Here’s some background:
On May 7, 1979, Philip Serna Callahan, an accomplished biologist who has written fourteen books and two hundred scientific papers, was invited by the rector of the shrine, Msgr. Enrique Salazar, to conduct infrared photographic tests on the tilma. Infrared photography allows the scientist to obtain “historical data of the historical derivation, the method of rendition and the validity of documents and paintings.” Between 9 p.m. and midnight, he took forty exposures, from a distance and close up, and concluded that the original image had been substantially embellished over the years.The first additions were the moon and the tassel, followed by the gold and black decorations, the angel, and the fold in robe, the sunburst, and the background.The elements that were found to be original are the red robe, the blue mantle, the face, and the hands. Callahan noted:
In terms of this infrared study, there is no way to explain either the kind of color pigments, or the maintenance of color luminosity and brightness over the centuries. When consideration is given to the fact that there is no under drawing, sizing or over varnish, and the weave of the fabric itself is utilized to give the portrait depth, no explanation of the portrait is possible by infrared tech- niques. It is remarkable that after more than four centuries there is no fading or cracking of the original figure on any portion of the agave tilma, which should have deteriorated centuries ago. (Philip Serna Callahan, The Tilma under Infra-Red Radiation, CARA Studies on Popular Devotion, vol. 2, Guadalupan Studies, no. 3 (Washington, DC: Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, 1981).
Interesting. I’ve never really looked into the analyses of this image in depth.
One of the reasons I love the Faith is its comfortableness with the Weird and Inexplicable and its sensible willingness to subject same to scientific analysis. Many people assume that the stance of the Church is to simply latch on to any claim of the miraculous and brandish it aloft to rope in the suckers. But, in fact, claims of the miraculous are assumed by those tasked with evaluating them to be either fraudulent (deliberate deceptions) or false (sincerely believed by those reporting them, but naturally explicable). And even those judged to be worthy of belief after the facts are examined are a) entirely optional for Catholics and b) never ever claimed to be “proven miraculous by Science”.
A) is because the public revelation of the gospel closed with the death of the apostles and cannot be added to. So authentic private revelation is understood to exist only to point us back to the Public Revelation which the common life, worship, and teaching of the Church. God, under carefully controlled laboratory conditions, can do whatever weird thing he pleases. But since he is God, he will never contradict himself.
B) is because Science, by its very nature, can only measure time, space, matter, and energy and is powerless to say boo about anything transcendent to those things. A scientist can say, “We simply have no clue about how Marie Bailly was suddenly healed of extremely advanced tuberculosis in a matter of minutes at Lourdes in front of a hardened atheist. We can only say that it happened and measure the physical effects of her healing.” It is beyond the power of Science to say that a God transcendent to Nature did or did not do it, because Nature is all Science can see.
So here. Science can tell us certain things about the image. It cannot say yea or nay about whether the source of the image is ultimately supernatural. Other faculties must be engaged to make that judgment.
Me: Judging from the fruits, it seems obvious to me that the image and the apparition both occurred and were divine gifts that brought, not only millions of people in the Americas to Christ, but offered a sharp rebuke to their conquerors.
As to the additions to the image by later hands, I think they are simply acts of pious devotion, like illuminating a biblical manuscript. They neither surprise nor offend me.
Advertisement
One Response
Honestly, the additions kind of offend me. You have people who seem to sincerely believe that this image was created by the power of God in honor of His Blessed Mother, and looked at it and went, “You know what this needs? For Me to add a giant golden sunburst!” Like, what’s the thought process here?
I mean, I’m not losing sleep over it or anything, but it’s kinda gauche.