[Editor's note: Catholic Exchange does not encourage the veneration of the underpass image, but presents this article as a means of reflection on the sanctity of Our Lady.]
Mothers feel good when their children are home. Ask any mother. When my children were small, it was a good feeling to tuck them safely in bed. When they reached their teens, I barely slept until I knew they were safely home. It's just part of our nurturing nature. We want to know our children are secure — not in any danger. As mothers, when we believe our children might be in harm's way — actions that might not be good for their well-being — we worry. Mothers fret, pray, and try with all their might to guide their children in the right direction.
Therefore, it should not seem “odd” that our Heavenly Mother is trying to do the same thing. April 10, a woman discovered an image of the Virgin Mary coming through salt stains in a freeway underpass in Chicago. Within days, word of this image spread, and believers and non-believers flocked to see the image. Many left behind flowers, candles, and other devotions to honor our Heavenly Mother.
The Catholic Church has not authenticated this image. An investigation of this type can take years. However, anytime an apparition brings people to renew their faith, it can only be good. There are a couple of things I found interesting about the image. First, the image appears to be Mary in the form of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Our Lady of Guadalupe is an authenticated apparition to Juan Diego that took place in 1531, in Mexico. At the time, there was great upheaval in Mexico, as the Spaniards were bringing Christianity into Indian Territory. Also, there was disrespect for life with thousands of babies being sacrificed to false gods. The Spaniards and Indians already fought one war, and it appeared as if another was on the way. Thus enters Our Lady of Guadalupe. She came to a poor Indian man to have him bring her message to the bishop and the whole world, by imprinting her image on his cactus cloak. She requested a church be built, and she promised to hear the prayers of all who came to her. In one report, I read that 8,000 were converted, and in another I read it was 10,000. Regardless of the number, it was the largest conversion in history to the Catholic Church. Interestingly, at the time of this large conversion, Europe was experiencing a split in the Church through the Reformation.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is the only image we have that Mary has given us. All the other images we have of the Virgin Mary are artist's renditions, or the seer's idea of what she looks like. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has been known to change hearts and minds, and to deepen those who already believe. Our former pontiff, John Paul II, declared Our Lady of Guadalupe the patroness of the Americas. Look around us. What is happening in our country? Do we have disrespect for life? Are we not at war? Haven't we taken the name of God out of everything we do? Do we not worship false gods such as money, power, prestige, pride, and the great sin of individualism? Another interesting fact is that, close to where the image appeared in the underpass was graffiti with a message that states, “Satan loves u.” Skeptics who have viewed the image say those believing they are seeing the Virgin Mary are simply hallucinating. Personally, I haven't seen the image except in newspapers and wire stories over the Internet. All I know is that we are in troubled times, and it seems reasonable to me that Mary, our Heavenly Mama, would want to awaken her children, so that they come safely home to her beloved son, Jesus. That's simply what a mother would do.
Donetta Robben is a freelance columnist from Hays. Write to her at P.O. Box 614, Hays, KS 67601, or e-mail her at donetta@soulcommunications.net
