Week
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July 31, 2002
Inside the Register
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Bishop Gomez reflects on Juan Diego
Mexican-born Colorado bishop attends canonization in Mexico
By Roxanne King and Rossana Goñi
Today,
Pope John Paul II canonized Blessed Juan Diego, an Indian to whom Mary
appeared four times on Tepeyac Hill outside Mexico City in 1531. Mary
instructed Diego to tell Bishop Zumarraga that she wanted a church built
there. The bishop complied with the request about two years later, after
being convinced of the genuineness of the apparition by the evidence of
a miraculously painted life-size image of the Virgin on Diego's mantle
(tilma). The tilma is enshrined in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Pope Benedict XIV, in a 1754 decree, authorized a Mass and Office under
the title of Our Lady of Guadalupe for celebration on Dec. 12 and named
Mary the patronness of New Spain. Our Lady of Guadalupe was designated
patroness of Latin America by St. Pius X in 1910 and of the Americas by
Pius XII in 1945. Juan Diego was beatified in 1990 by Pope John Paul II.
Bishop José Gomez, S.T.D., attended Juan Diego's canonization. He spoke to the Register and El Pueblo Católico prior to leaving for the celebration in Mexico.
Register/El Pueblo: You're from Mexico, what does Our Lady of Guadalupe mean to the Mexican people?
Bishop Gomez: For Mexican people, she is everything. She is our spiritual mother and we go to her with all of our needs. Just as our mothers are there for us, Our Lady of Guadalupe intercedes for us to receive graces we need to continue in our faith. There is a saying that 90 percent of Mexicans are Catholic but 110 percent of Mexicans are Guadalupanos (laugh).
Two things in particular stand out about the appearance to Juan Diego:
l The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to a Native American. She had a dark face and Aztec symbols (in the apparition captured in the tilma image). In this form she's saying to everybody, "I'm one of you." This takes on much meaning for the people of this continent. The fact that she appeared to the Native American people says, "You are very special to me."
l She's a symbol and a model that everyone is a child of God. That's what we see in Juan Diego. He was a layman who received this extraordinary grace of God. Her appearance to Juan Diego is a call of love from our Blessed Virgin Mary and also a call for holiness in our state of life.
Register/El Pueblo: And what about her visionary, Juan Diego: what does he mean to the Mexican people?
Bishop Gomez: He's the first Indian to be canonized. The fact that the Blessed Virgin appeared to him was a source of unity for the people of the Americas.
In Latin America there is a beautiful mix of cultures. In this global culture we have it was like a call from the Blessed Virgin Mary. It's a symbol of unity among all the people of the world.
Register/El Pueblo: Juan Diego will be a saint, meaning he will be held up for all Catholics and people of faith to emulate. What can we learn from his example?
Bishop Gomez: We can learn simplicity of life from him. He served as caretaker of the little church up until his death. He displayed great courage by going to the bishop with Our Lady's request that a church be built — not to mention his undying devotion to his sick uncle. There is much we can learn from Juan Diego. It's an extraordinary moment in the life of the Church in America to have him canonized.
Register/El Pueblo: Some people, including a past abbot of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City, say Juan Diego never existed but was simply a symbol used for catechesis to emphasize that the Gospel call is to people of all races. What do you say to those who question his existence?
Bishop Gomez: For the average person in Latin America there is no doubt that he existed. One argument used is that Bishop Zumarraga never mentioned him in writings. Probably he didn't mention many names. And some names may have been lost.
There are historical facts that support his existence. A document of Pope Gregory XIII (16th century) verifies Juan Diego's existence.
I don't know why some scholars come to this. He is being canonized after an intensive investigation by the Vatican. Obviously, he existed. Ask any Catholic in Mexico: We believe without a doubt that he existed.
Register/El Pueblo: Why is it important to you to attend the canonization ceremony?
Bishop Gomez: It's important because I was born in Mexico and I've always had a great devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe. I believe all people of Latin America view her appearance as a very special call. Juan Diego is a model of finding comfort and trust in the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the love of God.
Register/El Pueblo: How long has it been since you were back in Mexico?
Bishop Gomez: The last time I was in Mexico was in November, when I accompanied Gov. (Bill) Owens on a trade mission. At that time I had the privilege of visiting the little house Blessed Juan Diego lived in. It also was the first time I celebrated Mass at the sanctuary altar of the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe. That was an emotional moment for me.
For me, the fact that the Holy Father asked me to be a bishop is a sign of hope for the Mexican people. In my homily for the prayer service prior to my episcopal ordination I spoke about the Blessed Virgin's call to Juan Diego: "I want you to build a house of prayer for the people of this land." When I was called to be a bishop I felt like she was calling me to help build the Church on this continent.
Register/El Pueblo: What are you most looking forward to about the trip?
Bishop Gomez: The fact that I will be present at the actual canonization and that the Holy Father will be there. I find this very exciting. The first trip the Holy Father took after assuming the papacy was to Mexico for a Latin American Bishops Conference. Now that he's been ill, his return to Mexico in his last years of the papacy takes on an even greater significance: It's like the many years of his papacy have been protected by the Holy Mother.
Register/El Pueblo: Is there anything else you would like to add?
Bishop Gomez: In the archdiocese we named the new Hispanic institute Centro Juan Diego: Hispanic Institute for Family and Pastoral Care after Juan Diego as a sign of unity and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The institute will help us to live our faith better. Its namesake, Juan Diego, is a messenger of our baptismal call to evangelization.