Devotion to Our Lady |
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BELOW YOU WILL FIND THE LATEST REPORTED WORLDWIDE CORONAVIRUS NUMBERS (March 7, 2020)
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What to Make of the Coronavirus Crisis?
Crisis or No Crisis? Deliberate or Not? ► WORLDWIDE: As of March 7th, 2020, the number of cases worldwide passed 105,893, officials say, resulting in 3,567 (which translates to a death rate of 1 in 30 persons, or 3.4%). ● Of those 105,893 (100%) reported cases, a total of 62,192 are closed cases (which 58% of the 105,893 reported cases) and these have already had an outcome― either positive by being healed, or negative through death. ● Of those 62,192 (100%) closed cases, a total of 58,625 (94% of all closed cases) have recovered their health and 3,567 (6% of all closed cases) have died. ● Of the currently 43,701 active cases where patients are still under observation, there are 37,467 (86% of current active cases) who are in a mild condition of illness, while 6,234 (14% of all current active cases) are in a serious or critical condition of illness. ● Therefore, of all closed cases―where patients have recover or died―the current averages show that out of 100 people, 94 live and 6 die (which si a death rate of 1 in 16, or 6%). ● In all currently active cases―where patients are still sick and under observation―the current averages show that out of 100 people, 86 have mild symptoms and 14 have serious symptoms. News of Flu Flew By Typical flu symptoms include fever, sore throat, aches, chills and sweats and fatigue, according to the Mayo Clinic. While the flu might seem relatively minor because it's so common, complications from the flu, which can include pneumonia, bronchitis, asthma flare-ups and heart problems, can be deadly. People with weakened immune systems, adults older than age 65 and babies are all at a higher risk of contracting the flu. According to CDC, this year’s flu season has led to at least 10 million USA medical visits and 210,000 USA hospitalizations. The data also shows that between 14,000 and 30,000 flu-related USA deaths have occurred from October 1st, 2019, to February 1st, 2020. This flu season has been especially bad for children, according to CDC. So far this season―as of February 21st, 2020―there have been 105 influenza-associated deaths have been reported in children and adolescents younger than 18 -- the highest number of deaths at this point in the season since reporting began during the 2004-2005 season, the CDC said. “There is a deadly respiratory virus that is circulating throughout the United States, and it is at its peak. It is not novel coronavirus,” said Dr. Pritish Tosh, an infectious disease specialist with the Mayo Clinic, in Rochester, Minnesota. Coronavirus dominates news coverage, yet flu is deadlier. Despite how bad this flu season has been, the flu isn’t getting nearly as much public attention as the new coronavirus that originated in China, even though flu presents a much bigger risk to Americans. William Schaffner, a professor of preventive medicine and health policy at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, said, “When we think about the relative danger of this new coronavirus and influenza, there’s just no comparison. Coronavirus will be a blip on the horizon in comparison. The risk is trivial.” Nora Colburn, an infectious disease specialist at Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center, said: “If you didn’t travel specifically to Wuhan, China, or have contact with a person with suspected or known coronavirus, your chance of contacting this is extremely low” (CDC Weekly U.S. Influenza Surveillance Report, 2/1; CDC “Flu View,” accessed 2/10). Despite enduring two waves of viruses during the 2019-2020 flu season, new estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that the vaccine is relatively good match for this year’s flu strains. While we won’t have exact figures until after the flu season is over, the 2019-2020 vaccine is estimated to be only 45% effective overall and 55% effective in children. In comparison, the 2018-2019 effectiveness of man-made flu vaccine was even worse, estimated at being roughly 29% effective. In view of those discouraging numbers, it has to be said that this season’s flu has been particularly hard on children, with 13 children dying in just one week in mid-February, and 105 children having died since the beginning of flu season, according to CDC estimates released February 21st, 2020. During recent flu seasons, deaths among children have ranged from 37 to 187. |
CHRONOLOGY OF EVENTS
1474
An Indian named Quauhtlatoatzin (the future Juan Diego) was born in Cuautitlan. 1476 Juan de Zumarraga (future bishop) was born in Spain. 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on an island in the Americas and named it San Salvador. 1514 The first Marian Shrine in the New World was established in the city of Higuey, first to be built on American soil. 1519 Hernan Cortez landed in Mexico. 1521 The capital city of the Aztecs falls under Cortez. 1524 The first 12 Franciscans arrive in Mexico City. 1525 The Indian Quauhtlatoatzin is baptized by a Franciscan priest. He received the Christian name of Juan Diego. 1528 Friar Juan de Zumarraga arrives in the New World. 1529 Juan Diego’s wife, Maria, became sick and died. 1531 Year of the apparitions to Juan Diego 1533 The first sanctuary was erected. 1541 Franciscan priest and early historian of New Spain “Motolinia” writes that some nine million Aztecs had become Christians. 1548 Death of Juan Diego. 1555 In the Provincial Counsel, the second archbishop of Mexico, Alonso de Montúfar, formulated canons that indirectly approved the apparitions. 1556 Archbishop Montúfar began the erection of the second church. 1560 A document known as the Valeriano Relation is written by an Indian named Antonio Valeriano. Also known as the Nican Mopohua. (Between 1540 and 1580). 1564 An image was carried on the first formal expedition to the Philippine Islands. 1567 The new church ordered by Archbishop Montufar is completed. 1570 Archbishop Montufar sent to King Philip II of Spain an oil painted copy of the image of Guadalupe. 1571 Admiral Doria carried a copy of the image aboard ship during the battle of Lepanto and imputed to the Virgin of Guadalupe the victory over the Ottoman Empire forces. 1573 The “Primitive Relation” was written by the historian Juan de Tovar, who transcribed the story from a still earlier source, probably Juan Gonzalez, Bishop’s Zumarraga’s translator. (Discovered in the Mexican national Library Archives) 1647 The image is covered with glass for the first time. 1648 The priest Miguel Sanchez published in Mexico City, in Spanish, a work entitled “Image of the Virgin Mary, Guadalupan Mother of God”. 1649 Luis Lasso de la Vega published the “Huey Tlanahuicoltica”, telling the story in Nahuatl. It refers to earlier Nahuatl sources. 1666 A formal inquiry and investigation was conducted by the Church, from February 18th to March 22nd, in order to give authority to the tradition. 1695 The first stone of the new sanctuary was laid. The sanctuary was solemnly dedicated in 1709. 1723 Another formal investigation ordered by Archbishop Lanziego y Eguilaz. 1737 The Most Holy Mary of Guadalupe was chosen as the patroness of the city of Mexico. 1746 The patronage of Our Lady of Guadalupe was accepted for all of New Spain, which then embraced the regions from northern California to El Salvador. 1746 The knight Boturini Benaducci promoted the solemn and official coronation of the image. 1754 Benedict XIV approved the patronage of New Spain and granted a Mass and Office proper to the celebration of the feast on December 12th. 1756 Famous painter Miguel Cabrera publishes his extensive study of the Image in the book “American Marvel”. 1757 The Virgin of Guadalupe was declared patroness of the citizens of Ciudad Ponce in Puerto Rico. 1767 The religious of the Society of Jesus are expelled from the Spanish dominions, and the image is carried to various parts of the world. 1895 Took place the coronation of the image, with pontifical authority and the attendance of a great part of the episcopate of the Americas. 1908 Pope Saint Pius X prayer to Our Lady of Guadalupe, where he entrusts Our Lady of Guadalupe with the protection of the Sovereign Pontiff and asks her intercession for the holy Church and the keeping of our faith,is enriched with an indulgence of five hundred days on his audience held on August 18th. 1908 Pope Saint Pius X granted indulgences which may be gained in any part of the world for prayer before a copy of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. 1910 Pope Saint Pius X declared the Virgin of Guadalupe Patroness of Latin America. 1911 A church was built on the site of Juan Bernardino’s home. 1921 A bomb placed beneath the image exploded, causing great damage, but nothing happened to the tilma. 1924 A very important 16th century source documenting the miracle is found in Peru by anthropologist M. Saville. It is a pictorial calendar known as the Codex Saville and shows the image of our Lady located in the position representing the year 1531. 1928 A coronation of the image was made in Santa Fe, Argentina. 1929 First documented note of an apparent reflected image of a man’s head in the right eye of the Virgin, by photographer Alfonso Marcue. 1935 Pious XI extended the patronage of the Virgin of Guadalupe to the Philippines. 1945 Pious XII stated that the Virgin of Guadalupe was the “Queen of Mexico and Empress of the Americas” and that she had been painted “by brushes that were not of this world”. 1946 Pope Pius XII declared her to be the Patroness of the Americas. 1951 Examination of the image by Carlos Salinas. Apparent reflection of a man’s head in the right eye of the Virgin observed. 1956 Dr. Torroela-Bueno, an ophthalmologist, examined the eyes of the Virgin on the tilma. 1958 Dr. Rafael Torija-Lavoignet published his study of the Purkinje-Sanson effect as exhibited in the Guadalupan image. 1961 Pope John XXIII prayed to her as Mother of the Americas. He addressed her as Mother and Teacher of the Faith to the peoples of the Americas. 1962 Dr. Charles Wahlig, O.D. announces the discovery of two images apparently reflected in the eyes of the Virgin when studying a photograph enlarged twenty five times. 1966 Pope Paul VI sent a Golden Rose to the Basilica. 1975 Glass was removed so the image could be examined by another ophthalmologist, Dr. Enrique Grave. 1976 Dedication of the new Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, located four miles from central Mexico City. 1979 Dr. Philip Callahan takes 40 frames of infra-red photographs of the image. Later concluded that the original image is unexplainable as a human work. 1979 Pope John Paul II called her the “Star of Evangelization”, knelt before her image, invoked her motherly assistance and called upon her as Mother of the Americas. 1979 Dr. Jose Aste-Tonsmann announces the finding of at least four human figures apparently reflected in both eyes of the Virgin. Dr. Tosmann used sophisticated image processing techniques with digitized photographs of both eyes. 1988 The liturgical celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12th was raised to the status of a feast in all dioceses in the United States. 1990 Juan Diego was declared Blessed by Pope John Paul II at the Vatican. 1990 Pope John Paul II returns to the Basilica in Mexico City. Performed the beatification ceremony of Juan Diego. 1992 Pope John Paul II dedicated a chapel in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe in St. Peter’s Basilica. 1999 Pope John Paul II, during his third visit to the sanctuary, declared the date of December the 12th as a Liturgical Holy Day for the whole continent. 2002 Juan Diego was canonized in a ceremony presided by His Holiness John Paul II in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe, on July 31st, 2002. It was John Paul II’s 5th pastoral visit to Mexico. |
Before we look at Our Lady’s apparitions to Juan Diego in 1531, let us sketch a brief history of the Faith in the Americas in general and in Mexico in particular.
First Mass in South America The first Mass recorded on continental South America occurred when the expedition of a Portuguese nobleman, Pedro Álvares Cabral, reached the coast of Brazil, where, at Porto Seguro, the Franciscan Fr. Henriques Soares de Coimbra offered Mass and erected a cross, on April 26th, 1500, naming the place Vera Cruz (which translates as “The True Cross”), and claiming it for the King of Portugal. Earlier Spanish expeditions along the continental coast appear to have been mainly occupied with charting and mapping the region, while also stopping to trade with natives for gold, pearls, and lumber. First Mass in Puerto Rico In March 1509, Juan Ponce de León, with a group of colonists, including priests, landed in Puerto Rico at “Caparra” (now Pueblo Viejo, in Guaynabo) and established a settlement there (the ruins remain and are a U.S. National Historic Landmark). That group’s first Mass would have been the first Mass that we can say was offered on what is now U.S. territory. West Coast of South America On the west coast of South America, Vasco Núñez de Balboa’s expedition reached the Pacific Ocean at the shore of the Bay of San Miguel on September 29th, 1513, the feast of St. Michael the Archangel, at the sight of which the expedition’s chaplain Fr. Adrés de Vera chanted the Te Deum. First Mass in Peru Dominican priest Fr. Vicente de Valverde and secular priest Juan de Sosa accompanied Pizarro’s expedition to Peru in 1533 (two years after the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe) and offered Mass along the way. Pizarro’s earlier expeditions, from 1527-1531, may also have had priests accompanying them. First Mass in Mexico A priest named Gonzalez accompanied the expedition of Juan de Grijalva in 1518 that landed briefly at Yucatan and further along the coast of Mexico, as described by Bernal Diaz del Castillo, who did not, however, record that Mass was offered there. Indeed, the priest appears in the narrative only to have assisted in helping the expedition locate and collect gold images of native deities that were then carried away. The history of the Catholic Church in Mexico dates from the period of the Spanish conquest (1519–21). On Easter Sunday, in April 1519, Fr. Bartolomé de Olmedo, the chaplain of Hernan Cortés’s Spanish expedition to Mexico, offered a High Mass, in commemoration of the landing of the expedition two days prior, at the site of the settlement they founded― the town of Vera Cruz (which translates as “The True Cross”). Uncertainty about Florida in 1522 In early 1522 (nine years before Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared), Ponce de León attempted, from Puerto Rico, to establish a settlement near Charlotte Harbor, on the west coast of Florida. But he was unable to do so, owing to the hostility of natives, who attacked and drove away the Spaniards, fatally wounding Ponce in the battle. The disaster occurred almost immediately upon their landing, but the brief account of the expedition by Gonzalo Fernandez de Oviedo y Valdés, in his Historia general y natural de las Indias suggests that some days elapsed between their landing and the attack, during which time the priests accompanying the expedition tried to preach to the natives and come to terms with them, but to no avail. If the priests were indeed onshore for a few days, as Oviedo suggests, before being driven away, they may well have offered Mass there, at Charlotte Harbor, which would have been the first Mass offered on what would become the continental U.S. But if they did so, it was not noted in the spotty records that remain of the expedition. Uncertaintiy about North Carolina in 1526 In June 1526 (five years before Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared), two Dominican priests, Antonio Montesino and Anthony de Cervantes, accompanied several hundred colonists under the leadership of Lucas Vasques de Ayllón from San Domingo and attempted a settlement upon the Atlantic coast of the mainland north of Florida. They first made land at Cape Fear (near present-day Wilmington, North Carolina) but chose to sail on, looking for a more salubrious spot, which they found and established the small settlement of San Miguel de Guandape (or Gualdape), North Carolina, where, during the summer and fall of 1526, they certainly did offer Mass. Uncertainty about Florida in 1528 Panfilo de Navaez (including Alvar Nuñez Caveza De Vaca) put ashore at present day Stump Pass near Englewood on the Gulf Coast of Florida on Good Friday, April 10th, 1528 (three years before Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared), and the landing party was resting at an evacuated Indian village there on Easter Sunday, where Franciscan priest Juan Suarez would possibly have celebrated Mass. When Our Lady appeared to Juan Diego in 1531, it had only been 10 years since Hernando Cortez had conquered Mexico City in 1521. In 1523, Franciscan missionaries came evangelizing the Indian people. They were so successful that the Diocese of Mexico City was established in 1528. Take note also, that in North America, Jamestown, the first permanent English colony, was not established until 1607. The Birth of Juan Diego―the future seer of Our Lady of Guadalupe Juan Diego, of poor peasant stock, was born a pagan in 1474. He lived as a pagan until the time of the Spanish evangelization of his those pagan lands in the early 1500s. Juan Diego and many of his family members were among these early converts to the Faith. Juan Diego and many of his family members were among these early converts to the Faith. He was baptized “Juan Diego” in 1525, along with his wife, who was given the names “Maria Lucia”, and his uncle, who was baptized “Juan Bernardino.” Satan’s Bloody Paganism One must also not forget that Juan Diego had grown up under Aztec oppression. The Aztec religious practices, which included human sacrifice, play an interesting and integral role in this story. Every major Aztec city had a temple pyramid, about 100 feet high, on top of which was erected an altar. Upon this altar, the Aztec priests offered human sacrifice to their god Huitzilopochtli, called the “Lover of Hearts and Drinker of Blood,” by cutting out the beating hearts of their victims, usually adult men but often children. Considering that the Aztecs controlled 371 towns and the law required 1,000 human sacrifices for each town with a temple pyramid, over 50,000 human beings were sacrificed each year. Moreover, the early Mexican historian Ixtlilxochitl estimated that one out of every five children fell victim to this bloodthirsty religion. In 1487, when Juan Diego was just 13 years old, he would have witnessed the most horrible event: Tlacaellel, the 89-year-old Aztec ruler, dedicated the new temple pyramid of the sun, dedicated to the two chief gods of the Aztec pantheon — Huitzilopochtli and Tezcatlipoca, (the god of hell and darkness) — in the center of Tenochtitlan (later Mexico City). The temple pyramid was 100 feet high with 114 steps to reach the top. More than 80,000 men were sacrificed over a period of four days and four nights. While this number of sacrifices seems incredible, evidence indicates it took only 15 seconds to cut the heart out of each victim. (For more information, see Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Conquest of Darkness by Dr. Warren Carroll). “And the land was polluted with blood,” by idolaters who sacrificed their sons and daughters to devils. “The heathens … served their idols … and they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to devils. And they shed innocent blood―the blood of their sons and of their daughters―which they sacrificed to the idols … And the land was polluted with blood” (Psalm 105:35-38). Such was Mexico when Hernando Cortes arrived there in 1519. Some ten million native Nahuatl Indians formed a vast confederation of tribes at this time. These tribes were dominated by the powerful Aztecs who, for all their intelligence, industry, and valor, were equally barbaric, enslaved by an extravagant system of idolatry which placated its numerous gods with gruesome orgies of human sacrifice and cannibalism. For centuries torrents of blood literally flowed from the temple pyramids, with as many as 20,000 humans being sacrificed in one day. Nevertheless, in 1520, Hernando Cortes outlawed human sacrifice. He stripped the temple pyramid of its two idols, cleansed the stone of its blood and erected a new altar. Cortez, his soldiers and Father Olmedo then ascended the stairs with the Holy Cross and images of the Blessed Mother and St. Christopher. Upon this new altar, Father Olmedo offered the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Upon what had been the place of evil pagan sacrifice, now the unbloody, eternal and true sacrifice of our Lord was offered. Such an action, however, sparked the all-out war with the Aztecs, whom Cortez finally subdued in August of 1521. In 1523, Franciscan missionaries came evangelizing the Indian people. They were so successful that the Diocese of Mexico City was established in 1528―three years before the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Cortes came and liberated the Nahuatls from their slavery to Satan, but because of the corruption of some of the Spanish rulers and because of the Aztec’s attachment to polygamy and other pagan practices, very few converted to Catholicism in the first decade of Spanish rule. Hernan Cortes had accomplished the subjugation of the proud Aztec nation. In the decade that followed―until the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe― around a million and a half of the indigenous population had already embraced baptism and the Faith of Christ. Yet many, many more were unconverted. The saintly Juan de Zumarraga, Mexico’s first bishop, could do little to convert the Aztecs, but he remained confident in the unfailing help of the Queen of Heaven, to whom he entrusted the future of New Spain. Enter Juan Diego Let us now turn our attention to the event of the day―the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, being her feast today―and look at the principal character or recipient of her apparition. The year was 1531―which was 39 years after Columbus “discovered” America, 10 years after Cortés led the conquest of the Aztec empire at Tenochtitlan (Mexico City) and 7 years after Franciscan missionaries began ministering to the locals, including Juan Diego, who was among the first to be baptized a Catholic. Born in 1474, Juan Diego was a 57 year old simple and God-fearing man―one of the few converts in the first 10 years. Juan was a simple and good man whose wife, Maria Lucia, had recently died, and who was caring for his sick uncle, Juan Bernardino. For 6 years he had devoutly practiced the Faith, walking 6 miles every morning to Mass, leaving his humble dwelling in Cuautitlan before dawn, on the outskirts of of what today has grown to be Mexico City, so as to arrive on time for Mass at the church of Santiago, in the barrio of Tlaltecloco. His well-trodden path led past a hill called by the Indians “Tepeyacac”. A Funny Thing Happened to Me on the Way to Mass This Morning... On Saturday, December 9th, 1531, he began his usual pre-dawn journey on his way to Mass. As he neared the summit of the Tepeyac Hill, he raised his eyes to the summit of Tepeyacac, and saw, as it were, a white and shining cloud, and within it a rainbow of color, with rays of dazzling light. The Indian stood spellbound, yet unafraid, filled with a sweet amazement, and asked himself whether it were all a dream. He then heard a very wonderful music descending from the top of the hill― the sound of sweet singing. It sounded like the voices of a myriad of various different birds, singing together with such inexpressible harmony, that the Indian was overcome with wonder and delight, saying to himself: “What is this I hear and see? Where am I? By chance have I been transported to that Paradise of Delights where our race came into being? Or is it some heavenly country, hidden from the eyes of men?” As he reached the summit, the singing stopped, but the Juan Diego remained in a kind of enchantment, gazing at the shining cloud above him on the hill. He then noticed a Lady standing there, who, in a gentle woman’s voice was saying: “Juanito, Juan Dieguito.” Could he be hearing aright? Was the voice calling him? There it came again, this time more sweetly insistent: “Juan! Come closer!” Gone was all hesitation. Excitedly, Juan Diego ran in the direction of where the voice was coming from― just below the shining cloud. And then Juan saw her! Within the shining cloud there stood a beautiful Lady. The radiance of her garments transformed into the likeness of precious jewels the stones beneath her feet, and the leaves of the hawthorn and nopal appeared clusters of rare emeralds on surfaces polished and glowing. The very soil had become a carpet of jasper, tinted in many colors. Sent on a Mission “My son, Juan Diego, whom I love tenderly, like a small and delicate child! Where are you going?” The Lady’s words were spoken in Nahuatl, the language of Juan’s people. Who can reproduce their delicacy of feeling in any other tongue? “O noble Mistress and my Lady,” Juan answered, “I am going to Mexico, to the barrio of Tlalteolco, to hear the Mass, which the ministers of God present for us in His place.” “Know, my beloved son,” replied the Lady, “that I am the ever-Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God, for Whom we live and who is the Author of Life, the Creator of all things and the Lord of Heaven and Earth; who is everywhere. It is my wish that you build me a church on this site. Here, as the loving Mother of you and of your fellow men, I will show forth my living kindness and compassion for your people and for those who love me and seek me, and call upon me in their labors and afflictions. Here I will hear their cries and their petitions, I will comfort them and help them in their distress. In order that my will may be accomplished, you must go to Mexico, to the palace of the Bishop who resides there. You are to tell him that I sent you, and that it is my pleasure that he build me a church in this place. You will relate to him what you have seen and heard. And be certain of this―I will be grateful for what you do for me in this matter with which I charge you, and I will raise you up and make you renowned because of it. My son, you have heard my wish. Go in peace. And bear in mind that I will repay the labor and care that you employ; so in this matter exert all your strength.” On his knees and with head to the ground, Juan Diego answered: “I go, most noble Lady and my Mistress, as your humble slave, to carry out your order.” And so the Indian took leave of the Lady. Heaven's Ways Are Rarely Smooth Ways! He descended the western slope of the hill and took the road into the City of Mexico, a league distant. As he had promised the Lady, Juan went directly to the palace of the Bishop, Fray Juan de Zumarraga. He asked the servants to tell the Bishop he wanted to see him; but, because of the early hour, and because they saw only an Indian of the poorest class, the servants simply let him wait. Finally, however, struck by his patience, they let him in, to audience with the prelate. On his knees before the Bishop, Juan poured out his story. Bishop Zumarraga listened to the extraordinary tale and questioned Juan closely. In the end he sent the Indian away, telling him to return in some days. Sorrowfully Juan left the palace. The Bishop, he felt, had not believed the story. What was more important to Juan Diego, he had failed to carry out the will of the Blessed Lady. With heavy heart he began the journey to his pueblo, Tolpetlac. Why Me? Can't Someone Else Do This? It was after sunset when he reached the summit of Tepeyacac. The Lady was waiting for him. As soon as Juan saw her, he prostrated himself in obeisance and began to speak. But what other tongue can adequately convey the beauty and gentleness, the courtesy, the delicate nuances, of Juan Diego’s native Nahuatl? Listen to how Jusm Diego politely ties to say "No!" to the mission Our Lady had given him:: “My well-beloved Daughter, my Queen and Lady most high! I did what you commanded me, although I did not talk to the Bishop until after a long wait. I gave him your message in the form you commanded me; he heard me calmly and with attention. But, from what I observed in his manner, and from the questions which he put to me, I gathered that he did not believe me; for he told me to come back at a later date, so that he might investigate the matter at length. He thinks that the church you wish to be built for you is a tale of my own making, or my own fancy rather than your will. So I pray you, for this work send some noble and important personage, worthy of respect, whom he will believe. For as you see, my Mistress, I am only a poor rustic, a lowly man of the people, and unsuited for this business on which you send me. Pardon my boldness, my Queen, if I have failed in the reverence due to your high station. Let not your wrath fall upon me, nor may my answer displease you.” No Way José! Juan is the Man! The Most Holy Mary listened to his tale with a benign countenance, and then answered: “Listen, my well-beloved son. Know you that I do not lack servants nor domestics under my command. For I have many whom I can send, if I wish, who will do what they are commanded. But it is fitting that you undertake this affair. It is through your intervention that my will and my desire must be done. So I ask you, my son, and I order you, to return tomorrow, to see and talk to the Bishop. Tell him to build me the church that I ask, and tell him that she who sends you is the Virgin Mary, Mother of the true God.” “Do not be displeased, O Queen and my Lady,” Juan Diego replied, “at what I have said. For I shall go willingly and with all my heart to obey your command and to carry your message. I was not making excuses, nor do I fear the journey nor the task. But perhaps I shall not be received nor listened to; or perhaps the Bishop, once he has heard me, will not believe. Nevertheless, I shall do what you command me. And I shall be waiting, Lady, tomorrow at sunset in this place, to give you the answer. And so remain in peace, and may God watch over you!” Even through the dim medium of a translation twice removed from the original tongue, the delicacy of expression of this humble, unlettered man comes to us clearly, to our wonder and delight. With reverence Juan Diego took his leave and continued on the way to his home in Tolpetlac. As far as we know, he said not a word to anyone about the matter. Perhaps, overcome by the events of the day and disturbed that the Bishop had not believed the events, he had decided to keep his own counsel for the time being. If at first you don’t succeed, … The next day, December the tenth, was Sunday, and Juan again went to the Church of Santiago in Tlaltelolco for Mass and the class in Christian doctrine which the Indian converts had to attend. Then he went again to the palace of the Bishop. Once more the servants made him wait a long time, but finally he was admitted. Once more, prostrate and with tears and urgent words, Juan related to Bishop Zumarraga how for the second time he had seen the Mother of God in the same place that he had seen her the first time. That she was waiting for the reply to the message which she had given him earlier. That once again she had commanded him to go and tell the Bishop to build her a church on the very site where he had seen and talked to her. That he should tell the Bishop that she who sent him was the Mother of Jesus Christ and the Ever-Virgin Mary. Sign it with Sign! The Bishop listened with greater attention this time, and began to think that there might be something to the tale. He questioned and re-questioned Juan Diego very closely, warning him to weigh his words carefully. He asked Juan to describe the appearance of the Virgin, and satisfied himself that it could be neither dream nor imagination. Yet, as Bishop, he could not appear to accept lightly such a tale from the lips of a simple Indian. So he replied: “What you have told me is not enough to make me undertake the task that you request. Therefore, tell the Lady who sent you to give you other signs, by which I may know that it is the Mother of God who sent you, and that it is he will that we build her a church.” “What sign would you like me to ask for?” said Juan. The calmness and confidence of Juan Diego strangely disturbed the Bishop. The Indian spoke as though the sign were as good as granted. And so the Bishop answered: “Let the Lady choose whatever sign seems good to her.” Then he summoned several of the most trusted servants in his household. Speaking to them in Spanish, which Juan did not understand, the Bishop told them to follow Juan without his knowledge, to report upon what he did and with whom he spoke. The servants followed Juan, easily keeping him in sight until he arrived at a little bridge crossing a stream, almost at the foot of Tepeyacac. Here the Indian disappeared from their sight, and although the servants looked everywhere, searching the hill on every side, Juan could not be found. They took him for either an impostor or a wizard, and returned to tell the Bishop what had occurred, asking him to punish the Indian if he should again come to the palace. When Juan reached the summit of the hill, the Virgin was waiting for him. On his knees he told her what had happened: “…how,” as the most ancient account words it, “carrying out her command, he had returned to the palace of the Bishop and had given him her message. And that, after questions and cross-questions, the Bishop had said that this simple tale was not sufficient to make him take action in so serious a matter.” Juan continued his relation: “I am to ask you, O Lady, for a particular sign, by which he may know that you sent me, and that it is your will that church for you be built on this site.” Juan Day at a Time! With loving words Mary commended the care and diligence of Juan. She told him to return on the next day, when she would give him a sign that the Bishop would believe. Juan promised to return, and took his leave of the Sovereign Lady. But on the next day, Monday, December 11th, Juan was unable to keep his promise. Upon reaching his pueblo, he found that his uncle, Juan Bernardino, was seriously ill. The greater part of the day Juan spent in looking for a curandero (native medicine man) and when finally he found one, the latter’s ministrations only made the sick man worse. Juan Bernardino requested his nephew to go early on Tuesday to the Convent of Santiago at Tlaltelolco, for a priest who would administer the last rites of the Church. Before daybreak on Tuesday, December 12th, therefore, Juan Diego set out for Tlaltelolco. But when he arrived at the foot of Tepeyacac, and was about to take the trail over the hill, he recalled his neglected promise to the Lady. Thinking that she would reproach him, he determined to avoid a meeting by skirting the hill. Avoiding Mary Doesn’t Work But as Juan approached the spot where today there is a spring of sparking water, Mary came forth to meet him. Encompassed by a shining cloud, she came down the hill, directly across his path, and spoke: “Where are you going, my son, and what road are you taking?” Struck with shame and fear, the Indian fell to the ground and answered: “My beloved Daughter and my Lady, may God watch over you! Do not be displeased at what I am going to tell you. Know, my Mistress, that one of your servants, my uncle, is gravely ill and about to die, and as he seems very weak I am going to the church of Tlaltelolco for a priest to confess and anoint him. After having discharged this duty I will return here to obey your command. Forgive me, I pray you, my Lady, and bear with me a little. I am not asking to be excused from doing what you have commanded, nor is it a false excuse I give you. Tomorrow I will return without fail.” Trust Me! Mary heard the Indian’s story with understanding in her face, and then spoke to him in this manner: “Listen, my son, to what I tell you now. Do not let anything worry or afflict you; do not fear illness nor any troublesome happening nor pain. Am I not here, I who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your life and health? Are you not in my embrace and in my prayers? What else do you need? Have no care nor worry about the illness of your uncle, for he will not die from it. Rest assured that he is already well.” Consoled by the words of Our Lady, Juan replied: “Then send me, by Lady, to see the Bishop, and give me the sign of which you spoke so that he will believe me.” And Mary answered: “My dearly beloved son, go up to the summit of the hill where you have seen me and talked with me, and cut the roses which you find there. Gather them into your cloak and bring them to me. I will tell you what you are to do and say.” Without another word Juan obeyed, although he knew that the rocky summit had never produced flowers, nor vegetation of any kind. But, arriving at the top, he found a beautiful garden of Castilian roses, fresh and fragrant and covered with dew. Laying out his tilma (mantle), he gathered into it as many roses as it would hold, and carried them to Mary. And Mary gathered up the roses and rearranged them in the mantle of Juan Diego, saying: “You see here the sign which you are to take to the Bishop. Tell him, by the sign of these roses, to do what I order him. And pay attention, my son, to what I am telling you, and know that I have confidence in you. Show no one on the way what you are carrying, nor open your cloak except in the presence of the Bishop, and tell him what I sent you for. This will convince him that he is to start work on my church.” And so saying, the Virgin sent him away. Third Time Lucky? At the Episcopal palace, Juan Diego asked to see Bishop Zumarraga; but as before, the retainers saw only a humble Indian, and paid him little attention. Finally someone became curious about what he was carrying so carefully in his tilma, but Juan refused to show them. With some force they pulled at the cloak, and obtained a glimpse of the roses. At this discovery the retainers informed the Bishop, and Juan was brought into his presence. The Indian gave him Our Lady’s message, and added that he had brought from her the sign which the Bishop had demanded. When he let fall the ends of his mantle, a shower of roses covered the floor, and upon his garment was seen the image of Our Lady, just as Juan had seen her on the hill of Tepeyacac. The astonished Bishop venerated the miraculous image before his entire household and then bore it reverently to his private chapel. Later, Juan was conducted, with signs of great respect, to the home of Juan Bernardino, by Spaniards who were commissioned to investigate the cure of the old man. Juan Bernardino related how the Most Holy Virgin had visited him at the very moment his nephew affirmed the cure had taken place, and had perfectly restored his health. The Virgin also told him “...that it was her pleasure for a church to be erected for him in the place where his nephew had seen her; and also that her sacred image was to be called Santa Maria de Guadalupe.” Such is the story as it happened, told without embellishment. Why Our Lady called her image Guadalupe―she did not say, nor shall we know, until she herself or God reveals it to us. Tradition holds that Juan Diego asked our Blessed Mother her name. She responded in his native language of Nahuatl: “Tlecuatlecupe,” which means “the one who crushes the head of the serpent” (a clear reference to Genesis 3:15 and perhaps to the prominent symbol of the Aztec religion). “Tlecuatlecupe” when correctly pronounced, sounds remarkably similar to “Guadalupe.” Juan Bernardino, speaking the Nahuatl language, most probably called the Virgin Xanta Malia Tecuauhtlanopeuh, which signifies, “Saint Mary, she who appeared on the rocky summit.” At any rate, the title is not to be confused with that of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Extremadura, Spain, said to have been sculptured by Saint Luke, and representing the Divine Maternity of the Blessed Virgin. What we do know is that the Virgin of Guadalupe united the tribes and races of Mexico into a nation, for all recognize her as their Mother. Of the million and a half Indians baptized by 1531, almost all had been among the poor and the children. The noble Aztec families, mindful of their former glory, had nourished resentment of the Spanish conquerors and their religion. But with the miracle of Guadalupe, class distinctions were put aside―noble and commoner, landholder and peasant, cacique and tribesman―as persons from all classes embraced the Faith. Six years after Tepeyacac there were nine million converts among the Indians, embracing the nucleus of all the nations among the tribes in the valley of Anahuac. Mexico thus became the first Christian nation of the American continent. The first little church was finished, and the miraculous image placed therein on the 26th of December, 1531. This temporary structure was replaced by one of adobe, built at the expense of Bishop Zumarraga, and finished in 1533. The sacred image remained there until November, 1622, when Archbishop Juan de la Serna solemnly blessed a new collegiate church on the site. In 1895 the reconstruction of that edifice was completed for the Pontifical Coronation of the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. In 1931 a further reconstruction was carried out, to commemorate the four-hundredth anniversary of the apparitions. Mass Conversions to the Faith Until 1531, the Sacrament of Baptism had been administered mainly to infants, because the overwhelming majority of Aztec adults had resisted the advances of the missionaries. However, as the message of Our Lady of Guadalupe began to spread throughout the country, great numbers of all ages and classes began to long for a new moral code, based on the example of the Mother of the “white man’s god”, who could now only be the Mother of the True God, their “clean Mother”, and who had captivated their minds and hearts with her radiant purity, virtue and love. As a result, the few missionaries in the country were soon increasingly engaged in preaching, instructing and baptizing. The trickle of conversions soon became a river, and that river a flood which is perhaps unprecedented in the history of Christianity. During the Protestant Revolt in Europe around this same time, the Catholic Church lost over 5,000,000 Catholics to Protestantism, but their numbers were more than replaced in a few years by over 9,000,000 Aztec converts (9 million out of 10 million). A famous Mexican preacher of the 19th century expressed this tidal wave of conversions as follows: “It is true that immediately after the conquest (of Cortes), some apostolic men, some zealous missionaries, mild, gentle conquerors who were disposed to shed no blood but their own, ardently devoted themselves to the conversion of the Indians. However, these valiant men, because of their fewness, because of the difficulty of learning various languages, and of the vast extent of our territory, obtained, in spite of their heroic efforts, but few and limited results. “But scarcely had the Most Holy Virgin of Guadalupe appeared and taken possession of this her inheritance, when the Catholic Faith spread with the rapidity of light from the rising sun, through the wide extent and beyond the bounds of the ancient empire of Mexico. Innumerable multitudes from every tribe, every district, every race, in this immense country . . . who were grossly superstitious, who were ruled by the instincts of cruelty, oppressed by every form of violence, and utterly degraded, returned upon themselves at the credible announcement of the admirably portentous apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe, recognized their natural dignity, forgot their misfortunes, put off their instinctive ferocity, and, unable to resist such sweet and tender invitations, came in crowds to cast their grateful hearts at the feet of so loving a Mother, and to mingle their tears of emotion with the regeneration of the waters of Baptism.” |
But some of the gems gave off no light at all. While Catherine was wondering why some jewels gave off no light, the Blessed Virgin turned her eyes on her and made her understand with what generosity and great joy she dispensed grace. But she indicated that there are graces for which she is not asked, and it is for this reason that some of the gemstones did not send forth rays of light: “These rays symbolize the graces I shed upon those who ask for them. The gems, from which rays do not fall, are the graces for which souls neglect to ask.”
At this moment, the golden ball vanished from Mary's hands; her arms swept wide in a gesture of motherly compassion, while from her jeweled fingers the rays of light streamed upon the white globe at her feet. Then a change took place in what Catherine was seeing. An oval frame formed around the Blessed Virgin, and written within it in letters of gold Catherine read the words: “O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.” The voice spoke again: “Have a Medal struck after this model. All who wear it will receive great graces; they should wear it around the neck. Graces will abound for persons who wear it with confidence.” The Medal revolved around, and Catherine saw the reverse side of the Medal that she was to have made. It contained a large “M” surmounted by a bar and a cross. Beneath the “M” were the Hearts of Jesus and Mary, the one crowned with thorns, the other pierced with a sword. Twelve stars encircled the whole. And then the vision was gone. Here are some extracts from the blessing and investiture with “The Sacred Medal Of Mary Immaculate”, or “The Sacred Medal of the Immaculate Conception”, commonly known as the “Miraculous Medal”: “Almighty and merciful God, who by the many appearances on earth of the Immaculate Virgin Mary were pleased to work miracles again and again for the salvation of souls; kindly pour out your blessing + on this medal, so that all who devoutly wear it and reverence it may experience the patronage of Mary Immaculate and obtain mercy from You; through Christ our Lord.” The priest sprinkles the medal with holy water, and presents it to the person, saying: “Take this holy Medal; wear it with Faith, and handle it with the devotion due to it, so that the holy and immaculate Queen of heaven may protect and defend you. And as she is ever ready to renew her wondrous acts of kindness, may she obtain for you in her mercy whatever you humbly ask of God, so that both in life and in death you may rest happily in her motherly embrace." The priest continues: “Lord Jesus Christ, who willed that your Mother, the blessed Virgin Mary conceived without sin, should become illustrious through countless miracles; grant that we who ever seek her patronage may finally possess everlasting joys.” The Blessing of the St. Benedict Medal
Who better, than a Benedictine monk, is there to give us an explanation of the Medal of St. Benedict? And among Benedictines, who better than the renowned abbot of Solesmes, Dom Guéranger? He has written a booklet that gives a very thorough and detailed account of the history and miracles of the Medal of St. Benedict, as well as an enlightening explanation of the all the letters and symbolism that can be seen on both sides of the Medal. The entire booklet runs to scores of pages, and we will share only the essentials here. God, in order to assist us in our necessities, in His wisdom and providence, sometimes makes use of extremely simple means, thus to keep us in humility and filial confidence. The Church, which is guided by His Spirit, delights in imitating this, and hence she communicates the divine power, which she possesses, to those objects which she sanctifies as helps and consolations for her children. Every Christian should look on the Medal of St. Benedict with respect, and, when he hears of any of those heavenly favors of which it has been the instrument, he should give thanks to God, Who authorizes us to make use of His Son’s Cross as a shield of protection, and to rely with confidence on the assistance of the Saints in Heaven. During life, they will be placed in circumstances when they will feel that they need a special help from Heaven—let them, at these times, have recourse to the Medal of St. Benedict, as so many Christians have the habit of doing; and if their Faith be strong and simple, they may depend on the promise of Our Lord—such faith shall not go unrewarded. There is a great wish on the part of many Catholics to have clear ideas regarding the St. Benedict Medal. We will begin with a description of the Medal. A Christian needs only to reflect for a moment on the power of the Cross of Jesus Christ, in order to understand how worthy of respect a Medal is, on which that Cross is represented. The Cross was the instrument of the world’s redemption. St. Paul tells us that the sentence of our condemnation was fastened to the Cross, and blotted out by the Blood of our Redeemer. In a word, the Cross, which the Church salutes as our only hope, “Spes Unica,” is to appear at the last day in the clouds of Heaven, as the trophy of tine victory of the Man-God. Animated by sentiments of the purest religion, the primitive Christians had, from the very beginning of the Church, the profoundest veneration for the image of the Cross. When, after three hundred years of persecution, God had decreed to give peace to His Church, there appeared, in the heavens, a Cross, on which were these words, “In this sign shalt thou conquer;” and the Emperor Constantine, to whom this vision was granted, had his army go to battle, under a standard bearing the image of the Cross, with the monogram of the word “Christ.” This standard was called the Labarum. The Cross is an object of terror to the wicked spirits; they cannot endure its presence; they no sooner see it, than the let go their prey and take to flight. The honor of appearing, on the same medal with the image of the Holy Cross, has been given to St. Benedict. St. Gregory the Great tells us how, by the Sign of the Cross, Benedict, overcame his temptations, and broke the cup of poisoned drink which was offered to him, thus unmasking the wicked design of those who had plotted to take away his life. When the Evil Spirit, in order to terrify his Religious, made the Monastery of Monte Cassino appear to be on fire, St. Benedict immediately dispels the artifice, by making over the fiery phantom this same Sign of our Redeemer’s Passion. The disciples of St. Benedict have had a like confidence in this sacred Sign, and have worked innumerable miracles by it. Let it here suffice to mention St. Maurus giving sight to a blind man, St. Placid curing many who were sick, St. Richmir liberating captives, St. Wulstan preserving a work man in the very act of falling from the top of the Church-tower, St. Odilo drawing out from a man’s eye a splinter of wood, which had run through it; St. Anselm of Canterbury driving away from an old man the horrid specters which were tormenting him in his dying moments; St. Hugh of Cluny quelling a storm; St. Gregory the Seventh arresting the conflagration at Rome, etc.—these, and a thousand other such miracles, which are related in the Acts of the Saints of the Order of St. Benedict, were all worked by the Sign of the Cross. The glory and efficacy, of the august instrument of our salvation, have been celebrated with enthusiasm by the children of the great Patriarch Benedict; they loved to extol it, for their hearts were full of gratitude towards it. Not to speak of the Little Office of the Holy Cross, which St. Udalric, Bishop of Augsburg, used to recite, and which was also said in choir in the abbeys of St. Gall, of Reichenau, of Bursfeld, etc.; the Blessed Rhabanus Maurus and St. Peter Damian consecrated their talent for Poetry in singing the praises of the Holy Cross; St. Anselm of Canterbury has written its praises in the form of most exquisite prayers; Venerable Bede, St. Odilo of Cluny, Rupert of Deutz, Ecbert of Schonaugen, and a long list of others of the Order, have left us Sermons on the Holy Cross; Eginhard wrote a Book in defence of the worship paid to it against the Iconoclasts, and Peter the Venerable defended, a set Treatise, the use of the Sign of the Cross which had been at tacked by the Petrobrusians. |
The Blessing of Holy Water
In the Liturgy, and especially in the Sacraments of the Church, outward signs are mainly symbolic of the effects which they produce in the soul. Thus the pouring and washing with water in Baptism is symbolic of cleansing the soul of Original Sin and pouring in of sanctifying grace. The bread under the form of which the Blessed Eucharist is received is a symbol of food for the soul, and so on. In the same way Holy Water is a beautiful, profound symbol of its significance and its effects on body and soul. Pure water is clear and transparent. In it the heavens are reflected, the light of the sun, and the light of the stars. Similarly our souls should radiate purity that in them may be clearly reflected the heavens of faith, the sun of divine charity, and the starlight of the Christian virtues. Water cleanses and purifies. Holy water reminds us that our souls have been washed and made pure by the water of holy Baptism, and thereby we have been received into the community of the children of God. Every time we sign our foreheads with Holy Water, we are reminded of our holy baptismal vows and of the obligation then undertaken, to keep our souls pure. So too Holy Water is a constant exhortation to purge our hearts from sin by penance and reparation. For this reason pious Christians when taking Holy Water, pray: “Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, O Lord, and I shall be cleansed; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow.” Water quenches our thirst and refreshes us, it irrigates and revives the earth, falling from the heavens as rain or dew, Holy water is a symbol of the dew of divine grace which refreshes our souls and fructifies our work, so that it becomes a service of God. Water cools the hot air and extinguishes fire. Holy water should remind us that we must cool the ardor of our passions and extinguish the fire of inordinate desires. The salt which is mixed with the water during the blessing bears a threefold symbolic meaning. In the first place, salt preserves from corruption. Our souls should be preserved from the corruption of sin, especially grievous sin and kept fresh and pure throughout our lives as children of God. Again, salt has always been regarded as a symbol of wisdom. But Christian wisdom leads to a wholesome fear of God and thence to a love of God. Finally, salt imparts an agreeable taste to food to which it is added; and so, too, virtue makes our souls pleasing to God. Finally, let us consider the many Signs of the Cross which the priest makes over the elements when blessing the Holy Water and mixing the salt with it; and how we ourselves make the sign of the cross when we take Holy Water. The meaning of this is that all the graces and helps which we receive from God have been merited for us by the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ on the Cross and flow to us from this source. Let us also draw some hope, comfort and strength from the words used in the blessing of Holy Water, which are also a lesson and instruction to us as regards the purpose and power of Holy Water. First of all the priest performs an exorcism over the salt, after which he blesses the salt. Then he exorcises water and blesses it. Finally, he mixes the blessed salt and blessed water with the blessed salt to finish the process of making Holy Water. Here are some key extracts from the rite of blessing. |
The Blessing of Candles There are various different rites of blessing for candles in the Roman Ritual. The commonly used blessing is as follows: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, bless + these candles at our lowly request. Endow them, Lord, by the power of the Holy + Cross, with a blessing from on high, you who gave them to mankind in order to dispel darkness. Let the blessing that they receive from the sign of the Holy + Cross be so effectual that, wherever they are lighted or placed, the princes of darkness may depart in trembling from all these places, and flee in fear, along with all their legions, and never more dare to disturb or molest those who serve you, the almighty God, who live and reign forever and ever." Another blessing is the one used for candles to be used by the Rosary Society, and this reads as follows: Lord Jesus Christ, the true light that enlightens every man who comes into the world, by the prayers of the blessed Virgin Mary, your Mother, and the fifteen mysteries of her Rosary, pour out your blessing + on these candles and tapers, and hallow + them by the light of your grace. Mercifully grant that as these lights with their visible fire dispel the darkness of the night, so may the Holy + Spirit with His invisible fire and splendor dispel the darkness of our transgressions. May He help us ever to discern with the pure eye of the spirit the things that are pleasing to you and beneficial to us, so that in spite of the darkness and pitfalls of this world we may come at last to the unending light. We ask this of you who live and reign forever and ever. Yet another blessing is that which is given to candles to be used for the blessing of throats on the Feast of St. Blaise (February 3rd). The relevant excerpts are as follows: “God, almighty … we implore Your majesty that, overlooking our guilt and considering only his merits and intercession, it may please You to bless + and sanctify + and impart your grace to these candles. Let all men of Faith, whose necks are touched with them, be healed of every malady of the throat, and being restored in health and good spirits let them return thanks to You in your holy Church, and praise Your glorious Name which is blessed forever … After blessing the candles on the feast of St. Blaise, the priest holds two candles fastened like a cross to the throat of the person kneeling before him, and says: “By the intercession of St. Blaise, bishop and martyr, may God deliver you from every malady of the throat and from every possible mishap; in the name of the Father, and of the Son, + and of the Holy Spirit.” |
This will read a little like the account of the Days of Creation in the Book of Genesis.
(1) First of all―surprise, surprise―Amazon is NOT a country, but a region that overlaps into several different countries. (2) Secondly, its location is in South America―in the northern part of the continent―covering a little over 2 million square miles and spanning nine countries, namely Brazil, Ecuador, Venezuela, Suriname, Peru, Colombia, Bolivia, Guyana, and French Guiana. (3) Thirdly, the majority of the forest is contained within Brazil, with 60% of the rainforest, followed by Peru with 13%, Colombia with 10%, and with minor amounts in Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana. (4) Fourthly, the Amazon represents over half of the planet’s remaining rainforests, and comprises the largest and most biodiverse tract of tropical rainforest in the world, with an estimated 390 billion individual trees divided into 16,000 species. (5) A remarkable example of the Providence of God is that more than 56% of the dust fertilizing the Amazon rainforest comes from the Bodélé depression in Northern Chad in the Sahara desert. The dust contains phosphorus, important for plant growth. The yearly Sahara dust replaces the equivalent amount of phosphorus washed away yearly in Amazon soil from rains and floods. (6) Recent anthropological findings have suggested that the Amazon region was densely populated. Some 5 million people may have lived in the Amazon region in AD 1500, divided between the more densely populated coastal settlements and more sparsely populated inland settlements. A complex civilization was flourishing along the Amazon in the 1540s. Many of these populations existed along whitewater rivers―where they had good means of transportation, excellent fishing, and fertile floodplain soils for agriculture. However, when Europeans arrived, these were the first settlements to be affected and infected, since Europeans used the major rivers as highways to the interior. In the first century of European presence, the Amerindian population was reduced by 90 percent. It is believed that civilization was later devastated by the spread of diseases from Europe, such as smallpox. Most of the remaining peoples lived in the interior of the forest: either pushed there by the Europeans or traditionally living there in smaller groups. By 1900, the population had fallen to 1 million and by the early 1980s it was less than 200,000. (7) Today, despite the population decimation, natives peoples still live in American rainforests, although virtually all have been affected by the outside world. Instead of wearing traditional garb of loin cloths, most Amerindians wear western clothes, and many use metal pots, pans, and utensils for everyday life. Some groups make handicrafts to sell to tourists, while others make routine trips to the city to bring foods and wares to market. Almost no native group obtains the majority of its food by traditional nomadic hunting and gathering. Nearly all cultivate crops, with hunting, gathering, and fishing serving as a secondary or supplementary food source. Usually a family has two gardens: a small house garden with a variety of plants, and a larger plantation which may be one hectare in area planted with bananas, manioc, or rice. These plantations are created through the traditional practice of slash and burn, a method of forest clearing that is not all that damaging to the forest if conducted in the traditional manner. Today virtually no forest Amerindians live in their fully traditional ways, although there are still several dozen groups living in voluntary isolation. The “uncontacted tribes”, as they are popularly known, mostly live in Brazil and Peru. The number of indigenous people living in the Amazon Basin is poorly quantified, but some 20 tmillion people in 8 Amazon countries and the Department of French Guiana are classified as “indigenous”. Two-thirds of this population lives in Peru, but most of this population dwells not in the Amazon, but in the highlands―so 20 million is really a false figure if you are talking about the actual Amazon Rainforest population and are excluding the populations of the cities. Amazonians of Today Reflect the Catholics of Today Strangely enough, if you research a little into the life of today’s Amazonians, you will find that they are victims of the same thing as Catholics―namely, worldliness. Most Amazonians have embraced worldliness and thus they have become “hybrid Amazonians”―some more, some less―blending worldliness with their ancients traditions, while only a minority of Amazonians are trying to still live exclusively according to their ancient traditions (let us add the word “pagan” here, for that is what most of their traditions are: “pagan traditions”). The same is true for Catholics―most Catholics have embraced worldliness and only a minority are still trying to live by the Catholic traditions of old, preferring instead to live in a hybrid Faith―partially traditional, largely worldly. Thus, some Amazonians still live much as did their ancestors thousands of years before them. Some tribes, deep in the rainforest, remain out of contact with the modern world. In early 2011, Survival International released footage of a tribe living on the border between Brazil and Peru. Their food, medicines and clothing come primarily from the forest. Aerial monitoring of the tribe over 20 years suggests that they grow their own vegetables, including pumpkin, bananas, manioc and maize, although this is probably supplemented with meat from animals hunted in the forest. These communities organize their daily lives differently than our culture. Most tribal children don't go to schools like ours. Instead, they learn about the forest from their parents and other people in their community. They are taught how to survive in the forest. They learn how to hunt and fish, and which plants are useful as medicines or food. Some of these children know more about rainforests than scientists who have studied rainforests for many years! Besides hunting, gathering wild fruits and nuts and fishing, Indigenous people also plant small gardens for other sources of food, using a sustainable farming method called shifting cultivation. First they first clear a small area of land and burn it. Then they plant many types of plants, to be used for food and medicines. After a few years, the soil has become too poor to allow for more crops to grow and weeds start to take over. They then move to a nearby uncleared area. This land is traditionally allowed to re-grow for 10-50 years before it is farmed again. Indigenous people revere the forest that, until the present, has protected them from outsiders and given them everything they need. They live what is called a sustainable existence, meaning they use the land without doing harm to the plants and animals that also call the rainforest their home. Indigenous peoples have been losing their lives and the land they live on ever since Europeans began colonizing their territories 500 years ago. Unknowingly, the first European explorers to what is now called Latin America brought diseases such as small-pox, measles and even the common cold to which Europeans had developed varying degrees of immunity but to which indigenous peoples had no immunity at all since none of them had never been exposed to these diseases before. As a result of those encounters, over ninety percent of the native peoples died from diseases that today we regard as minor and even then were fatal to only a small fraction of Europeans. Time and time again, contact has resulted in disaster for Brazil’s uncontacted tribes. These very isolated peoples have not built up immunity to diseases common elsewhere, which is why they are so vulnerable. It is not unusual for 50% of a tribe to be wiped out within a year of first contact, by diseases such as measles and influenza. However, until about forty years ago, the lack of roads prevented most outsiders from exploiting the rainforest and entering indigenous territories. These roads, constructed for timber and oil companies, cattle ranchers and miners, have opened up vast areas for outsiders to grab and exploit and have made possible the destruction of millions of acres of rainforest each year. Although indigenous people have lived on their lands for thousands of years, they do not own it, because they have not filed “deeds” of land and do not possess “title.” Therefore governments and other outsiders do not recognize their rights to the land. Because of land colonization by non-indigenous people, many local groups were forced into sedentary lifestyles and became peasants. They have no other choice but to move to different areas, sometimes even to the crowded cities. They often live in poverty because they have no skills useful for a city lifestyle and little knowledge about the urban culture. Today, most Amerindian tribes live in indigenous reserves called resguardos, where they practice a lifestyle that integrates both traditional and modern elements. Inhabited centers and cities in Amazonia have rapidly increased in number due to migration to the suburbs, so that today between 70% and 80% of the population resides in these centers and cities. Few live in complete seclusion from the modern world. For example, some make a living from tourism, and/or need to visit the local markets to supplement what they grow in their plant gardens. |