Thanks for posting this, I was wondering about the image itself, after reading the thread about the scientific work done on it. I wasn't clear if the image with all the artwork is what miraculously appeared.
It seems it was, which is just amazing! Much more than a blurry image on a piece of toast or something.
**It seems it was, which is just amazing!**
Our priest related several miracles connected with the tilma.
First, the material will disintegrate in a period of years -- don't know the exact reason, but it might be connected with some kind of plant fiber -- I really don't know. It's still there today!
They had lots of candles burning under it for a long time -- Our santuary light is below cloth that covers our speakers and the cloth has to be replaced every so often because of the soot stain. The tilma has not been damaged by soot.
The Communists, in an effort to wipe out the last bastion of Catholicity in Mexico, set off a bomb below the case that holds the tilma. A metal cross was bent backwards over 30 degrees and all the windows on the church were blown out, but the glass protecting the tilma image was not broken.
The building has a huge fire, and everything inside was damaged, but the case with the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe survived the fire. Whether that fire is connected with the bombing, I don't know. This last one was one that I had heard about. Our priest mentioned the others today.