GUADELOUPE: THE BIRTH OF A NATION (Ch:2)
This is a follow-up to Ch.1 under the same Title,
Link: https://medium.com/@sammy-rnaj/guadeloupe-the-birth-of-a-nation-ch-1-e9e52e422651
Ch.3 is the final chapter on this subject.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Patroness of Mexico and the Continental Americas, venerated by all Native Americans, on the account of the devotion calling for the conversion of the Americas. She holds an appeal to the poor and marginalized as the symbol of justice. She is called the Star of the New Evangelization because She announces and presents the mystery of God’s love and His Divine Mercy so that all men may come to know and have faith in Her Divine Son.
Guadeloupe is the 1st miracle in the Americas and one of the most important Christian pilgrimages in the world, the most visited by around 20 million pilgrims annually. The famous Saint Juan Diego’s (John of God) Tilma/Ayate (his cloak), miraculously remains intact as a testimony to this great miracle. Its symbols and composition have become more impactful over the past 500 years with important progress in science with its relevance becoming more prominent as years go by, undeniable by atheists, Christian skeptics, and anti-Catholics alike.
Our Lady played a key role in the evangelization of the Aztecs (or, Mexicas). Without Her intercession, it would have been impossible to unite both cultures. The Native Indians who learned through pictures and symbols, readily understood the symbols and the meaning of Her miraculous image on the Tilma, convincing them beyond any doubt that Her Christian message was indeed Divine. It was their traditional belief that the sun god necessitated human sacrifice to continue to rise and set. The Aztecs sacrificed 20,000 victims a year, and on special occasions featured sacrifices of 20,000 per day. These sacrifices did not completely cease until the Virgin of Guadalupe appeared.
The most astounding aspect of this event is the outcome. Benavente, recorded in his “Historia de los Indios” published in 1541, that “I have to affirm that at the Convent of Quecholac, another priest and myself baptized 14,200 souls in five days. We even placed the oil of catechumens and Holy chrism on all of them.” Between 9–15 million Indians converted to Catholicism as a result of Juan’s meeting with Mary.
Sadly, the vast majority of the first 10 million converts subsequently died amongst the 17 million deaths as a result of a bad drought that led to the Cocoliztli plague. Within almost 60 years, the original population of 22 million was reduced to less than 2 million. Only in the second half of the 16th century did their population progressively increase to 6 million by 1810; 14 million by 1900; 82 million in 1990; and, 120 million at the turn of the 21st century. Mexico is a land of natural disasters subjecting the humble Mexican people to many difficulties and hardships, though they only deserve the best.
· Flowers and songs represented the absolute truth to Aztec Indians. Juan Diego was attracted to Our Lady’s apparitions through the most beautiful bird songs ever heard.
· The Virgin’s image speaks to the Indians’ profound desire for God. On the brooch around her neck was a black Christian cross indicating she is both the bearer and follower of the Spaniards’ true God.
· In 1531, Mary appeared four times to Juan Diego. Also, to his uncle who miraculously recovered from illness. The Church She requested to be built in her honor, became the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadeloupe located at the foot of Tepeyac Hill. By appearing at Tepeyac, the place of the Aztec mother god, She established a clear parallel that the Woman on the Tilma was the Mother of the true God, asserting that Christianity was the true religion replacing their own.
· Tepeyac was the pre-Columbian worship site for the Aztec mother goddess Tonantzin, which became one of the Nahuatl Indian names for the Virgin Mary. The same name is still used by those who speak Nahuatl in Mexico. Our Lady spoke Nahuatl to Juan Diego. Extensive studies and comparative research strongly indicate that Mary told Juan Diego that her name was “Te Coatlaxopeuh” (pronounced “Tay Kuatlasupay”) meaning the one who stamps out the stone serpent. The “Nican Mopohua” is the original narration of the apparitions written in Nahuatl in 1545 — only fourteen years after the Guadalupe event of December 9–12, 1531.
· Her blue-green mantle symbolized life and unity, in addition to the royalty of Aztec gods.
· The stars on the mantle signified the beginning of a new civilization and a new era.
· Her clasped hands joined in prayer, and her demeanor of supplication implied that She was not a goddess herself, but rather in submission to Someone greater than Her — in Her womb and on her cross pendant.
· Note: Her garment in a reddish-orange/pastel pink with designs of gold thread overlaying it, was a common Levantine garment. The cuffs at the end of the dress rolled back over the sleeves, are of white fur, a tradition typical of jewish nobility at the time.
What is Faith?
Faith is a Grace from God — a belief in the absolute Truth. In essence, it is unlimited and only partially understood. However, it is “certain” and requires continuous understanding. This is achieved through science.
What is Science?
Science is man’s use of the gift of reason. It is his experience and thought applied to pursue a fuller understanding of the absolute Truth — GOD and His Divine Will. This reasoning applies not only to our scientific studies in physics, mathematics, chemistry, medicine, and astronomy but also to anthropology, history, philosophy, sociology, etc. Below, is a list of the scientific facts.
1. Traditionally, the Tilma was woven from dry agave cactus. The density of the weave determined its age and decomposition, usually 15 to 30 years. While no other agave cloak from that period exists today, Juan Diego’s Tilma has lasted over 500 years in its original condition. The material is not only free from all defects, but it also shows no sign of aging. This is remarkable considering that for the first 115 years, it was exposed to all weather conditions outside the church without any protection whatsoever. Millions of pilgrims touched it, candles and incense were burnt before it, and candlewax stained it, yet nothing has tarnished or degraded it, making it indeed miraculous.
2. In 1921, during the Communist uprising in Latin America, a terrorist placed a bouquet at the foot of the altar where the Tilma was kept. Concealed inside the bouquet were 20 sticks of dynamite. Each well-placed stick of dynamite was capable of blasting a 12-inch tree stump from the ground. The dynamites destroyed the marble altar, the Communion rail by the altar, and shattered the Church windows, and the windows of the surrounding buildings. Surprisingly, the Ayate (Tilma) remained unscathed. However, the heavy brass Crucifix placed therein was completely bent backward by the impact. It is now exposed in a separate glass encased in the Basilica. This was understood as Jesus personally absorbing the impact to protect His Holy Mother, confirm Her message, and protect all the pilgrims in His Church.
3. No art or technology has been identified that could have produced the image. It is on a cactus/hemp fiber of 2 pieces, joined in the center and making it an uneven and rough surface. In 1936, a Nobel prizewinner for chemistry, Dr. Richard Johann Kuhn an Austrian-German biochemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1938, declared that the source of the image was unknown (not animal, mineral, or vegetable).
4. In 1791, Nitric acid was spilled on the Tilma and it was repaired miraculously with no external intervention.
The scientific evidence continues in Chapter 3, the final chapter on this subject.
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