Why did Our Lady of Guadalupe Choose Juan Diego?

By Taylor Marshall


Saint Alphonsus Liguori states that Mary is the greatest of God's creatures, because she is the most humble of God's creatures. Consider this. The greatest is the most humble. Is this not the message of the Gospel? It reveals what Our Lord meant when he said, "The last shall be first."

This also reveals why the Blessed Virgin Mary chose little Juan Diego to be her Apostle and Ambassador to the New World.

Saint Juan Diego, that humble servant of Christ and Mary, responded to the Blessed Virgin with this humble words:

"I am a nobody, I am a small rope, a tiny ladder, the tail end, a leaf."


Saint Juan Diego also thought of himself as last, or as he says, "the tail end." And so he found favor with Mary. His humility qualified him for this miraculous mission.

Here we see why God chose Juan Diego to receive the vision and message of Guadalupe, as the Holy Spirit spoke through Saint Paul:

[27] But the foolish things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the wise; and the weak things of the world hath God chosen, that he may confound the strong. [28] And the base things of the world, and the things that are contemptible, hath God chosen, and things that are not, that he might bring to nought things that are: [29] That no flesh should glory in his sight. [30] But of him are you in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and justice, and sanctification, and redemption:

[31] That, as it is written: He that glorieth, may glory in the Lord (1 Cor 1:27-31).

What do we learn from Mary, Paul, and Juan Diego? We learn that reaching people for Christ is not essentially about cultivating the best blogs, podcasts, speaking circuits, books, or radio programs. Today's feast reminds us that God desires humility...not necessarily products. God chooses the humble. Mary similarly chooses the humble.

"Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." (Mt 18:3)

Happy Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe!

PS: Juan Diego, a layman baptized and catechized by Franciscans, who became celibate living in a hermitage and received the Holy Eucharist thrice a week, was very likely a Third Order Franciscan.