Mystery and beauty of Juan Diego’s tilma

“In that very moment she painted herself: The precious image of The Ever Virgin Holy Mary, Mother of the God, appeared suddenly just as she is today and is kept in her precious home, in her hermitage of Tepeyac, which is called Guadalupe.” Verse 107 from Nichan Mopohua

In 1531 in Tepeyac, near Mexico City, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadalupe, appeared to Juan Diego, a 54-year old Mexican man, and left a great gift to him and the world: her living image miraculously painted on Juan Diego’s tilma, which is a shoulder cape made of native cactus fiber. On December 12th of each year we see images of the tilma throughout the Catholic world. All through the centuries and even until today many scientists have studied the tilma and have come up with no explanations or conclusions about it. The cloth hangs in the basilica, which is the site of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. However, the cloth of the tilma is not suitable for paintings. There are no brush marks on it and even after almost 500 years the cloth itself has not deteriorated. What Juan Diego saw in 1531 is what we all see today. The image of the

Blessed Virgin Mary and her words—-”Am I not here, I who am your Mother?”—recreate for us this miraculous moment in the history of the world. The tilma is a living and enduring remembrance of the presence of Our Lady in our world. The Blessed Mother is pregnant on the tilma as shown by the black band around her waist. So, through her we, like Jesus, are born into a new existence becoming closer to God. We become reaffirmed and renewed in our dignity as children of the same Mother and united with a loving Father.

Our Lady of Guadalupe is not distant, but a close and personal friend, a loving companion and also a loving mother.

The image of Our Lady on the tilma reveals that she is of the highest nobility by the colors of her cloak which are the bluegreen of divinity. Her robe, on the other hand, is of an earth-tone showing us that she is of this world and it has many floral arrangements on her dress indicating a new and flourishing humanity that she will bring about. She is holy, but she sees us as equals standing with us and not seated as a superior would be posed. She, therefore, treats all of us with dignity and equality. Her eyes are lowered to show her humility, love and devotion to God and her face radiates love and compassion for those in need. In the 1980s many optometrists studied her eyes on the tilma and were astounded as her eyes showed a reflection as one’s real eyes would of an older gentleman, Juan Diego, and a bishop, Bishop Juan de Zumárraga, who spoke about building a church on the spot of the apparition.

On the tilma Our Lady’s hands are folded in prayer pointing up to God. In her is life and hope for salvation from God in the present and future.

The exalted status Our Lady of Guadalupe does not stop her from becoming a close and intimate friend of Juan Diego and everyone else without exception. She is present today bringing us consolation and hope during these terrible days of the pandemic in the world as she points to her Son, Jesus Christ , who is the answer to all of our trials and tribulations. Through her presence on the tilma Our Lady of Guadalupe continues to make herself present to all who come to see and honor her. After all, she is the mother of God and also the mother of all of us. May Our Lady of Guadalupe intercede for you and your family to her son, Jesus Christ. Qué Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe! Qué Viva Cristo Rey! (Long Live the Virgen of Guadalupe! Long Live Christ the King!)

The Rev. Gus Puleo is pastor of St. Patrick Church in Norristown and served as an adjunct professor of Spanish at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia. He is a graduate of Norristown High School and attended Georgetown University, where he received B.A. and B.S. in Spanish and linguistics. He has master’s degrees in Spanish, linguistics and divinity from Middlebury College, Georgetown University and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He holds a Ph.D. in Spanish from the University of Pennsylvania.