By Stephen K. Ryan

No, not him…He is jewish by the way (great New Yorker article here on him) No – the most interesting man in the world – ok, Catholic man in the world – today has to be Cardinal Christoph Schonborn from Austria.

Are there really any words to describe what Cardinal Schonborn, the Archbishop of Vienna, is undertaking right now in Europe?

Can we compare Cardinal Schonborn’s actions today to anything else in the modern era of the Catholic Church?

The National Catholic Reporter, this week, published an outstanding article on Cardinal Schonborn and the vortex in which he finds himself embroiled in. In the article the “Reporter” writes: In his chrism Mass sermon on April 2, the Monday of Holy Week, he offered his own Jesus-solution on how priests can cope with three of the most problematic situations confronting them in their pastoral work today:

The large number of people, including many young, conservative Catholics, who cohabit without being married;
The large number of divorced people who remarry;
The increasing number of same-sex partnerships.
Add to this list of sticky issues confronting the Catholic Church, Cardinal Schonborn has thrown into the mix the still unresolved spiritual movement known as Medjugorje by inviting “visionaries” of the Blessed Virgin Mary into his Cathedral to testify to his congregation.

To fully understand Cardinal Schonborn’s incomparable pursuits, first it must be understood that Cardinal Schonborn, is a global figure in the Catholic Church and is a former student and close friend of Pope Benedict XVI. Last month he made world-wide headlines when he overruled a parish priest’s decision to remove a gay man in a same sex marriage from a church committee. The gay man had been elected by church members and Cardinal Schonborn said the young man “was in the right place.” Cardinal Schonborn serves as a member of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Earlier this year he was appointed as the first member of the newly created Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization. The young Cardinal is widely recognized as “Palabile” (could one day be Pope) and as Editorial Director of the Catholic Catechism – the official rule book of the Catholic Church – he is greatly respected throughout the world. His book “You Cat” – a book on the Catholic Catechism is currently the bestselling Catholic book in the world with over 1.7 million copies sold.

Cardinal Schonborn’s impeccable catholic credentials speak for themselves, and so within this context, we find it extraordinary that he is proclaiming, from the roof tops, or more accurately, from inside the great St. Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, Austria, that the Blessed Mother is now appearing on earth in an unprecedented fashion to six “Visionaries” and he is urging the Catholic faithful to pay close attention. The Austrian Archbishop, by his actions and support of Medjugorje lends support to claims that the Blessed Virgin Mary is revealing Herself to the world and that her presence on earth is for the clear purpose of demonstrating that God truly exists.

In an extraordinary event in Vienna, Austria late last year, Cardinal Schonborn celebrated Mass with a man who claims to see and speak to the Blessed Virgin Mary. His name is Ivan Dragicevic. Ivan is one of six visionaries who say they see the Virgin Mary and these six people are at that center of a mysterious phenomenon known the world over as “Medjugorje.

Ivan was in Austria at the invitation of Cardinal Schonborn not only to attend Mass but to have his apparition inside St. Stephen’s Cathedral.

The entire apparition and Mass were shown locally on TV and broadcast throughout the world over the internet. To see Cardinal Schonborn, close friend of the Pope, on live television sitting patiently and reverentially in the grand setting of St. Stephen’s Cathedral as the visionary falls into ecstasy and visits with the Blessed Mother is something unique in the modern world. Watch Video Here

But many are asking why would Cardinal Schonborn provide such a high profile platform to a supernatural phenomenon that has not been approved by the Catholic Church? Why the invitation? Afterall, the Vatican just recently commissioned a special task force to determine the authenticity of Medjugorje. What are his motivations? Does he sense time is running out for the troubled Church in Europe?

Few would argue that the Catholic Church is not under siege and in crisis the world over. The Catholic Church in Europe has been devastated by the sex abuse horror. Austria particularly has been hard hit and has seen a troubling exodus of worshipers. Furthermore there is now a growing disobedience movement in Austria led by rebellious priests who are calling for, among a number of contentious issues, that the Eucharist be offered at the Mass by lay people when a priest is not available. The responsibility for all of these problems in Austria, of course, falls on the shoulders of Cardinal Schonborn, and in the midst of this crisis, rather than schedule more meetings, appoint new commissions, or hire consultants, the Archbishop has instead reached out to visionaries of Medjugorje to come to his Cathedral and pray.

Cardinal Schonborn’s invitation was not an “aside”. This is not a promise kept. This is not a PR stunt. The invitation to a visionary to experience an apparition of the Blessed Mother in a great European Cathedral in the middle of colossal upheaval within the Catholic Church is a big deal – unprecedented really. By Cardinal Schonborn’s bold and decisive action it appears, he is telling the world, under no uncertain terms, that the Church is in trouble and the best way out of the crisis is not through more meetings and task forces but to pray and to turn to the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary and to seek her intercession in a time of great need. It is important not to forget the words of Our Lady at Fatima: “In the end my heart will triumph”. It would seem Cardinal Schonborn has taken these words seriously and to his heart.

It seems clear that Cardinal Schonborn, unlike many bishops in America who continue to look for solutions for what ails the Church in the political arena – urgent meeting with President Obama, issuing position papers and press releases to the New York Times – is taking a different path to repair the damage. Cardinal Schonborn has moved beyond seeking solutions to problems confronting the Catholic Church through worldly means. Schonborn is not looking to lawyers and courts to protect the faith but rather the great Cardinal understands the solution will come only from the heavens. The Catholic Church will only be restored with our prayers, our humility to God and by the intervention of the supernatural revealed to us by the presence of Our Lady here on earth who is among us today to show us the way back to Her son.

Great version – Go tell it on the mountain

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By Stephen K Ryan

American Catholics – Is now the time to take a second look at Medjugorje?

A spaceship has landed in a remote village in Bosnia and a “being” from another dimension – a dimension six witnesses’ claim is the afterlife – has stepped out from the craft and rather than saying “take me to your leader” the pilot has unequivocally said to the world – “I have come to tell the world that God exists.”

This “pilot- being” claims to be the Mother of Jesus Christ and importantly millions of Catholics from around the world are finally beginning to accept the message. The Virgin Mary, for thirty years, from a small town called Medjugorje, has been telling the world that God exists and She has been bringing with her special messages of peace.  Her messages are a “mosaic” which taken together, overtime, have carefully constructed a sure path to eternity and paradise.  Many, devoted to the events of Medjugorje, call the town “Mary’s School”.  The Blessed Mother is calling us back to God and like at Cana, She is pointing the way to Her son Jesus. The fruits of Her message have been unprecedented in modern times.

Medjugorje is now the third most popular Catholic shrine in the world only behind Guadalupe and Lourdes.  Medjugorje is an important spiritual phenomenon in many parts of the world but interestingly Medjugojre has suddenly put down deep roots in Italy. Medjugorje, some claim, is nearly laying siege to the Vatican. This is a particularly significant marvel in that the Vatican has formed a special investigative committee to determine the truth behind the alleged Marian apparitions.  As the investigation moves its way to some kind of conclusion, millions of Italians read the Our Lady’s special messages that come from Medjugorje each month. As each day passes and as more Italians come to know Medjugorje the stakes for the Vatican, almost by definition, seem to rise with each passing day as well.

Italy is not alone with its strong attachment to the alleged Marian occurrences. The great friend of Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Christophe Schonborn of Austria – the Archbishop of Vienna – has invited the “seers’ of Medjugorje into his Cathedral to experience a close encounter with the Blessed Mother.   It is quite extraordinary to think that a man, who is talked about as a serious candidate to be the next Pope, is unabashedly telling those who are open minded that indeed the Blessed Mother is here on earth engaged in an active ministry encouraging the world through special messages to seek peace in their hearts and to put God in the first place in their lives.

But here in the United States there seems to be a resistance to this fascinating spiritual, perhaps supernatural, occurrence.
Many reasons are given for this force against Medjugorje, but two stand above the rest – a dominant  secular bullying press and  a strong and active Protestant and evangelical Christian church that often sets the tone for Christian culture here in the United States. This “protestant tone”  often forces Catholic Bishops, for ecumenical reasons, to down play the Virgin Mary’s role as an Advocate for mankind.   Many Catholic pundits often echo the secular press when it comes to writing about miraculous and supernatural events – there is basically a blackout on the subject – which keeps Medjugorje fenced in. Many Catholics bloggers and news organization are also quick to point out that “private revelations” are not a part of the body of the faith and therefore of little value to a practicing Catholic. They state that all revelations of Christ ended with the death of the last apostle and that veneration of the Blessed Mother interferes with the singular aspect to worship which is celebrating the Eucharist at Mass.

However, there seems to be a great paradox to ignoring the Blessed Mother’s  important presence in the Catholic Church   If we minimize Her role  than we must downplay Her enormous pastoral contribution to the Church throughout the ages that has led to the conversion of millions.  Think of the Catholic faith without Guadalupe, Fatima and Lourdes – the fruits of the Blessed Mother our immeasurable.

The need for every Catholic is not to “believe” in Medjugorje but rather, it seems to us, every Catholic should understand that millions of devout Catholics have discovered something special with Medjugorje and importantly it should be understood that there is nothing intrinsically wrong with discerning the events taking place there.   There is nothing wrong with taking a moment to ask what is going on in Medjugorje.   What is wrong is to block the door.

By Stephen K. Ryan

Author of “The Madonna Files”
comming soon

Peace – Not Politics – Confession Lines not Press Releases

In the United States an enormous battle has erupted over Obama’s new rule forcing Catholic Hospitals and Universities to offer contraception coverage in their health care plans.

We are not questioning the Catholic Church’s position on the matter and we understand the issue is about religious freedoms – but we sometimes grow weary how each day the Catholic Church seems to get more defined by issues relating to sex, cultural wars and political battles.

It seems the Catholic Church is morphing into a kind of of Christian right hybrid where ones passion and faith is defined by ones political positions.

Our Lady the Queen of Peace from Medjugorje has brought millions of Catholics and unbelievers back to the faith with her message of peace.   Medjugorje is also known as the “World’s  confessional” She talks of sin, and Satan and is not afraid to issue warnings. Our Lady is not a relativist or modernist, She is a traditionalist, but she leads us to Jesus with her message of love.

Our Lady encourages us to battle sin (the use of birth control for example) with her persistent call to Pray, pray, pray.

It seems to me our Church leaders want to battle sin with lawyers,court hearings, legislation, and media press releases.

I would like to see longer confessionals lines and less talk of sex.

The Queen of Peace at Medjugorje asks us to have “Peace in our hearts”
It seems too often our Bishops ask us to have Politics in our Heart. -not peace.

All I can say is thank God for Medjugorje – It seems to be the last place left where we can find the heart of the ministry of Jesus Christ. “Peace I give to you; peace I leave with you.

From an anonymous e-mail that was sent to minitryvalues.com (with permissions)
 Why the hyper-focus on the sins of sexuality at this stage of the game?’ unfortunately, i see many members of our church wrapped up in the American version of a pseudo-christian political right wing and try to identify or label the church in this same vein. In the past, the Catholic Church was good about staying true to our teaching, and keeping an arms length from the American political culture scene. Unfortunately, I think many bishops have involved themselves deeper into this picture due to pressure from powerful church members. they demand that the bishops make a stand, and force them to do so. 

For me, it all boils down to this struggle that is going on within the US and the catholic church here. It certainly does not seem to be a similar message that is happening with the church in other countries. in other words, i don’t necessarily see it as a ‘catholic’ problem as a whole, but an American-catholic one.

My feelings about this issue were best summed up by Pope Benedict XVI in his last trip to the US. When he was at a press meeting, being bombarded by political/social/religious questions from the media who were trying to pin the holy father into a right-wing political camp, he grew tired of the line of questioninng, responding simply and sadly that americans don’t really care about religion or morality, but merely about the ‘cult of politics’.

I don’t think Rome is happy that some american bishops are becoming so politically vocal, these bishops may think they are serving a greater good now, but in the end, they will have to be true to the church’s teachings on ALL issues and having so deeply aligned with one group will cause conflict later with issues that are contrary to the church’s teachings on other issues, such as social justice. as they say, you can’t serve two masters. It’s either the catholic church or the cult of politics–it can’t be both.

By Stephen K. Ryan

(Author of “The Madonna Files”) coming soon

Our Lady of Guadalupe – Did Her racially harmonious image warn of chastisements that would strike the United States?

Christopher Columbus, Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico abolishing slavery, the Alamo, the Mexican American war, Black slavery, the American civil war, six hundred thousand dead “The Trail of Tears”, ethnic cleansing of American Indians – all these signature historical events have roots that can be traced back to a little black statue of the Virgin Mary that came to America on a boat named “Santa Maria”

We start with Christopher Columbus and his crew who were deeply devoted to the Virgin Mary – not so surprising – after all his boat was named “Santa Maria” – but what is fairly obscure is that Columbus and his crew were attached to a dark skinned version of the Virgin Mary. Each night, at sunset, the crew sang songs to the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe of Spain – a black Madonna.

When Columbus landed in America, he and his men first prayed the “Salve Regina.” The “Salve Regina”, is the final prayer of the Rosary. Interestingly, Columbus sought the Virgin Mary’s intercession for the protection of his crew. Columbus prayed for his crew that they “be delivered from evil and everlasting death”. This is very important to understand – Columbus asked Mary to deliver them from evil – not Jesus. The Salve Regina prayer also explains how God gave Mary to mankind as the “Gate of Heaven”.

Columbus understood the best path to Heaven was venerating the heart of the Mother of Christ. Significantly, it is important to understand that Christopher Columbus was not just bringing Christianity to the New World, and not just Catholicism, but rather he was bringing with him a strand of Catholicism defined by a profound devotion to a woman, the Blessed Virgin Mary and in the case of Christopher Columbus a dark skinned one and this important detail undoubtedly eased integration between the darker skinned indigenous population of the “New World” and the Spanish colonists. It is nearly impossible to overestimate the significance of this fact in the course of American history.

Right from the start, Franciscan Monks built schools, churches; provided medicine, and farmed side by side with the local native people. The first Protestant settlers in America, on the other hand, quietly shunned the Virgin Mary. When Protestants and evangelicals were forced to confront the Virgin Mary, usually only at Christmas, she was sanitized and depicted as a white faced Northern European. There was no place at the table, or the church, or in the homes for a dark skinned Madonna in the puritan and white world of Southern evangelical Christians and New England Protestants and this intransigent fact set the stage for the racial horrors that would challenge and define the United States for next two hundred years.

Soon after Christopher Columbus’s arrival in America, in 1492, came the apparition of “Our Lady of Guadalupe” in1531 that took place in Mexico. The Virgin Mary, after appearing to Juan Diego, a dark skin peasant Indian, left behind her miraculous image which showed the Mother of God as a person of mixed skin color, a skin color chosen by God, and there can be no doubt the painting represents racial harmony. “Our Lady” was proclaiming to the world that we are all one people – black, white, brown – we are all God’s people. Even devout Catholics are surprised to find out that the Blessed Mother revealed herself to a dark skinned Indian

It is significant to understand, following the apparitions in Mexico in 1531, as millions of Aztec Indians were converting to Catholicism, inspired by the Virgin Mary, the most significant period of the Protestant Reformation in Europe was taking place. Millions of Europeans left the Catholic Church between 1532 and 1538 – ironically, to a large degree – precisely because of the Catholic Church’s excessive devotion to the Mother of Christ. The Protestant Reformation was not only a rebellion against the authority of the Roman Pope but the Reformation was also about the Catholic Church’s excessive veneration of the Virgin Mary. Protestants parted ways with Catholics because devotions to the Blessed Mother were not only viewed as extreme but they were considered not scripturally sound.

To Protestants, the Virgin Mary’s role in Christianity was based on legends and dogmas that were simply invented by Popes and obscure Cardinals in Rome. Protestant’s believe in “Sola Scriptura” – “Scripture alone” – that is, only the Holy Bible revealed God’s word. That the Pope would elevate the role of the Virgin Mother – willy-nilly – was, in the end, the real deal killer for Christians who broke away from the Catholic faith. Protestants believe the role of Mary is insignificant in Christianity.

Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke to the importance of racial harmony and with this understanding we begin to see a coherence of the Mexican apparition with other Marian apparitions. Attached to all major apparitions of the twentieth century, Fatima, Kibeho, Medjugorje, are direct warnings, for the world, for humanity and Our Lady of Guadalupe’s apparition was no different – her message – perhaps not a direct warning was clear in that if our hearts are filled with racism consequences will follow as they certainly did in North America.

At Fatima, Portugal, in 1917, the Blessed Mother warned of atheism and the rise of atheist Russia. The Blessed Mother said, “The good will be martyred; the Holy Father will have much to suffer; various nations will be annihilated”. This warning was followed by World War II, the death of millions in Russia and China at the hands of state sponsored atheism and of course the genocide of six million Jews engineered by the godless racist regime of Adolf Hitler.

Then there was Rwanda in 1994 at Kibeho. Our Lady’s warned of “A river of blood” and her cautions were followed by the slaughter of 900,000 people in one hundred days of genocide.

Rwanda was followed by Our Lady of Medjugorje. Our Lady came in 1981 and proclaimed herself “The Queen of Peace” She implored the world to pray for peace. “Peace, peace and only peace. Again her words were not heeded and in 1994, the most horrific act of genocide on European soil since the Holocaust took place in the region. Fifty thousand to a hundred thousand innocent people were slaughtered in appalling ethnic violence. Ominously, the Medjugorje apparitions are still on going and “Our Lady” the Queen of Peace continues to issue warnings.

Most people who know the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe believe it mostly speaks to the rise of the mestizo people, the rise of Christianity and an end to pagan rituals and human sacrifice -nothing more – but the call for racial harmony by Our Lady of Guadalupe is the crucial message and it was not heeded – at least not by all. What transpired north of the Rio Grande would be horror for Native Americans, African Americans, and the six-hundred thousand young men who died fighting over the right to own slaves.

We can see how the issue of race played out very differently for people of color when we look at a religion that venerated the Blessed Mother and compare it to Christian faiths that did not place any significance on her redemptive role.

On December 6, 1810 a Catholic priest named Father Hidalgo abolished slavery in Mexico. Earlier that year, Hidalgo led a group of peasants in a revolt under the banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe. Hidalgo is considered the Father of Mexico and one of his first acts as leader was to start efforts to abolish slavery in Mexico. The Father of Texas, on the other hand, Stephen Austin would carry slavery from Arkansas to Texas. In 1821, Mexico accepted Americans to settle the Texas, which was a Mexican territory at the time, under the conditions that the settlers observe Mexican laws, including the abolition of slavery.

On September 15, 1829 President of Mexico, Vicente Ramon Guerrero, who was black – his father was of African descent – an amazingly important historical fact –freed all slaves within the Republic of Mexico including the Mexican territory of Texas. President Guerrero sent a letter to Stephen Austin, in Texas, informing him of the new laws abolishing slavery in Texas.

He immediately received warnings back from Texas to not enforce the decree abolishing slavery.

Then in 1836 Mexican President, Santa Anna, who succeeded Vicente Guerrero, sent troops to the Alamo to enforce the decree outlawing slavery in Mexican territories. Most American, of course, are familiar with the battle of the Alamo – movies, books and Davy Crockett – have made the Alamo an iconic symbol of American culture, but very few get past the Alamo’s heroic image. The great irony of the Alamo is the battle was fought for the right to hold other people in bondage. Texans battled the Mexicans at the Alamo to defend their rights to own slaves and yet today the Alamo is one of the most recognized symbols of American bravery and heroism. African America’s in the United States, all American’s for that matter should view the call to remember the Alamo as a call to remember the right to own slaves. The Alamo is nothing more than a jingoistic symbol to racism and slavery.

We can start to connect the dots when we look at the origins of the Mexican – American war. Many of the military leaders on both sides of the American Civil War had fought as junior officers in 1846 in the Mexican -American war, including Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee,

General Grant, believed the Mexican American war had brought God’s, punishment on the United States in the form of the Civil War. He wrote “I consider the Mexican-American war one of the most unjust wars ever waged by a stronger nation against a weaker nation. The Civil War was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war. Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions. We got our punishment in the most sanguinary and expensive war of modern times.”… Even today the average American does not fully comprehend the enormity of what the death of six hundred thousand Americans in a span of four years really constitutes.

In Ulysses S. Grant wrote that the roots of the Mexican –American war were, at its core, a war over slavery and racism just like the American Civil War. The Alamo was a battle over slavery which led to war between Mexico and the United States. Grant understood from the start that the occupation, separation and annexation of Texas, from Mexico were a conspiracy to acquire territory to form another slave state for the American Union. He believed that territorial gains in Texas were designed to spread slavery throughout the nation. What followed the succession of Texas from Mexico and the battle at the Alamo was the Mexican – American war in 1846. Less than twenty years later the American Civil war started.

Here is when we start to see the dots really begin to connect. We quickly go back to the Virgin Mary revealing herself to a poor Indian peasant and leaving behind a miraculous portrait representing racial harmony. When we understand that most of the U.S. population, including its Protestant leaders, paid no special homage to Our Lady’s message of racial harmony, did not believe in the miracle of the Juan Diego’s tilma or the Catholic Church’s dogmatic teachings about the Blessed Mother , we begin to see where the trouble starts.

The sad result of not heeding the Blessed Mother’s warning would be a nation defined by racism that would lead to historic repression and violence against people of color. Ignoring “Our Lady’s call led to the enslavement of African blacks, the American Civil War, six hundred thousand dead, the ethnic cleansing of the American Indians, the Trail of Tears, and the near extermination of a race whose remnants are found today mostly in isolated reservations and in Indian casinos. The ugly truth is that American Christian Evangelical and Protestant leaders left the blood of Native Americans on the killing fields and kept the blood of Indians away from their veins while Spanish monks invited Indians into their churches.

North of the Rio Grande we have White Anglo Saxton’s free of the stain American Indian blood and in the South we have a mixed race, dark skinned people, who love a painted picture of a miraculous Catholic Virgin. A racially harmonious message had come down from heaven to remind the world that we are all one people and tragically that message was ignored by many Christians and secular leaders of the United States with devastating results.

By Stephen K. Ryan

The Catholic Herald this week wrote an interesting article asking “What happened to alienate British people from their faith? ”

The article explores the cautious state of the Catholic Church in England and compares its vitality (or lack there of) with the condition of the Catholic faith in Mexico. The author, Fr Alexander Lucie-Smith, cites cultural differences for some of the problems the Catholic Church faces in England.

As a Catholic news magazine, Ministryvalues.com is constantly searching for signs of Catholic spiritual renewal – it is what interests us. Today we see a revitalization of faith coming from Green Bay, WI. after the Church approved a Marian apparition that took place on the Door County peninsula. We see a ray of light and hope for the Catholic Church in moribund Europe coming from a town called Medjugorje. For many years, reports of Marion apparitions coming from Medjugorje, in Bosnia Herzegovina, have led to untold conversions and a deepening commitment to Christ from pilgrims and faithful, who discover its messages of hope. The Catholic Church in Mexico has thrived for centuries and is still, according to the Catholic Herald, dynamic and healthy.

We think the common thread in spiritual renewal and revitalization – the Vatican calls it – re-evangelization of the Catholic faith can be found when the faithful accept Pope John Paul II’s advice to “Find Christ through Mary.”

The miraculous, the supernatural, and the redemptive role of the Blessed Mother are keystones to spiritual revival for the Catholic faith.

Our Lady of Guadalupe offers a great example of why the Churches and pews are busy in Mexico and are quiet and sometimes sad in England.

To us it is all quite simple – Our Lady of Guadalupe gave Mexico the Miracle of the Tilma and after 500 years the image still shines – the tilma and Her image are a miracle – period. It is why the Church in Mexico thrives – period The English have old men who talk about Jesus (sort of) and choose not to believe in miracles and the
supernatural. Mexico thrives because they find Christ through Mary.
If England does not venerate the miracles of Our Lady then it will
be finished.

Our Lady of Guadalupe
In 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to Mexican Indian peasant Juan Diego. To prove to all that the apparitions were real; the Virgin imprinted an image of herself on Juan Diego’s tilma, a thin cloth made of cactus fibers. This type of tilma normally decays in 30 to 40 years. But Juan Diego’s tilma is still miraculously intact, the same as it was when he wore it nearly five hundred years later. Over the centuries, many have expressed doubts about the divinity of the image; there are many scientists who have studied the
miraculous painting. Prof. Victor Campa Mendoza has no doubt whatsoever and after studying the image and accumulating enough evidence to prove his point he said. “This is not a human act but an act of God,”

“My dear little son, I love you I desire you to know who I am” These were the first word and can be startling . \The words from Mary were simple yet seemed to almost say everything that needed to be said. The words were simple, loving and came directly from heaven, no dogmas, or abstruse rules Nican Mopohua, (Here it is told) written by Laso de la Vega, Valeriano. Nican Mopohua is the primordial telling of the Virgin Mary’s personal evangelism to the indigenous peoples of the Americas

“My dear little son, I love you. I desire you to know who I am. I am the ever-virgin Mary, Mother of the true God who gives life and maintains its existence. He created all things. He is in all places. He is Lord of Heaven and Earth” – spoken by the Virgin Mary Mother of Christ to Juan Diego.

The discovery of the New World brought with it both fortune-seekers and religious preachers desiring to convert the native populations to the Christian faith. One of the converts was a poor Aztec Indian named Juan Diego. On one of his trips to the chapel, Juan was walking through the Tepayac hill country in central Mexico. Near Tepayac Hill he encountered a beautiful woman surrounded by a ball of light as bright as the sun. Speaking in his native tongue, the beautiful lady identified herself as the Virgin Mary: and said

“I desire a church in this place where your people may experience my compassion. All those who sincerely ask my help in their work and in their sorrows will know my Mother’s Heart in this place. Here I will see their tears; I will console them and they will be at peace. So run now to Tenochtitlan and tell the Bishop all that you have seen and heard.”

Juan, age 57, and who had never been to Tenochtitlan, nonetheless immediately responded to Mary’s request. He went to the palace of the Bishop-elect Fray Juan de Zumarraga and requested to meet immediately with the bishop. The bishop’s servants, who were suspicious of the rural peasant, kept him waiting for hours. The bishop-elect told Juan that he would consider the request of the Lady and told him he could visit him again if he so desired. Juan was disappointed by the bishop’s response and felt himself unworthy to persuade someone as important as a bishop. He returned to the hill where he had first met Mary and found her there waiting for him. Imploring her to send someone else, she responded:

“My little son, there are many I could send. But you are the one I have chosen.”
She then told him to return the next day to the bishop and repeat the request. On Sunday, after again waiting for hours, Juan met with the bishop who, on re-hearing his story, asked him to ask the Lady to provide a sign as a proof of who she was. Juan dutifully returned to the hill and told Mary, who was again waiting for him there, of the bishop’s request. Mary responded:

“My little son, am I not your Mother? Do not fear. The Bishop shall have his sign. Come back to this place tomorrow. Only peace, my little son.”
Unfortunately, Juan was not able to return to the hill the next day. His uncle had become mortally ill and Juan stayed with him to care for him. After two days, with his uncle near death, Juan left his side to find a priest. Juan had to pass Tepayac Hill to get to the priest. As he was passing, he found Mary waiting for him. She spoke:

“Do not be distressed, my littlest son. Am I not here with you who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Your uncle will not die at this time. There is no reason for you to engage a priest, for his health is restored at this moment. He is quite well. Go to the top of the hill and cut the flowers that are growing there. Bring them then to me.”
While it was freezing on the hillside, Juan obeyed Mary’s instructions and went to the top of the hill where he found a full bloom of Castilian roses. Removing his tilma, a poncho-like cape made of cactus fiber, he cut the roses and carried them back to Mary. She rearranged the roses and told him:

“My little son, this is the sign I am sending to the Bishop. Tell him that with this sign I request his greatest efforts to complete the church I desire in this place. Show these flowers to no one else but the Bishop. You are my trusted ambassador. This time the Bishop will believe all you tell him.”
At the palace, Juan once again came before the bishop and several of his advisers. He told the bishop his story and opened the tilma letting the flowers fall out. But it wasn’t the beautiful roses that caused the bishop and his advisers to fall to their knees; for there, on the tilma, was a picture of the Blessed Virgin Mary precisely as Juan had described her. The next day, after showing the Tilma at the Cathedral, Juan took the bishop to the spot where he first met Mary. He then returned to his village where he met his uncle who was completely cured. His uncle told him he had met a young woman, surrounded by a soft light, who told him that she had just sent his nephew to Tenochtitlan with a picture of herself. She told his uncle:

“Call me and call my image Santa Maria de Guadalupe”.