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Our Lady of Guadalupe, Feast Day

It’s the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe today. When Nissa had her surgical operation last September, Obet’s boss gave this cloak (tilma) to Nissa and she brought it to the hospital. We had it placed on top of her bed when she was at the operating room. There was this lovely prayer pamphlet which she also gave with a very inspiring message to Nissa.

I found this lovely analysis of the tilma at the Catholic site of Our Lady of Guadalupe and I love it. The Image of Our Lady is actually an Aztec Pictograph that was read and interpreted quickly by the Aztec Indians.

• THE LADY STOOD IN FRONT OF THE SUN: She was greater than their dreaded sun-god “Huitzilopochtli”.
• HER FOOT RESTED ON THE CRESCENT MOON: She had clearly vanquished their foremost deity, the feather serpent “Quetzalcoatl.”
• THE STARS STREWN ACROSS THE MANTLE: She was greater than the stars of heaven that they worshipped.  She was a virgin and the Queen of the heavens for Virgo rests over her womb and the northern crown upon her head. She appeared on December 12, 1531 for the stars that she wore are the constellation of stars that appeared in the sky that day!
• THE BLUE-GREEN HUE OF HER MANTLE: She was a Queen for she wears the color of royalty.
• THE BLACK CROSS ON THE BROOCH AT HER NECK: Her God was that of the Spanish Missionaries, Jesus Christ her son.
• THE BLACK BELT: She was with child for she wore the Aztec Maternity Belt.
• THE FOUR-PETAL FLOWER OVER THE WOMB: She was the “Mother of God.” The flower was a special symbol of life, movement and deity-the center of the universe.
• HER HANDS ARE JOINED IN PRAYER: She was not God but clearly there was one greater than Her and she pointed her finger to the cross on her brooch.
• THE DESIGN ON HER ROSE COLORED GARMENT: She is the “Queen of the Earth” for she is wearing a map of Mexico telling the Indians exactly where the apparition took place.

And then there’s what Modern Science has to say about the tilma:

• The image, to this date, cannot be explained by science.
• The image shows no sign of deterioration after 450 years!  The tilma or cloak of Juan Diego on which the image of Our Lady has been imprinted, is a coarse fabric made from the threads of the maguey cactus. This fiber disintegrates within 20-60 years!
• There is no under sketch, no sizing and no protective over-varnish on the image.
• Microscopic examination revealed that there were no brush strokes.
• The image seems to increase in size and change colors due to an unknown property of the surface and substance of which it is made.
• According to Kodak of Mexico, the image is smooth and feels like a modern day photograph.  (Produced 300 years before the invention of photography.)
• The image has consistently defied exact reproduction, whether by brush or camera.
• Several images can be seen reflected in the eyes of the Virgin. It is believed to be the  images of Juan Diego, Bishop Juan de Zummaraga, Juan Gonzales-the interpreter and others.
• The distortion and place of the images are identical to what is produced in the normal eye, which is impossible to obtain on a flat surface.
• The stars on Our Lady’s Mantle coincide with the constellation in the sky on December 12, 1531. All who have scientifically examined the image of Our Lady over the centuries confess that its properties are absolutely unique and so inexplicable in human terms that the image can only be supernatural!

 

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