Our Lady of Gaudalupe Survives Fire

Our Blessed Mother appeared to Saint Juan Diego in Mexico on December 9, 10 and 12, 1531 and told him to tell the Bishop she wanted a church built in her honor.  The Bishop asked for a sign, so the next time Juan Diego saw our Lady, he asked her for a sign to give the bishop.  She told him to pick some roses nearby, which should not have been there in December.  He put them in his tilma and brought them to her, and our Lady arranged them in the tilma.  Juan Diego then went to see the bishop with the roses.  He opened his tilma for the bishop to see the miraculous roses, and the bishop stepped back in amazement.  It wasn't the roses that excited him.  There was a beautiful picture of our Lady on Juan Diego's tilma, as pictured at the left.

Needless to say, the Church was built.  The greatest miracle of all was the conversion of nine million Aztec Indians.  The Aztecs had been involved in horrendous human sacrifice, which completely ceased.  This miraculous image of our Lady can still be seen today in Mexico City, almost 600 years later.  The tilma was made of material that should have worn out in about 10 years, and yet it shows no sign of wear at all to this day, almost 600 years later.  The image has been closely studied, and scientists cannot figure out what the painting is made of.  The colors remain as bright as they were almost 600 years ago.  The image has survived fires and even an attempted bombing.  From discover-catholic-miracles.com:

Bent Crucifix that protected the image of
our Lady of Guadalupe in a bomb blast

In November, 1921, a major attempt was made to desecrate the Tilma that bears the image of our Lady of Guadalupe, which God had given to the people of Mexico and to the world. This Tilma was the first Guadalupe Miracle.

On November 24, a deluded man walked into the old Basilica, which was beginning to sink, even at that time. 

To the naked eye, he appeared very reverent and loving towards Our dear Mother. He carried a bouquet of flowers, supposedly to offer to Mother Mary. He went to the main Altar, above which was the beautiful, miraculous Tilma of Juan Diego. 

He gently placed the beautiful cluster of flowers on the Altar. To any of the Faithful in the Basilica, he would have appeared to be just another of the loving Mexican men who adored their Mother. 

But inside the bouquet of flowers was a bomb with 29 sticks of dynamite! He made sure to place the flowers strategically under the Tilma, at the foot of the large, very heavy brass Crucifix. 

We believe that he either left the Basilica, or went to the back very quickly. Because it was not very long after, that an explosion of gigantic proportions rocked the aging building. 

It was ear shattering. 

The building shook to it's rafters. Blocks of marble were dislodged. All the windows in the Basilica were blown to smithereens. 

The glass blew out onto the street below. 

Pilgrims inside the Basilica were strewn all over the church from the force of the blast. Fearful the church would surely collapse, they ran to safety outside, in the great Plaza of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

To explain the Guadalupe Miracle of the Cross in the eyes of Faith, we would have to say that Jesus on the Cross expanded, at least to the height of the Tilma, and, arms outstretched, blocked the impact of the explosion. 

He threw His Body in front of His Mother, protecting her from the onslaught. He took all the punishment on Himself, rather than have His Mother, or this Image, so important to the people of Mexico, be destroyed. 

The brass Crucifix twisted and distorted became known as the Guadalupe Miracle. It actually twisted around, so that the Corpus was at the back of the base, turning, as it were, to look at His Mother, to be sure that she was all right. 

There was a great deal of damage done to the Basilica. 

It took months to repair it. But the area around Our Lady, the Altar, the frame of the Tilma, and the Tilma itself, were not marred in any way. 

The Guadalupe Miracle is with us to this day.

Just this past week, there was a fire at a Catholic Church in Juarez, Texas in which there was a reproduction of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  The fire completely destroyed the Church, but the image was totally undamaged.  Just a coincidence, just luck?  You be the judge.  Below is the article from elpasotimes.com.

Our Lady appearing to St. Juan Diego

Fire in Juárez destroys church, spares Virgin of Guadalupe image

By Marisela Ortega Lozano / El Paso Timeselpasotimes.com

Posted: 06/14/2012 09:43:32 AM MDT

A fire destroyed a church in Juarez but spared a Virgin of Guadalupe image despite the fierce blaze. The incident took place at about 4:04 a.m. Wednesday, at San Agustín Chapel at Paseos del Alba and Paseos del Ángel Streets. (Jesus Alcazar / El Paso Times)

›› Photos: Juárez church fire

A fire destroyed a church in Juárez early Wednesday morning, but spared a Virgin of Guadalupe image, despite the fierce blaze, Juárez officials said today.

The incident took place at about 4:04 a.m. on Wednesday, at San Agustín Chapel at Paseos del Alba and Paseos del Ángel Streets, Juárez Fire Department officials said.

"The fire tore down the whole church," said Cap. Martin Morales, of the Fire Department in Juárez, in a telephone interview.

But the fire spared a Virgin of Guadalupe image inside the church. The beloved icon, 60 centimeters tall and one meter wide, was framed in wood.

The flames destroyed other images like St. Agustín and Jesus Christ, said Efrén Matamoros, Juárez Environmental Services and Civil Defense.

"We had no explanation of that," Matamoros said. "The image had no protection at all." The fire also destroyed 40 pews, frames and several icons. No one was hurt.

The damages were estimated at $10,000.

The fire was ruled accidental, due to an illegal connection to the electric poles in the area, firefighters said.

The parishioners are ready to rebuild the church, Matamoros said.

We live in a very dangerous world that threatens to destroy all of us in many different ways.  But just as the image of our Lady of Guadalupe can survive bombings and fire and even the wear and tear of the elements and of age, so will we survive if we stay with the Mother of Our Lord, who always looks out for and protects all of her children. 

Pray the rosary daily.  Stay close to our Blessed Mother, and you will be protected from all evil.

The Bishop discovering the miraculous image of
Our Lady of Guadalupe on the tilma of St. Juan Diego