Archbishop's web site Denver Catholic Register Parishes Catholic Pastoral Center
July 31, 2002
Juan Diego is a saint: And now what?
Saint should inspire us to become emissaries of evangelization
Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin's canonization is an event that filled everyone with immense joy. The presence of Pope John Paul II in Mexico revitalized once more the profound Catholic faith of the Mexican people, the Latin American people and Hispanics in the United States.
What a gift and a blessing it is to see the humble Indian — "the littlest of my children" as Our Lady of Guadalupe called him — elevated to the honor of the altars!
Juan Diego is recognized by the pope as the first fruit, the immediate fruit of the first evangelization to occur in our lands — and not because of human work, but because of Most Holy Mary, the Mother of God, who appeared as Our Lady of Guadalupe, tender and "mestiza," in order to break with love, not with the sword, the resistance of the Aztecs' hearts to the Gospel. Juan Diego, "the most little one of my children," recognized today as a saint, has become the first — the greatest — of all the believers in Latin America, accomplishing thus in a marvelous way the promise of our Lord Jesus: "The first will be last and the last will be first."
St. Juan Diego
In a short time the image of Juan Diego will be found in many places, including the future home of Centro Juan Diego, which will be built under his patronage here in Denver. I'm sure that many other institutions will carry the name of St. Juan Diego, and in all the Americas and in the world hundreds of parishes will be founded under his protection. We need to ask ourselves if our lives as Catholics — as younger brothers of the Indian saint — will become more Christ-like with his canonization.
In his Apostolic Exhortation "Ecclesia in America," Pope John Paul II said: "The apparition of Mary to Juan Diego the Indian at the hill of Tepeyac, in 1531, had a decisive repercussion for evangelization. This influence goes beyond the boundaries of the Mexican nation, reaching the entire continent."
With Juan Diego's canonization the pope wanted to confirm that this fact was not only real but current. Today, as in 1531, Juan Diego continues to be the emissary of the message of salvation that the Virgin of Guadalupe brought to our lands: that Jesus Christ is real, and that his plan of love is intended for each one of us and for all of humanity.
Juan Diego came out of anonymity and entered into history when the Mother of God chose him as the humble messenger to announce the first evangelization. This year, at the beginning of the third millennium of our faith, Pope John Paul II has recognized Juan Diego as a model of sanctity in order to create a boundary marking the beginning of the new evangelization.
Today, more than ever, we are called to conversion. Each one of us is called to be an emissary, eager to take the roses of God's gifts everywhere, and to show every man and woman the merciful image of Our Lady of Guadalupe engraved clearly on the "tilma" of our lives. Now is the time for each one of us to convert ourselves into "the littlest of my children," who with genuine humility and profound conviction announce the Gospel of the Lord Jesus, as did Juan Diego.
This is not a matter of doing extraordinary things. It is about living our faith fully and giving witness of it in our daily life: in the family, in our studies, at work, among our friends and among strangers.
Let us allow Juan Diego to journey with his "tilma" into our hearts and to imprint there the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe.
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