Because of this apparition, the Aztecs converted to Christianity. Whether or not you believe it, Mary's sole purpose is to lead people to Jesus. That's exactly what happened in this case.
I lifted the following from The Word Among Us. Please read it ...
What were the Nina, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria? If you answered that they were the three ships on which Christopher Columbus and his crew sailed to the Americas in 1492, you win ten celestial points! Now, the bonus question: What do the names of the ships mean? The answer is "the girl" (Nina), "paints" (Pinta), "Holy Mary" (Santa Maria). And this is the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
In 1519, Hernando Cortes conquered Mexico, ending the Aztecs' empire. A proud and cultured people, the Aztecs resented their Spanish conquerors and were resistant to the Christianity they brought with them. On December 12, 1531, an Indian named Juan Diego told the archbishop of Mexico City that he had seen the Virgin Mary on a hill outside of town. The archbishop asked for a sign, and Juan Diego returned with a cloak full of beautiful roses given him by the mysterious lady--an impossibility in December! On the inside of his cloak was a beautiful image of the lady. The "girl" who appeared to Juan Diego had "painted" herself, and she was "Holy Mary." To this day, the physical properties of this image remain scientifically inexplicable.
As news of this event spread, thousands of Indians came to believe in Jesus and accepted baptism. Likewise, there was a renewal of faith among thousands of the already baptized Spaniards.
The message of the miraculous image in Juan Diego's cloak is that God is alive and cares about each and every one of his people. Just as God used this extraordinary means to reach the people of the Amer-icas, he is equally eager to deliver all of us from sin, to heal our broken hearts, to reconcile the estranged. He is so eager that he is even willing to bend the rules of nature at times to get our attention!
God doesn't just want unbelievers to believe in him; he wants those who do believe to know him more deeply. That's why he keeps sending us his word to remind us that he is with us. Every day he encourages us to keep fighting the fight of faith. He assures us that he loves us with an unchangeable love.
Thanks.
Info about the images in the eyes would be neat :0)
This is the sort of statement that exacerbates my confusion about religion. The implication seems to be that because science can offer no explanation it is evidence of some miracle beyond the ken of scientists and understandable only through religion. In other words, it is an appeal to my logic.
In the body of the original post, however, there is a description of events wherein Juan has several meetings with Mary. The description recounts how, on the one hand, Mary was unaware of whether Juan had met with the Bishop or not. Then, on the other hand, when the Bishop doesn't reveal to Juan what "sign" he expects, Mary somehow knows this. This strikes me as rather illogical.
I want to make it clear I am not attempting to bash Catholics or Christians and that I appreciate the "heavy lifting" done by these and other religions in the formation of Western values of life and liberty. I post to inform that some, me anyway, don't understand, and an occasional appeal to logic concerns me. It suggests deception.
I also believe that, as some have said, Mary will play a role in converting Islamists - Fatima seems to play a major part in this.