From the Hill of Calvary to the Hill of Tepeyac
“Woman, behold your Son... Behold your Mother.”
Through Baptism we receive the grace of divine adoption. God makes us his children and heirs—not by nature, as Jesus is the Son, but through a supernatural share in God’s life. In Baptism we are united to Christ the son of Mary. It follows then as members of Christ, Mary becomes our spiritual mother.
We are Mary’s adopted children. The central biblical basis for this understanding is John 19:26–27. On Calvary Mary was given to us by Jesus.
Mary has exercised her motherly role even before Calvary. We have seen this at her visitation to her cousin Elizabeth, at the nativity of our Lord and the wedding at Canaa. We also see her accompanying the apostles on the day of Pentecost at the birth of the Church. Beyond Holy Scripture we can learn much about her role through the various apparitions in different parts of the world. They are living testimonies of her maternal role.
One powerful expression of her love can be found on the Hill of Tepeyac where she appeared as of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
The story is narrated in a manuscript called Nican Mopohua, the original XVI century Guadalupe’s apparition story. Accordingly, on December 1531 the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego on Tepeyac Hill, calling him tenderly and asking him to tell the bishop to build a church there. Juan Diego carried her request to Bishop Zumárraga, but the bishop did not believe him and asked for a sign. Mary appeared again and encouraged Juan Diego to persevere. When Juan Diego later hurried to find a priest for his sick uncle, Mary met him and reassured him, saying, “Am I not here, I who am your mother?” She told him his uncle was well and sent him to gather flowers on the barren hillside. Though it was winter, Juan Diego found roses and carried them in his tilma. Before the bishop, he opened his cloak; the flowers fell, revealing Mary’s image on the fabric. The bishop then agreed to build a church at Tepeyac.
Let us examine some of the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary that reveal her maternal Love.
“Am I not here, I who am your mother?”
A son receives comfort and encouragement from his mother. Mary’s words reassure Juan Diego that he was not alone or abandoned. He was discouraged and afraid after the bishop had not believed him, and he asked Mary to choose someone more respected or capable in his place. She comforted him and urged him to persevere in carrying her message.
Mary is near to console those who suffer, steady their hearts, and help them continue their mission. Pope Francis explains that Mary’s assurance means that people’s suffering is not ignored and that, through her, God accompanies them rather than leaving them overwhelmed. Mary tells him “You are under my care; do not be afraid—continue what I have asked of you.”
“Am I not the source of your joy?”
In the midst of his struggles, Mary reminds Juan Diego of the joy brought about by his encounter with Her. The joy-filled heavenly scene is described at the time of the apparition. Juan Diego rejoices as a little baby rejoices at the sight of his mother.
“And then when the singing (of the birds) suddenly stopped, when it could no longer be heard, he heard someone calling him, from the top of the hill, someone was saying to him: "Juan, Dearest Juan Diego." Then he dared to go to where the voice was coming from, his heart was not disturbed and he felt extremely happy and contented, he started to climb to the top of the little hill to go see where they were calling him from. And when he reached the top of the hill, a Lady was standing there, who spoke to him, who called to him to come close to her. And when he reached where she was, he was filled with admiration for the way her perfect grandeur exceeded all imagination.”
Mary invites Juan Diego to recall the joy of experiencing a taste of heaven. This strengthens him in the midst of tribulations and struggles.
“Are you not under my shadow and protection?”
In the Nican Mopohua, these words come as Mary comforts Juan Diego after he is distressed because his uncle, Juan Bernardino, has fallen gravely ill. Juan Diego is hurrying to find a priest for his uncle and has tried to avoid meeting Mary, thinking he must first attend to the emergency. Mary reassures him that his uncle has recovered, tells him not to be troubled or afraid, and asks whether he is not under her “shadow and protection” and in her maternal care. The passage is meant to calm Juan Diego and strengthen his trust as he carries out the mission she gave him.
The phrase is part of Mary’s maternal reassurance, not a promise that Juan Diego—or Christians generally—will never suffer.
“Are you not in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms?”
Mary’s words “in the hollow of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms” is an intimate image of being gathered close and protected by a mother.
The image also conveys more than shelter from immediate danger: it expresses Mary’s maternal closeness and the comfort she offers those who suffer. Pope Francis reflects that Mary’s mantle is a place where the tears of the suffering are received, and that God accompanies people in their trials through her maternal care.
“What, my most precious little one, saddens your heart?”
The question is tender and personal: she notices his sorrow and invites him to tell her what is troubling him. She then reassures him not to be afraid.
“My most precious little one” also reflects the affectionate way Mary addresses Juan Diego. Pope Francis notes that she calls him “my most beloved little child Juanito,” and presents her as a mother who comforts him while encouraging him to continue the mission entrusted to him.
At Calvary, Mary remained with Jesus in his suffering. Fast forward fifteen hundred years, on the hill of Tepeyac, she, in her motherly love, drew near to Juan Diego and accompanied him in his mission. Mary's message is not merely a historical memory from Tepeyac. It is a living invitation to trust in God's providence. When we are discouraged, she reminds us that we are not alone. When we are burdened by suffering, she assures us that we remain under her loving protection. When fear threatens to overwhelm us, she gathers us beneath her mantle and points us toward her son. And when the trials of life diminish our hope, she helps us rediscover the joy that comes from God's presence.