Many still report prayers answered as well as miraculous healings. When Nicolás Enríquez painted this copy of the Virigin of Guadalupe in 1773, it was the most widely venerated sacred image in New Spain. ). Recently our findings were confirmed when the Spanish-language magazine Proceso reported the results of a secret study of the Image of Guadalupe. A large statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe occupies a central position behind the altar, with a crucifix with Jesus close by. This allowed him to identify not only what appears to be the image of Bishop Zumarraga, but also several other witnesses of the miracle reflected there, The images in the pupils also manifest the triple reflection called the. The eyes of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe are one of the great enigmas of science, according to … Robert J. Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D. is a Catholic Priest in the Jesuit order (Society of Jesus) and is currently the President of the Magis Center and the Spitzer Center. People say it’s just a painting, yet the tilma has outlived them all, in time and in quality. Earlier this month in Rome, results of research into the famed image were discussed by engineer José Aste Tonsmann of the Mexican Center of Guadalupan Studies during a conference at Pontifical Regina Apostolorum Athenaeum. CAT 4 Testing Gr. “This could be the case of the picture of the family in the center of the Virgin’s eye,” the scientist said, “at a time when the family is under serious attack in our modern world”. In a time when so much interest was evi­ denced .in the scientific study of the Shroud of Turin, it was thought that such an approach would be a dramatic start for a Marian study and that, if scientific methodology would prove supportive of the apparition, devot}on to Our Lady would be fostered. Many churches have lit fireworks after the evening rosary in the ten days leading up to the 12th.. Why Did Martin Luther Remove 7 Books From The Bible? . He has made many TV appearances including: Larry King Live (debating Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow), the Today Show (debating on the topic of active euthanasia), The History Channel in “God and The Universe,” a multiple part PBS series “Closer to the Truth,” and the Hugh Hewitt Show. He magnified the iris of the Virgin’s eyes 2,500 times and, through mathematical and optical procedures, was able to identify all the people imprinted in the eyes. Tonsmann, a Peruvian engineer, added, “Callahan and Smith showed how the image changes in color slightly according to the angle of viewing, a phenomenon that is known by the word iridescence, a technique that cannot be reproduced with human hands”. Coordinated with other missionary members to address issues within the community (violence, drugs). Renzo Allegri, in his article in Messenger of Saint Anthony, disclosed that the most surprising phenomenon which has awakened scientific curiosity regarding the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe concerns what has been discovered in the pupil of the Blessed Mother’s eyes. The plaque of Our Lady of Guadalupe still weeps, periodically. What intrigued Tonsmann most were the eyes of the Virgin. It was established, with instruments of the eye-specialist, that in the picture, the eyes of Mary’s retinas, when exposed to light – similar to the human’s eye – expand and contract. St. Juan Diego's original tilma as it hangs today in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City This Marian apparition is like no other. The shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe in Spain was the most important Marian shrine in the medieval kingdom of Castile. FILE - In this Dec. 12, 2019 file photo, pilgrims arrive at the plaza outside the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Dec 11, 2020 |. Currently appearing weekly on EWTN in “Father Spitzer’s Universe“. Our Lady of Guadalupe Miracle #4: The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe should have deteriorated, faded, and turned to dust a long time ago. On December 12, 1531, an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared on the tilma of native Aztec, Juan Diego. The tilma or cloak of Saint Juan Diego on which the image of Our Lady has been imprinted, is a coarse fabric made from the threads of the maguey cactus. On the infamous day of 9-11 (September 11, 2001), the plaque wept tears. As early as the 18th century, scientists showed that it was impossible to paint such an image in a fabric of that texture. Despite this (and the bomb blast above), the image has remained intact … In the right eye, other people who are standing appear behind the woman. For over 20 years, this graduate in environmental systems engineering at Cornell University has studied the image of the Virgin left on the rough maguey-fiber fabric of Juan Diego’s tilma. In 2018, at the Our Lady Guadalupe Catholic Church in Hobbs, New Mexico, a Mary statue was reported to be producing tears. There is currently no scientific explanation for its physical and chemical longevity. In the 20th and 21st centuries, five attributes in particular have drawn scientific attention, The material of the tilma has maintained its chemical and structural integrity for almost 500 years, Most replicas of tilmas with the same chemical and structural composition last only 15 years before decomposition. In July of that year, the Catholic Diocese of Las Cruces revealed that tests confirmed the tears in fact had the chemical composition of rose scented olive oil. The image has been subjected to scientific testing to prove its authenticity and miraculous properties. This statue is credited with miraculously helping to expel the Moors from Spain in the Reconquista. The scientist began his study in 1979. By Fr. Privacy Policy | It is that of an Indian family made up of a woman, a man and several children. Poole, Stafford (July 2005). Why Good People Suffer, Dr. Jerome Lejeune: Holiness and the Genetics of Disease, What Friendship Has Taught Me about Redemptive Suffering, © 2020 Magis Center | For further sources and to read more on our Lady of Guadalupe view Fr. Visualizing Guadalupe: From Black Madonna to Queen of the Americas. During Lent of 2002, she again suffered from stigmata in her hands and feet and shoulder. Artificial and Animal Intel. Mary serves as the patron saint of all human beings, watching over them with motherly care due to her role as the mother of Jesus Christ. Robert Spitzer, S.J., Ph.D. Digital technology is giving new leads for understanding a phenomenon that continues to puzzle science: the mysterious eyes of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Proof of a Soul from the Transcendentals and Our Interior Sense of God, Feeling a Bit Like Job? The same people are present in both the left and right eyes, in different proportions, as would happen when human eyes reflect the objects before them. The image has been subjected to scientific testing to prove its authenticity and miraculous properties. The image itself has many extraordinary attributes that border on the miraculous (and probably indicate it!). The Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has been the subject of numerous technical studies since 1751 and extensive scientific investigations in recent years, and none of the result offered any sound scientific explanation which, up to this very day, defies science and all human reasoning as it continuous to baffle scientists and even skeptics. A gaze from heaven that changed the history of a continent. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appears on a tilma made of cactus fibers. Paul John Kalchik. (Zenit), Say this simple miracle prayer if you need a miracle today. In the eyes, Tonsmann believes, it is possible to discern a seated Indian, who is looking up to the heavens; the profile of a balding, elderly man with a white beard, much like the portrait of Bishop Zumárraga painted by Miguel Cabrera to depict the miracle; and a younger man, in all probability interpreter Juan González. Fr. He was born in a region of Spain called Extremadura, and grew up to revere Our Lady of Guadalupe, a statue of a black version of the Virgin Mary, at the Santa María de Guadalupe monastery in Extremadura. 105–119. It appears to have, were identified through scientific testing conducted by, Dr. Philip Serna Callahan, who was a biophysicist at the University of Florida, and a NASA consultant, He photographed the image under infrared light, and published his findings in 1981 in a paper called, Dr. Philip Callahan also noted that the original image on the tilma had not cracked, flaked, or decayed in over 500 years, . Cortés brought reproductions of this European image of Mary with him when he went to … The sign given on the tilma (the cloak fabric of seer Saint Juan Diego) was like a photo book for the Indians, the work of a heart full of love, showing that Mary deeply understands the language of those she interacts with. This type of tilma normally decays in 30 to 40 years. Mary Among Us: Apparitions• Virgin of Guadalupe (1531)• One of the most astounding apparitions in the history of the Church took place in 1531 in Mexico. The image, imprinted on the tilma of a l6th-century peasant, led millions of indigenous Indians in … This fiber disintegrates within 20-60 years! The image has been subjected to scientific testing to prove its miraculous authenticity. She asked that a church be built on the site. 1. Vol. • That is our definition of science. Like the Shroud of Turin, the image of Guadalupe has been subjected to rigorous scientific testing, the results of which are astonishing. I explained to her that Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe is perhaps the key identifying symbol of Mexican Catholicism and is also a prominent symbol of Mexican culture as a whole. In his research, Tonsmann used a digital process used by satellites and space probes in transmitting visual information. In 1979, Americans Philip Callahan and Jody B. Smith studied the image with infrared rays and discovered to their surprise that there was no trace of paint and that the fabric had not been treated with any kind of technique. NASA has publicized the results of the related examination of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In summary, the Virgin’s eyes bear a kind of instant picture of what occurred at the moment the image was unveiled in front of the bishop, Tonsmann says. Since then, scientists have struggled to explain. Contemporary, Scientifically Validated Miracles Associated with the Blessed Mary, Saints, and the Holy Eucharist, Human Intelligence vs. Dr. Aquirre invited the team of scientists to examine the eyes of the icon. The natural life span of a cloak made with fiber from the agave or maguey plant is only about 30 years. In 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared to Mexican peasant Juan Diego. 3. “How it is possible to explain this image and its consistency … on a fabric that has not been treated?” Tonsmann asked. This subjected it to soot, candle wax, incense, and touching. Sitemap, The Science (or Lack Thereof) Behind Juan Diego’s Tilma, On December 12, 1531, an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared on the tilma of native Aztec, Juan Diego. Since then, scientists have struggled to explain just how the image got there. The influence of this single devotion has been so great that, upon seeing the image for the first time in 1754, Pope Benedict XIV wept and uttered the words of Psalm 147, “God has not dealt in like manner with any other nation. “How is it possible that, despite the fact there is no paint, the colors maintain their luminosity and brilliance?”. Prayers To Our Lady Of Lourdes For Healing Of The Sick, Which Bible Should I Use? Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared in Mexico as the pregnant Mother of God to Blessed Juan Diego, and Aztec Indian, on December 9, 10, and 12, 1531. But on Monday, Mexican church and civic leaders canceled the annual gathering that takes place on December 12. This apparition and image is venerated under the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe, the first Marian apparition in the New World, and the only one where Our Lady produced an image of herself. The original tilma of St. Juan Diego, which is on display the basilica, has been subjected to scientific testing to prove its miraculous authenticity. Open this link NOW, Science Proves Our Lady Of Guadalupe Is A Miracle, 50 Days With The Holy Spirit (My Greatest Friend), Three Day Miracle Prayer To The Blessed Virgin Mary, A Comprehensive List of All the Mortal Sins You Must Know and Avoid as a True Catholic, Prayers To Jesus And Mary — Ecce Ancilla Domini Prayer. Moreover, in the center of the pupils, on a much more reduced scale, another scene can be perceived, independent of the first, the scientist contends. Venerated in this cathedral is the original cape of St. Juan Diego, which still displays the miraculous Our Lady of Guadalupe image. The backside of the cloth is rough and coarse while the front side is as soft as silk. The image to this date, cannot be explained by science. Tonsmann pointed out that Richard Kuhn, the 1938 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, found that the image did not have natural animal or mineral colorings. It had … without protective glass. Peterson, Jeanette Favrot. The Basilica of our Lady of Guadalupe is the most visited Catholic shrine in the Americas. Open this link NOW. 2. Professor Chiment's special task was to comment on the age and composition of the fabric and pigments. List of weeping statues. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Mexican Catholic Church announced on Monday, Nov. 23, 2020 the cancelation of the annual pilgrimage, the largest Catholic pilgrimage worldwide. The image itself has many extraordinary attributes that border on the miraculous (and probably indicate it! See what you will gain if you pray the Holy Rosary today. OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE Miraculous Findings of the Tilma THE FABRIC After much human contact by scientists’ examinations and pilgrims kissing it, the tilma is still in good condition with the cloth it was made of that ordinarily would have lasted no more than 25-30 years has now lasted over 500 years. A List of Approved Catholic Translations. Also present is an Indian, likely Juan Diego, of striking features with a beard and mustache, who unfolds his own tilma before the bishop; a woman of dark complexion, possibly a Negro slave who was in the bishop’s service; and a man with Spanish features who looks on pensively, stroking his beard with his hand. The image has been subjected to scientific testing to prove its miraculous authenticity. Mother Mary, Our Lady, Mother of God, Queen of Angels, Mary of Sorrows, and Queen of the Universe. This effect was completely unknown at the time of the image’s formation. The Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and Science. It draws millions of pilgrims every year to arrive on their knees to pray to the Virgin of Guadalupe. . The original image of the Virgin herself, an artist. | She left a Miraculous Image of her appearance o his cactus fiber cloak, or tilma, which still exists today for all to see in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. Our Lady of Guadalupe Parrish in Caracas, Venezuela. Here, the miraculous image is encircled by four scenes that attest to its divine origin. The “ayate” fibers used by the Indians, in fact, deteriorate after 20 years. Open this link NOW, You have a miracle waiting for you. So far has her message reached, that she is now considered the patroness of all the Americas. Austin: University of Texas Press 2014. Stayed in a community 200 kilometers from the Colombian-Venezuelan border for a week. That’s where Our Lady of Guadalupe, or the Virgin Mary, is believed to have appeared to a Native American peasant named Juan Diego in 1531. Fr. The image in the eyes of the Virgin follow the curvature of the cornea, in the way it occurs in a normal human eye, Juan Diego's Tilma: A Remarkable Source of Conversion, Displayed in the Cathedral atop Tepeyac Hill in Mexico, the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Juan Diego’s tilma has been a remarkable source of conversion to Catholicism throughout Mexico, It has also been a source of strength and grace for the Catholic religion as a whole, particularly in times of persecution and secularism, The message of Our Lady to Juan Diego—filled with love and affection for the native people of the western hemisphere—has inspired tens of thousands of people. The image shows no sign of deterioration after 450 years! Today there are a number of Our Lady of Guadalupe books and gifts to honor this special and unique apparition of Our Lady, including rosaries, prayer cards, crosses, and jewelry. Organized day-long activities to work with local children and teenagers. Studies on her historical development, such as Our Lady of Guadalupe by historian Stafford Poole, demonstrate that contrary to legend, Mexican creoles (people of Spanish descent born in Mexico) were the first devotees of Guadalupe and the primary propagators of her cult. Part I of this article reviewed the lingering mystery of Our Lady of Guadalupe and science's inability to explain its miraculous nature. The eyes reflect the witnesses of the Guadalupan miracle the moment Juan Diego unfurled his tilma before the bishop, according to Tonsmann. Given that there were no synthetic colorings in 1531, the image is inexplicable. He believes it is a message kept hidden until modern technology was able to discover it just when it is needed. He insisted that the basic image “has not been painted by human hand”. 1989. Maggie had a heart attack in December of 2001. There is no sketch underneath it, no brush strokes, and no corrections. • According to tradition on December 9, 1531 a poor Aztec man named Juan Diego was walking near a hill at Tepeyac just northwest of Mexico City when our blessed Mother Mary appeared. 28, Issue 2. pp. gate one of the major apparitions of Our Lady in as scientific as possible a manner. The added paint and gold leaf had flaked or deteriorated, have three remarkable qualities that cannot, Each would be difficult even to replicate with today’s technology of computers, ophthalmologic knowledge, and digital photography. Tonsmann ventured an explanation for this second image in the Virgin’s eyes. The image, imprinted on the tilma of a l6th-century peasant, led millions of indigenous Indians in Mexico to convert to the Catholic faith. One of the … Engineer Jose Aste Tonsmann, has amplified an image of the pupils of the Blessed Virgin by 2500 times. There are several parts of the cloth which have, These parts include the moon underneath the Virgin’s feet, the angel holding the cloth, and the rays coming from the image. Though the dimensions are microscopic, the iris and the pupils of the image’s eyes have imprinted on them a highly detailed picture of at least 13 people, Tonsmann said. Yet, the image and the fabric on which it is imprinted have lasted almost 470 years. Digital technology is giving new leads for understanding a phenomenon that continues to puzzle science: the mysterious eyes of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Tonsmann said he believes the reflection transmitted by the eyes of the Virgin of Guadalupe is the scene on Dec. 9, 1531, during which Juan Diego showed his tilma, with the image, to Bishop Juan de Zumárraga and others present in the room. ​Science Proves Our Lady Of Guadalupe Is A Miracle!! Four years ago Dr. Gilberto Aquirre, a San Antonio, Texas, physician, requested him to join a team to examine St. Juan Diego's tilma portraying Our Lady of Guadalupe. 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 fibres. by