Our Lady to Saint Juan Diego: "You are my messenger, I trust in you"

The Lady from Heaven asked Juan Diego (1) to climb to the top of the hill and pick a variety of flowers, make a bouquet and bring it to her. Juan Diego did as she asked, and found an astonishing sight: a multitude of magnificent flowers in full bloom, in the middle of winter. He brought them to the Virgin Mary, who took them in her hands and said:

"O most humble of my sons, these different flowers are the proof and the sign to take to the bishop. In my name, tell him to see in them what I want, that my will and my desire be fulfilled. You are my messenger, I trust in you.

I urge you to open your cloak only in the presence of the bishop; you will show him what you are carrying. You will tell him everything, that I have asked you to climb the top of the hill and pick the flowers. You will tell him everything you have seen and admired. And the heart of the Lord of priests will change, and he will do what he must to build me the Temple I have asked for."

Juan Diego went, opened his cloak in front of the bishop, let drop the miraculous flowers and at the same time discovered the supernatural image imprinted on his cloak.

At a time when the evangelization of America was getting off to a very bad start due to the behavior of the conquistadors, the story of the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe led 9 million Indians to ask for baptism within 10 years.

La Dame du Ciel by Jean-Pierre Rousselle, Edition Téqui 2004.

(1) In 1531, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared four times to an Aztec native, Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, on Tepeyac Hill, near Mexico City.