Bishops are good men, not saints; holy men but not perfect. 

St. Juan Diego presents the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe to his bishop. 

The roses in winter are a sign of new life and hope. December 12, 1531.

I discovered this painting several years ago at the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico. I have always been fascinated by the figure of the bishop who initially dismissed the peasant Juan Diego and was understandably skeptical of his story about the beautiful lady who appeared to him at Tepayac on the outskirts of Mexico City. The lady asked that a shrine be built on that site so that she could comfort her suffering children. The bishop doubted the peasant’s story and he quickly rejected the idea of building a shrine!

But the beautiful lady wouldn’t take no for answer. After first curing Juan Diego’s sick uncle, the lady gave the peasant her tilma (cloak) and asked him to go back to the bishop and give it to him. When Juan Diego opened the tilma in the presence of the bishop, fresh roses fell out. What’s more, the astonished bishop saw the image we now know as Our Lady of Guadalupe miraculously embedded in the cloth.

I have worked with and for dozens of bishops during the past 38 years. They each had/have different personalities and pastoral styles, but all were/are men of the Church with a strong desire to be faithful disciples of Jesus and devoted sons of his mother. I can say of all these bishops that they were/are good men, not saints; holy men but not perfect.

I ask myself: What would Archbishop Tom Kelly do if confronted by someone like Juan Diego? How about Cardinal Francis George? Or any of the other bishops I know?

More than likely, each would have treated the poor, uneducated man with respect. But they would have required more evidence before accepting his story as true and, certainly, before building a shrine. In fact, the Church now has processes that must be followed, and requirements that must be met, before a Marian apparition can be authenticated.

But what if these good bishops had been presented with the awe-inspiring tilma and the roses in winter? Would they have immediately embraced the miracle and praised God for Mary’s presence and her care for the “suffering children” of the local community?

I think the answer is yes. In their hearts of hearts, they would have believed gratefully that the mother of our Lord has come once again as at Tepeyac nearly 500 years ago (and as at Fatima in Portugal 100 years ago). They would still have initiated the proper investigative processes and sought authentication by the Holy See, but they would have done so with confidence and hope—not with skepticism or scorn.

The image I discovered at a gift shop at the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe now hangs proudly in my office above my desk. It reminds me daily, but especially on December 12, that I work for this lady (and her divine son) in collaboration with bishops (and priests) who are good men, not saints, and holy men but not perfect.