Up to now we have seen the symbolism of the rose and garden signifying the love and virtues of Mary, the Mother of God. But has Mary ever shown her predilection for flowers?

This happened in the year 1531 AD, nine years after the city of the Aztecs Empire, Mexico City, fell under Spanish rule. One Saturday winter morning Juan Diego, a poor Indian, was going to attend Mass at the Franciscan mission in Mexico City which was about six miles away. On the way he passed the hill of Tepeyacec (Hill of the Nose) when he became aware of beautiful music coming from the hill. Was this a dream, the music was so heavenly. So he climbed the hill and when he reached the top he saw a beautiful lady suffused in light which spilled over trees and ground giving it an other earthly appearance.

Juan bowed and the Lady said,
"Juan, my little one, the humblest of my children, where are you going?"

Juan replied, "My Lady, ... I go to listen to such divine matters as our priest teach us."

She said: "I am the Holy Mary, the eternal Virgin, Mother of the true God. I wish a shrine to be built here to show my love for you. I am your Merciful Mother, thine, and all the dweller on this earth." She further instructed Juan to tell the Bishop of Mexico City her wish. Juan Diego said he would related the message and left.

Juan Diego related the apparitions to Bishop Zumarraga but he was not believed. On the same day he returned to see the Lady on the hill and told her that the bishop did not believe him. Maybe she should send someone more important but the Beautiful Lady told him to go again to see the bishop and and relate her message. On that Sunday morning after Mass Juan spoke to the bishop again. The bishop asked many questions and finally said that the Lady of Heaven should give him a sign.

Juan Diego returned to Tepeyac where he gave Mary the Bishop's reply. She told him to return the next day to receive the sign to take to the bishop. The next day his uncle was dying of plague and asked Juan to get a priest. On the way he tried to avoid meeting the Lady of Heaven on the hill but she intercepted him saying, "Go to the hill top, my son, there you shall find plenty of flowers; pluck them, gather them into a bouquet, and come down at once to bring them to me." Juan was amazed to see all these flowers on top of the hill in the middle of December when everything in nature was dormant. Juan picked the flowers and presented them to the Beautiful Lady who directed him to take them to the Bishop. She told Juan, "I charge you strictly to unfold the cloak only before the Bishop and show him the flowers." She told him not to worry about his uncle, he would get well.

Juan Diego joyfully took the road to Mexico City. In the bishop's place he had to wait a long time and the servants seeing that he was hiding something asked to see what he was hiding. When he refused, they began to tug at his tilma and so to satisfy them he lifted a corner of the cloak. When they saw the flowers he was carrying, they ran to tell the bishop. Standing before the bishop Juan Diego unfolded his white cloak and the flowers were strewn over the floor. Zummarraga stared at the flowers and as he raised his eyes there suddenly appeared on the Indian tilma the image of the Blessed Virgin Mary in her glory as we still see it today, named Our Lady of Guadalupe.

The Rosary