This is Part two of a two part series explaining the Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, which is the featured image on our best-selling Catholic Car Magnet.
This image of Our Lady is drenched in meaning. It's certainly something that only God could have created due to it's intricate design, profound message and striking beauty.
Here are some of the aspects of the image explained:
There is so much depth to the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, we have found that you can even break down the miracles into three categories:
The first miracle is the obvious one, how the image came to be. Saint Juan Diego gathered flowers in his tilma, laid them before the Bishop and in their place appeared this image stained onto his garment. That event alone was the miracle that granted the building of the Basilica that Our Lady requested. You can read that story here.
The second category of miracles consist of the intricate design of Our Lady and each detail of her image that speaks to the timing and needs of the indigenous people who first received her image. Our Lady appeared as an Aztec princess to convert and bring truth to the Aztec people. So, each part of the image that we may overlook today, was a message of love and truth to them and has lead to the conversion of thousands. We have highlighted a couple of those hidden treasured in the picture above.
The third category of miracles are the ones that were performed for our benefit today. The fact that the tilma can still be seen in it's original condition - nearly 500 years after Juan Diego wore it. It has not decomposed despite the fact that it's made from weak cactus fiber that should have decomposed several years after the event took place. Modern science has revealed to us much more about the image that could not have been known in the 1500's such as:
It has been proven that it is not painted by human hands.
There has been no natural, animal or mineral colorings, or paint found on the image.
The image itself is actually iridescent, which cannot be produced by hand
This is just a small glimpse into the miraculous aspect of the Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, here are some resources for you to dive deeper and learn even more:
The Knights of Columbus have a devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe and have created this user-friendly interactive website about the image.
Or check out this 18 minute youtube video called "The Amazing and Miraculous Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe"
