptive story conceived by the missionaries to manipulate ignorant minds to accept the Catholic faith. However, nine million minds, can they all be trapped? Well, readers are free to make their conclusions and more investigative results are always welcome. It is not only about the supernatural tilma but also the numerous accounts of faith healing confirmed and documented that relates to the Guadalupe event.
Scientific quest has always enjoyed intervening into the unfathomed world of the works of the spirit. Our search for God and for the mysterious never ends! Here’s an imagery scripting of the mysterious tilma and data from competent investigations.
Thanks to an old friend Sister Marie Claire from the Discalced Carmelite Nuns congregation at Helsinki for sharing the Guadalupe story with me as an Easter gift.
I could also find internet references here Discoveries about the tilma of the Virgin of Guadalupe Empress of America Andre Fernando Garcia click anywhere on page to continue. — ppt download (slideplayer.com)
HAPPY EASTER !!
