1531

It is here. The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe... the white dove, the little mother, the crusher. So much can be said, has been said, and will be said about the lady of Tepeyac.  We know of the miraculous roses and the mystical tilma. We know of the aged Juan Diego greeting the young, pregnant woman.  We know of the massive conversions that followed, and the undying love that Hispanics - particularly Mexicans - have for her. We see her on dollar store candles, churches, holy cards, windows, and tattooed on countless backs.  She has become a symbol of hope, maternity, cultural identity, and political freedom. She is the Empress of the Americas, and the Queen of millions of hearts. Why? I believe that it was a "perfect storm" moment.

In 1531, toward the end of the year, Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego. But, God does not work in a vacuum, but on a universal scale and with perfect timing. Around the world, the time was ripe for a renewed and passionate evangelization.




1531 
German Protestants unite against the Holy Roman Emperor and the Papacy.
Francisco Pizarro claims the Inca territory for Spain (a vast region from northern Ecuador to central Chile).
Catholics and Protestants fight to the death in Switzerland.
Henry VIII is King of England ---- and new "head" of its church.
Suleiman I, the Magnificent, rules the Ottoman Empire - despite loss of Spain, Islam continues to expand in the East.
The people of Mexico were at a tipping point - while the Church had proved overall generous, the first Spanish governors were ruthless. They were finally recalled, and a second set were on the way.... The people were suspicious, tired, angry, and ready for a renewed identity, peace, and unity.....

December 9, 1531...