Juan Diego was poor.

He was a farmer, a laborer, a simple man.

And yet the Virgin Mary gave him a really important job.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

If you’re not familiar with the 16th century Mexican apparition, here’s the story in a nutshell.  In 1531, Our Lady appeared to St. Juan Diego in Guadalupe, Mexico.  Juan Diego walked fifteen miles to Mass every day without incident, when one day, in the dead of winter, a beautiful woman, clothed with the sun, approached him at the top of Tepeyac Hill.  She had one request: go to the Bishop and tell him I desire a church to be built in your village.

The Bishop took a great deal of convincing.  Our Lady provided Juan Diego with a variety of signs, including roses that bloomed from the frozen ground.  But the most enduring, most striking sign was the image Our Lady left on Juan Diego’s tilma.

It was a picture of Mary, pregnant with her son and shrouded in a cloak of stars.

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a constant reminder of the miraculous and the impossible.  It reminds us that no matter what difficulty might come our way, we need only seek the intercession of Our Lady.

Family activities

• Research Our Lady of Guadalupe.  See if you can identify the constellations featured on the tilma around Mary.
• Watch Juan Diego: Messenger of Guadalupe
• Make a few rose crafts

Family prayer

Blessed Virgin, you are a reminder of God’s faithfulness.  Pray for us, Our Lady of Guadalupe, that we may always trust in your son. Amen.

This post is part of the 31 Days of Devotion to Our Blessed Mother.  To read the rest of the series, click here.