
The message Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke to Juan Diego on December 12, 1531 echoes through the centuries bringing hope and comfort to all who hear and trust in her words.
“Listen, my son, to what I am telling you now: Do not be disturbed or afflicted by anything. Do not fear illness or any other harmful accident or pain. Am I not here, I who am your mother? Are you not under my mantle and my protection? Am I not life and health? Are you not on my lap and under my care? Do you need anything else?”
In 1531 God sent our Blessed Mother to Juan Diego with a crucial message that he was to pass on to the Spanish missionaries of what is now Mexico, as well as to the blood-drenched Aztec civilization—a message of tenderness and hope that continues to this day.
When Laura Ercolino went on a pilgrimage to Guadalupe Mexico in October 2019, she learned the historical implications of the roses of Tepeyac and of the image of Our Lady on Juan’s tilma. Our Lord further revealed to her that the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe and of the image on the Tilma that stopped the sacrificing of humans and converted tens of thousands of Aztecs in the 1530’s, is relevant to our time as well.
A Bit of Background:
In 1524, Franciscan missionaries arrived in what is now Mexico to spread the love and blessings of Jesus with the natives. Juan Diego and his wife, Maria Lucia, were among the first indigenous people to embrace the truth of Christianity and to be baptized. Both were so ardent in their faith that they’d walk long distances just to attend Mass and receive spiritual formation at the Franciscan mission of Tlatelolco.
On December 9, 1531 Juan Diego was on his way to attend Mass when he heard the enchanting music of a choir of birds. He had never heard such music on his daily walk to Mass and so he left his typical path to seek out the source. To his wonder and surprise, he encountered a young woman of radiant beauty. She spoke to Juan Diego in his native Nahuatl language. She revealed herself to him as the Mother of God and requested that he visit the local bishop, Fray Juan de Zumárraga, and ask him to build a church at the site in her honor.
When Juan Diego approached the bishop, his tale was met with skepticism and caution; more proof was needed that the apparition was authentic, so Fray Juan de Zumárraga asked for the Lady to provide proof that she was the Blessed Virgin.
And ample proof she gave.
On the hill of Tepeyac in December of 1531, Spanish roses bloomed in the Mexican desert. St. Juan Diego gathered these roses into his tilma as instructed by the Blessed Virgin Mary. She then tenderly arranged them, folded the Tilma over them, and asked him to go to the bishop. As Juan Diego unfurled his tilma, the roses fell at the bishop’s feet; a miracle was revealed!
But, a second miracle had also occurred. For imprinted on Juan Diego’s tilma was a miraculous image of the woman who had appeared to him, the Blessed Virgin Mary herself. This image of Mary remains on the tilma to this day and can be viewed in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.
Laura had an amazing experience when she went on pilgrimage to the sacred shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
She writes:
For a few months prior to the pilgrimage I sensed our Lord saying that the human sacrifices must stop. I kept thinking He was talking about abortion, yet He always said this in connection to the roses of Tepeyac. I understand now that the Roses of Tepeyac in our time are women whose bodies and souls are being sacrificed to ‘false gods’ in the name of love and marriage.
It was while participating in a Theology of the Body Institute pilgrimage to Mexico in October of 2019 that I experienced Our Lady’s sorrow and compassion for victims of sexual abuse and marital abuse. I spent much time in prayer in both the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the chapel on Tepeyac Hill. But the pilgrimage site that had a surprisingly profound impact on me was our visit to the Aztec temples. The tour guide spoke of the men and women who willingly went to their deaths as sacrifices to the sun god because they believed their lives were the sacrifice required to ensure the god’s kindness to their children. As I pondered how Our Lady’s appearance to Juan Diego and the codex on his tilma put an end to these human sacrifices, a connection to my own life and the human sacrifice in our time became clear.
Too many women sacrifice themselves – their hearts, bodies, identities, and dignity – because they erroneously believe God asks them to accept abuse, control, and acts of lust and depravity. The desecration of women, temples of the Holy Spirit, by means of pornography, sexual abuse, and domestic violence is a form of human sacrifice in our age. Marriage is not justification for abuse and the violation of a woman’s dignity. Our God, the God Who Our Lady of Guadalupe revealed to the Aztecs 500 years ago, is a God of love and mercy. He sent His only Son, Jesus, to be the One True sacrifice. He does not require wives and mothers to sacrifice themselves to the men who vowed to love, cherish, and protect them.
Addressing abuse in all its forms is crucial, for we were created by love, for love, not to harm one another or to be harmed. It is imperative to bring all forms of abuse to the light, including the hidden wounds within abusers themselves. As we strive to address and heal these wounds, we pave the way for the restoration of lives, the beauty of God’s Church, and world. With mercy and love as our weapons, we can contribute to ending the prevailing culture of death and rebuilding a civilization rooted in life and love. The healing of hearts, marriages, and families is possible.
Our Lady of Guadalupe serves as a messenger of hope to victims, assuring them that she and Jesus stand with them. Victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence are Mother Mary’s living Roses of Tepeyac. Enfolded in her mantle, they will bloom in unexpected places; redeemed, restored, and transformed into a beautiful bouquet for Christ, their Savior and Bridegroom.
But God’s message to abusers is also clear: His Son, born of a Woman, is the only Sacrifice ever needed. As Pope John Paul II said, “It is every man’s duty to uphold the dignity of every woman.” This most certainly is the duty of every husband, first and foremost, towards his wife. The false gods demanding human sacrifice must be rebuked and overcome. God demands mercy and love as the paths to healing and redemption. In this call to prayer and mercy, we find the transformative power to bring about an end to the culture of abuse and build a world rooted in God’s love.
At the font where Juan Diego was baptized and later presented the roses to the bishop, Laura heard our Lady say, “I am gathering the Living Roses,“ with the understanding that Mary is gathering the women whose homes and marriages are deserts, where their dignity has been violated.
Mary is leading them to our Lord for healing and comfort. Gathered in Mary’s mantle, they become a fragrant beautiful blooming bouquet of living roses. They, like the roses of Tepeyac, that blossomed in the Mexican desert, will bloom in the dark, dry, cold “winter of exile” where no one would expect such beauty and new life.
During this month of October, perhaps you would add this intention to your Rosary and daily prayers: for the healing of hearts, marriages and families impacted by domestic violence of any kind.