As I’m writing this, today’s the day Catholics celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Catholics have a bunch of feasts, but this one commemorates the anniversary of Mary’s appearance to Juan Diego in Mexico. She asked him to go to the bishop and request that a chapel be built on Tepeyac Hill, where she appeared. Juan Diego went to the bishop, but the bishop wasn’t convinced and dismissed him. On his way back, Juan told Mary what happened, and she told him to try again. The bishop then asked for a sign to prove it was really her.

The next day, Juan’s uncle got super sick, so Juan rushed to find a priest to give him the last rites. He tried to avoid passing by Mary, but, of course, she appeared to him anyway. (Did he really think she wouldn’t find him?) She told him to go to the top of the hill and gather some flowers. Even though it was winter, roses were blooming there. Juan collected them, put them in his coat, and brought them to the bishop. When he opened his coat, the flowers spilled out, and an image of Mary was imprinted on the fabric. That convinced the bishop, and they built the chapel, which has been there since 1531. December 9th was the first day Juan saw Mary, and December 12th was the day the chapel was built.

This isn’t the only time Mary has performed miracles. Just a few days ago, Catholics celebrated the Feast of Our Lady of Loreto. That’s tied to the story of Mary’s childhood home, which angels supposedly moved three times—from Nazareth to Croatia and then to Italy. There’s no evidence that the house was dismantled or transported by people, so it’s considered a miracle. Another famous one is Our Lady of Lourdes, and probably the most well-known is when Mary appeared to three kids in Fatima. Thousands of people witnessed the miracle there, where the sun supposedly moved in circles and did all kinds of wild stuff. Some people even saw it from far away, not just at the site.

So, what’s the point of all this? Well, these miracles have been tested and studied, even by skeptics, and there’s proof they happened. Take Juan Diego’s tilma, the coat with Mary’s image on it. It’s made of cactus fiber, which usually deteriorates after about 15 years, but this one has lasted over 500 years and still looks brand new. Scientists have studied the image and found no brush marks or signs that it was painted by human hands. It’s incredible, and I’d love to see it someday.

There are other miracles as well, like Juan Diego’s uncle being healed after seeing Mary. And the Fatima miracle happened in the early 1900s, so it’s not ancient history. There were witnesses, and I think there might even be photos of the sun doing strange things. These things are real, and they’re reasons to believe in God. I’m not saying you have to become Catholic, but it’s hard to deny these events.

Miracles happen, and they’re not just over-the-top things like Mary appearing. Even everyday nature is a miracle when you think about how everything works together so perfectly. It’s all designed, and it all started with God. So, yeah, prayers get answered, miracles happen, and God exists. It’s worth taking a moment to appreciate the wonders around us and be thankful for them.