Learn about the devotion for the Blind Child in Puebla, Mexico

Every year, on August 10, the church of San Joaquín and Santa Ana, located in the center of the state of Puebla, is filled with devotees who pay tribute to the image of the “Niño Cieguito”, a figure of the Child Jesus known for its eyes with “tears of blood” and the numerous miracles attributed to him.

Father Ernesto Martínez Avelina, parish priest of the temple, shared with ACI Prensa the history of this image, whose origins date back to 1744. According to the priest’s story, the figure was originally part of the temple of the Virgin of Mercy in the city ​​of Morelia, in the Mexican state of Michoacán, which was served by Mercedarian priests.

Tradition relates that on August 10, 1744, the church was full of faithful who attended Mass. However, as night fell and the doors of the temple closed, a man remained hidden inside.

This individual, according to the priest, harbored “an anti-Christian, anti-religious sentiment” and his intention “was to desecrate the place.” A friar, upon hearing the commotion, confronted him and managed to chase him away. However, before fleeing, the man went to the main altar and snatched the Child Jesus that the Virgin of Mercy was holding in his arms.

The story goes that the man began to mutilate the small plaster figure. At that moment, the image emitted a cry that “resonated like that of a real child.”

“Far from being scared, what he does is that his hatred increases and with a punch he takes out his eyes,” said the priest, which caused the image to “begin to cry tears of blood.”

Father Martínez Avelina also narrated another version of the tradition, according to which the image of the Child Jesus had emeralds in its eyes, which the thief tried to steal. “When he takes away the emerald eyes, the Child begins to cry like a baby. This man was scared and, frightened, he threw the figure and fled with the emeralds,” the priest explained.

Finally, the destroyed figure was recovered and taken back to the Temple of Mercy. Some time later, the image was restored and guarded by the nuns of the Capuchinas Convent.

Later, it was transferred to the state of Puebla and, due to its fame for miracles, attracted many devotees to the Conventual Temple of San Joaquín and Santa Ana, where it has remained since then.

“Miracles” attributed to the Blind Child

Father Martínez Avelina commented that the people who commonly seek help from the “Blind Child” are those who have health problems, since especially his “miracles have to do with visual health.”

One of the most shocking cases he recalled was that of a 13-year-old girl who, “from one moment to the next, couldn’t walk, couldn’t get out of bed; Well, she had a rare disease.”

“The doctors had told him to settle for that lifestyle because there was no cure,” said the priest. However, the family decided to go to the “Blind Child” and over time the girl received the “miracle of healing,” the priest added.

Another testimony highlighted by Father Martínez Avelina is that of a young man whose “bacteria affected his eyes and he was already losing his sight.” The doctors had already warned him that he would be completely blind, but his mother, upon learning of the devotion to the “Little Blind Boy”, took him to the temple and they began to pray for his healing.

Now healthy, the 24-year-old returned: “the same boy, the one who received the miracle, told me about his experience,” said the priest.

In addition to health cases, the parish priest mentioned that relatives of people unjustly imprisoned also go to “Niño Cieguito” in search of justice.

It is God who cries for the sins of men

Father Martínez Avelina reminded the faithful that this image is a representation of “Jesus of the Gospel, the one who commands us to love our neighbor, forgive seven times, and eat the bread of life.”

The priest warned that it is not the image itself that performs miracles: “it is an image, it is still an image, but the image helps us get closer to God.”

“This image contains a pedagogy of faith,” explained the priest. “As he is a child and children are simple, and this devotion is for simple people, because this simple devotion teaches us that God cries tears of blood for the sins of men,” he said.