Introduction
Great are the difficulties we are called to face in the Church and in the world. When such difficulties seem overwhelming, prayer might appear to be one more difficulty, but that is a snare of Satan. The truth is that prayer, which is a union of our hearts with the glorious pierced Heart of Jesus, is the balm of all our burdens. The great test of our total dedication to the mission that we have taken up is to persevere for six more months as we pray for the conversion of the world.
The great test of Saint Juan Diego’s total dedication to Our Lady came with the grave illness of his uncle, Juan Bernardino. It was after the second apparition on December 10th, during which Our Lady requested that he return the next day, December 11th, to receive from her the proof of the truth of the apparitions which Bishop Juan de Zumárraga was requesting. He found his uncle mortally ill. He, therefore, remained at home with him for the entire day on December 11th. Early in the morning of December 12th, he was going to ask the priest to come to prepare his uncle for death. In order to prevent any delay in obtaining critical spiritual help for his dying uncle, he attempted to avoid an encounter with Our Lady. She, however, saw him and approached him, inquiring of his plans.
Saint Juan Diego explained the grave situation of his uncle to which he was attending, but, at the same time, he assured Our Lady that, as soon as the spiritual needs of his uncle had been met, he would return to complete the mission which she had entrusted to him.
In response, Our Lady reassured him that his uncle was already well. In fact, at the exact moment, just as she appeared to Saint Juan Diego, she also appeared to Juan Bernardino and she healed him of his illness. Our Lady’s words of comfort to Juan Diego are words that should comfort us as well whenever we experience the temptation to doubt the importance and immediacy of carrying out all that Our Lady desires and has asked of us.
“Listen, put it into your heart, my youngest son, that what frightened you, what afflicted you is nothing; do not let it disturb your face, your heart; do not fear this sickness or any other sickness, nor any sharp or hurtful thing. Am I not here, I who have the honor to be your mother? Are you not in my shadow and under my protection? Am I not the source of your joy? Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Do you need anything more?” (Nican Mopohua, no. 118-119)
Having received Our Lady’s assurance, Saint Juan Diego expressed his desire to carry out his mission immediately by returning once more to the Bishop and explaining to him the desire of the ever Virgin Mary for the building of a sacred little house.
We, too, receive Our Lady’s assurance in those same encouraging words: What afflicted you is nothing; do not let it disturb you; do not fear; she is here; she is your mother; she protects you; she is the source of your joy; she is holding you.
