Vigils Reading – Our Lady of Guadalupe

THE APPEARANCE OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

AT GUADALUPE

From the first written Aztec account of the apparition3

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Upon his reaching the top of the hillock, Juan Diego catches sight of a

woman, one who has been taking her stand there. She beckons him to come on,

closer up to herself. Upon reaching her presence, he greatly marvels at her

extreme, her surpassing, her perfect wonderfulness.

Her garments are as the sun, gleaming, glittering. Even the boulder, the crag,

on which she takes her stand sparkles in resplendence, like fine emerald jade or a

bangle when it shines, like the swarming glow of a rainbow in the gloom. Even the

soil, the brambles and prickles and the rest of the varied weeds that struggle to

survive there are shining like emerald, like divine turquoise, to the tip of every

leaf; are glittering like the golden scourings of the gods up every stalk and twig and

thorn.

In her presence he prostrates; he listens to her utterance, her declaration.

These are as of one who sets others at ease, one whose manner is to attract, one

whose attitude is to esteem. She addresses him: “Do listen to me, my littlest one,

Juanito!…

“Do know this, do be assured of it in your heart, my littlest one, that I

myself, I am the entirely and ever Virgin Saint Mary, Mother of the True Divinity,

God Himself: Because of Him, life goes on, Creation goes on; His are all things afar,

His are all things near at hand, things above in the heavens, things here below on

the earth. How truly I wish it, how greatly I desire it, that here they should erect

me my temple! Here would I show forth, here would I lift up to view, here would I

make a gift of all my fondness for my dear ones, all my regard for my needy ones,

my willingness to aid them, my readiness to protect them. For truly I myself, I am

your compassionate mother, yours, for you yourself, for everybody here in the

land, for each and all together, for all others too, for all folk of every kind, who do

but cherish me, who do but raise their voices to me, who do but seek me, who do

but raise their trust to me.

For here I shall listen to their groanings, to their saddenings; here shall I

make well and heal up their each and every kind of disappointment, of exhausting

pangs, of bitter aching pain… Therefore, to realize all that my clemency claims, go

to the palace of the Bishop of Mexico, and say that I sent you to make manifest to him

my great desire; namely, that here in the valley a temple should be built to me. Tell

him word for word all that you have seen and heard and admired. Be assured that I

shall be grateful and that I will reward you, for I will make your life happy and cause

you to become worthy of the labor you have taken and the trouble you perform to

do what I enjoin you. Now you have heard all my bidding, least of my sons. Go and

do your utmost.’

“At this point he bowed before her and said, ‘Lady, I go to do your bidding. As

your humble servant, I take my leave of you.’ Then he went on to accomplish her

will, taking the causeway that leads directly to Mexico City.

3 GUADALUPE, a translation of the NICAN MOPOHUA by Fr Martinus Cawley, OCSO; CARA Studies on

Popular Devotion, vol.II; Guadalupan Studies Monograph No. 6.7