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Mother of the Americas
by Robert Feeney Aquinas Press - 99 pp.
With all the accounts of Marian apparitions making the rounds these days it behooves one to first judge a book on this subject by its cover, or at least by its inside cover where the all important approval of the Church should be found. In this case Robert Feeney's Mother of the Americas features a cover with Pope John Paul II on the front, and a galaxy of episcopal endorsers on the back; not to mention Bishop Welsh of Allentown's imprimatur on the copyright page.
There are other books that go into greater detail of both the story of Guadalupe and the scientific analysis of the Image of Our Lady, but if one wants a book that is elementary, pious, and grounded in the teaching of the magisterium, this it is. Indeed, Mother of the Americas not only relates the facts of a private revelation, it also gives a simple and clear catechesis of the role of Mary in the life of the faithful. In the process of this catechesis, the author promotes the Rosary and the new Catechism of the Catholic Church, and regularly quotes the Holy Father as his primary authority.
Strewn throughout this book are little gems of piety, doctrine, and history, including a brief outline of Christopher Columbus' discovery of the Americas under the patronage of Santa Maria. The simplicity of the book's presentation reflects the simplicity of the Guadalupian message itself, rendering this a book that could be read even by grammar school children.
Regarding the material phenomenon of the Image (though the book does not dwell on this subject), there is something incredibly mysterious - indeed reason points only to the miraculous - about the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Mr. Feeney mentions infra-red tests done by Dr. Philip C. Callahan, a research biophysicist, in 1979, that confirm the unique artistry of the image. Dr. Callahan concluded:
In terms of this infra-red study there is no way to explain either the kind of color pigments utilized, nor the maintenance of color luminosity and brightness over the centuries... it is remarkable that in over four centuries there is no fading or cracking of the original figure on any portion of the tilma, which being unsized should have deteriorated centuries ago.
The infra-red studies did also affirm that the Image was embellished over the years, even at one time being topped with a crown of gold by overly zealous artist-devotees. A casual observer can easily discern the original figure from the embellishments by a perusal of any reproduction. The gold stars, embroidery and fringe, the angel, the sun rays, and the moon are of obvious different quality and artistic dimensionality than that of the original Image.
Many of the unique traits attributed to the Image were not mentioned in the book, such as the purported optically correct reverse reflection of Juan Diego discernable under magnification in the pupil of the Image's eye. (Only in this century did Kodak discover this optical trait.) But even in downplaying of the Image's miraculous aspects the author conveys solid Catholic sensibilities, implying that it isn't profittable to attach too much importance to such miracles, or at least that they should be seen as secondary to the great sacramental miracles of the Faith, especially that of the Most Blessed Sacrament, which the faithful witness and partake in regularly.
As wonderful as the miraculous Image is, more wonderful still is the message it brings. "Do not worry about anything. Am I not here, I who am your Mother? Are you not under my protection?" Such is the heart and essence of Marian devotion, purely maternal. And it is fitting to have Pope John Paul II on the cover of a book about Our Lady of Guadalupe when he so often encourages us to be not afraid. He himself has taken "Totus Tuus" (totally yours) as his Episcopal and Papal motto, thus giving himself over in total confidence to his and our Mother, the Mother of God.