Why Guadalupe?
It is historical fact that millions of conversions followed Our Lady of Guadalupe’s 1531 appearance–through the miraculous self-portrait stamped on the tilma of Juan Diego–to the native people of Mexico. The people found in the image a very clear message of hope. This message was conveyed through specific signs on the portrait, signs the people recognized and understood. First of all, the woman in the portrait is pregnant, a condition indicated by the black sash worn above the woman’s womb. Also, she bears on her outer mantle the image of the crossed sticks, a constellation recognized by the native peoples as a sign of a renewed cycle of life. Furthermore, one finds an abundance of flowers–everywhere an image of life–on the outer mantle. Finally, one sees in the portrait that the woman stands in front of the sun, which was for the native people the source of all life. In other words, she indicates that there is a greater source of life, one to which she herself must submit, but also with which she herself is a connection.
As the image was a message of hope, so we also hope to be; not through our own power or skill, but through submission to Him who is the Source of all life.
