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St Juan Diego

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Layman, Visionary of Our Lady of Guadalupe (1474-1548)
Feast / Memorial: December 9
Also known as Cuauhtlatoatzin, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin

+ HISTORICO-LITURGICAL NOTE:

On December 9, 1531, a native Mexican named Juan Diego (first called Cuauhtlatohuac, "The eagle who speaks"), rose before dawn to walk some fifteen miles to daily Mass in what is now Mexico City. He deeply loved the Holy Eucharist and, eventually, by special permission of the Bishop he would receive Holy Communion three times a week, a highly unusual occurrence in those times. Juan lived a simple life as a weaver, a farmer, and laborer.

That morning, as Juan passed Tepeyac Hill, he heard music and saw a glowing cloud encircled by a rainbow. A woman's voice called him to the top of the hill. There he saw a beautiful young woman dressed like an Aztec princess. She said she was the Virgin Mary and asked Juan to tell the bishop to build a church on that site. She said, "I strongly desire that church be built on this site, so that in it I can be present and give my love, compassion, help, and defense, to hear your laments, and to remedy all your miseries, pains, and sufferings for I am your most devoted mother." In his humility, Juan said to the Blessed Virgin Mary: "I am nobody, I am a small rope, a tiny ladder, the tail end, a leaf." But she insisted that he go. The bishop was kind but skeptical. He asked Juan to bring proof of the Lady's identity.

Before Juan could go back to the Lady, he found out his uncle was dying. Hurrying to get a priest, Juan missed his meeting with the Lady. She, however, met him on his path and told him that his uncle had been cured. She then told Juan to climb to the top of the hill where they first met. He did so and was shocked to find flowers growing in the frozen soil. He gathered them in his cloak and took them at once to the bishop. Juan told the bishop what had happened and opened his cloak. The flowers that fell to the ground were Castilian roses (which were not grown in Mexico). But the bishop's eyes were not on the roses but on the glowing image of Mary imprinted inside Juan's cloak.

Soon after, a church was built on the site where our Lady appeared. and thousands converted to Christianity. For a time Juan lived near the shrine constructed at Tepeyac, revered as holy, unselfish and compassionate catechist who taught by word and especially by example. Juan Diego was born in 1474 and died on May 30, 1548, at the age of 74. Our Lady of Guadalupe was thereafter declared the patroness of the Americas.

 (Enzo Lodi, Saints of the Roman Calendar)

+ FURTHER READING:

+ CHANGELOG:
  • Update 05.12.2018: From half-body to whole body illustration.
  • Update 02.10.2021: New character design.
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Image size
1550x3275px 4.1 MB
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Comments18
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FireFiriel's avatar

I like the way the image glows.