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The
Story
a painting
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In
1531 a "Lady from Heaven" appeared to a poor Indian at
Tepeyac, a hill northwest of Mexico City; she identified herself as
the Mother of the True God, instructed him to have the bishop build
a temple on the site and left an image of herself imprinted
miraculously on his tilma, a poor quality cactus-cloth, which should
have deteriorated in 20 years but shows no sign of decay 469 years
later and still defies all scientific explanations of its origin. It
apparently even reflects in her eyes what was in front of her in
1531!
Her message of love and compassion, and her universal promise of
help and protection to all, as well as the story of the
apparitions, are described in the "Nican Mopohua", a 16th
century document written in the native Nahuatl language.
There is reason to believe that at Tepeyac Mary came in her
glorified body, and her actual physical hands rearranged the roses
in Juan Diego’s tilma, which makes this apparition very special.
Yearly, an estimated 10 million visit her Basilica, making her
Mexico
City
home the most popular Marian shrine in the world, and the most
visited Catholic church in the world next to the
Vatican. |
Saint
Juan Diego - A Model of Humility
Most historians agree that Juan Diego was born in
1474 in the calpulli or ward of Tlayacac in Cuauhtitlan, which was
established in 1168 by Nahua tribesmen and conquered by the Aztec lord
Axayacatl in 1467; and was located 20 kilometers (14 miles) north of
Tenochtitlan (Mexico City).
His native name was Cuauhtlatoatzin, which could be translated as “One
who talks like an eagle” or “eagle that talks”.
The Nican Mopohua describes him as a 'macehualli'
or “poor Indian”, one who did not belong to any of the social
categories of the Empire, as priests, warriors, merchants,...but not a
slave; a member of the lowest and largest class in the Aztec Empire. When
talking to Our Lady he calls himself “a nobody”, and refers to
it as the source of his lack of credibility before the Bishop.
He devoted himself to hard work in the fields and
manufacturing mats. He owned a piece of land and a small house on it. He
was happily married but had no children.
Between 1524 and 1525 he was converted and
baptized, as well as his wife, receiving the Christian name of Juan Diego
and her wife the name of Maria Lucia. He was probably baptized by the
famous and loved Franciscan missionary Fray Toribio de Benavente, called
“Motolinia”, or “the poor one”, by the Indians for his extreme
kindness and piety.
According to the first formal investigation by the
Church about the events, the Informaciones Guadalupanas of 1666,
Juan Diego seems to have been a very devoted, religious man, even before
his conversion. He was a solitary, mystical character, prone to spells of
silence and frequent penance and used to walk from his village to Tenochtitlan, 14 miles away, to receive instruction on the
doctrine.
His wife Maria Lucia became sick and died in 1529.
Juan Diego then moves to live with his uncle Juan Bernardino in Tolpetlac,
which was closer (9 miles) to the church in Tlatelolco -
Tenochtitlan.
He walked every Saturday and Sunday many miles to
church, departing early morning, before dawn, to be on time for Mass and
religious instruction classes. He walked on naked feet, as all the people
of his class, the macehualli. Only the higher social classes of the
Aztecs wore cactlis, or sandals, made with vegetal fibers or
leather. He used to wear in those chilly mornings a coarse-woven cactus
cloth as a mantle, a tilma or ayate made with fibers from
the maguey cactus. Cotton was only used by the upper Aztec classes.
During one of this walks to Tenochtitlan, which used to take about three and a half hours
between villages and mountains, the First apparition occurred in a place
that is now known as the “Capilla del Cerrito”, where the Blessed
Virgin Mary talked to him in his language, Nahuatl. She called him
“Juanito, Juan Dieguito “, “the most humble of my sons”, “my son
the least”, “my little dear”.
He was 57 years old, certainly an old age in a time and place where the
male life expectancy was barely above 40.
After the miracle of Guadalupe, Juan Diego moved
to a room attached to the chapel that housed the sacred image, after
having given his business and property to his uncle; and he spent the rest
of his life propagating the account of the apparitions to his countrymen.
He died on
May 30, 1548, at the age of 74.
Juan Diego deeply loved the Holy Eucharist, and by
special permission of the Bishop he received Holy Communion three times a
week, a highly unusual occurrence in those times.
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The
Apparitions and the Miracle
All written narrations about the apparitions of
the Lady of Guadalupe are inspired by the Nican Mopohua, or Huei
Tlamahuitzoltica, written in Nahuatl, the Aztec language, by the Indian
scholar Antonio Valeriano around the middle of the sixteenth century.
Unfortunately the original of his work has not been found. A copy was
first published in Nahuatl by Luis Lasso de la Vega in 1649. Here
follows an English translation:
Ten
years after the seizure of the city of Mexico,
war came to an end and there was peace amongst the people; in this manner
faith started to bud, the understanding of the true God, for whom we live.
At that time, in the year fifteen hundred and thirty one, in the early
days of the month of December, it happened that there lived a poor Indian,
named Juan Diego, said being a native of Cuautitlan. Of all things
spiritually he belonged to Tlatilolco.
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The
First Apparition
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a
photograph of the tilma
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On
a Saturday just before down, he was on his way to pursue divine
worship and to engage in his own errands. As he reached the base of
the hill known as Tepeyacac, came the break of day, and he heard
singing atop the hill, resembling singing of varied beautiful birds.
Occasionally the voices of the songsters would cease, and it
appeared as if the mount responded. The song, very mellow and
delightful, excelled that of the coyoltototl and the tzinizcan and
of other pretty singing birds. Juan Diego stopped to look and said
to himself: “By fortune, am I worthy of what I hear? Maybe I
dream? Am I awakening? Where am I? Perhaps I am now in the
terrestrial paradise which our elders had told us about? Perhaps I
am now in heaven?” He was looking toward the east, on top of the
mound, from whence came the precious celestial chant; and then it
suddenly ceased and there was silence. He then heard a voice from
above the mount saying to him: “Juanito, Juan Dieguito.” Then he
ventured and went to where he was called. He was not frightened in
the least; on the contrary, overjoyed.
Then he climbed the hill, to see from were he was being called. When
he reached the summit, he saw a Lady, who was standing there and
told him to come hither. Approaching her presence, he marveled
greatly at her superhuman grandeur; her garments were shining like
the sun; the cliff where she rested her feet, pierced with glitter, |
resembling
an anklet of precious stones, and the earth sparkled like the rainbow. The
mezquites, nopales, and other different weeds, which grow there, appeared
like emeralds, their foliage like turquoise, and their branches and thorns
glistened like gold. He bowed before her and herd her word, tender and
courteous, like someone who charms and steems you highly.
She
said: “Juanito, the most humble of my sons, where are you going?” He
replied: “My Lady and Child, I have to reach your church in Mexico,
Tlatilolco, to pursue things divine, taught and given to us by our
priests, delegates of Our Lord.” She then spoke to him: “Know and
understand well, you the most humble of my son, that I am the ever virgin
Holy Mary, Mother of the True God for whom we live, of the Creator of all
things, Lord of heaven and the earth. I wish that a temple be erected here
quickly, so I may therein exhibit and give all my love, compassion, help,
and protection, because I am your merciful mother, to you, and to all the
inhabitants on this land and all the rest who love me, invoke and confide
in me; listen there to their lamentations, and remedy all their miseries,
afflictions and sorrows. And to accomplish what my clemency pretends, go
to the palace of the bishop of Mexico,
and you will say to him that I manifest my great desire, that here on this
plain a temple be built to me; you will accurately relate all you have
seen and admired, and what you have heard. Be assured that I will be most
grateful and will reward you, because I will make you happy and worthy of
recompense for the effort and fatigue in what you will obtain of what I
have entrusted. Behold, you have heard my mandate, my humble son; go and
put forth all your effort.”
At
this point he bowed before her and said: “My Lady, I am going to comply
with your mandate; now I must part from you, I, your humble servant.”
Then he descended to go to comply with the errand, and went by the avenue
which runs directly into Mexico City.
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The
Second Apparition
Having
entered the city, and without delay, he went straight to the bishop’s
palace, who was the recently arrived prelate named Father Juan de
Zumarraga, a Franciscan religious. On arrival, he endeavored to see him;
he pleaded with the servants to announce him; and after a long wait, he
was called and advised that the bishop had ordered his admission. As he
entered, he bowed, and on bended knees before him, he then delivered the
message from the lady from heaven; he also told him all he had admired,
seen, and heard. After having heard his chat and message, it appeared
incredible; then he told him: “You will return, my son, and I will hear
you at my pleasure. I will review it from the beginning and will give
thought to the wishes and desires for which you have come.” He left and
he seemed sad, because his message had not been realized in any of its
forms.
He
returned on the same day. He came directly to the top of the hill, met the
Lady from heaven, who was awaiting him, in the same spot where he saw her
the first time. Seeing her, postrated before her, he said: “Lady, the
least of my daughters, my Child, I went where you sent me to comply with
your command. With difficulty I entered the prelate’s study. I saw him
and exposed your message, just as you instructed me. He received me
benevolently and listened attentively, but when he replied, it appeared
that he did not believe me. He said: “You will return; I will hear you
at my pleasure. I will review from the beginning the wish and desire which
you have brought.” I perfectly understood by the manner he replied that
he believes it to be an invention of mine that you wish that a temple be
built here to you, and that it is not your order; for which I exceedingly
beg, Lady and my Child, that you entrust the delivery of your message to
someone of importance, well known, respected, and esteemed, so that they
may believe in him; because I am a nobody, I am a small rope, a tiny
ladder, the tail end, a leaf, and you, my Child, the least of my children,
my Lady, you send me to a place where I never visit nor repose. Please
excuse the great unpleasantness and let not fretfulness befall, my Lady
and my All.”
The Blessed Virgin answered: “Hark, my son the least, you must
understand that I have many servants and messengers, to whom I must
entrust the delivery of my message, and carry my wish, but it is of
precise detail that you yourself solicit and assist and that through your
mediation my wish be complied. I earnestly implore, my son the least, and
with sternness I command that you again go tomorrow and see the bishop.
You go in my name, and make known my wish in its entirety that he has to
start the erection of a temple which I ask of him. And again tell him that
I, in person, the ever-virgin Holy Mary, Mother of God, sent you.”
Juan
Diego replied: “Lady, my Child, let me not cause you affliction. Gladly
and willingly I will go to comply your mandate. Under no condition will I
fail to do it, for not even the way is distressing. I will go to do your
wish, but perhaps I will not be heard with liking, or if I am heard I
might not be believed. Tomorrow afternoon, at sunset, I will come to bring
you the result of your message with the prelate’s reply. I now take
leave, my Child, the least, my Child and Lady. Rest in the meantime.” He
then left to rest in his home.
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The
Third Apparition
The
next day, Sunday, before dawn, he left home on his way to Tlatilolco, to
be instructed in things divine, and to be present for roll call, following
which he had to see the prelate. Nearly at ten, and swiftly, after hearing
Mass and being counted and the crowd had dispersed, he went. On the hour
Juan Diego left for the palace of the bishop. Hardly had he arrived, he
eagerly tried to see him. Again with much difficulty he was able to see
him. He kneeled before his feet. He saddened and cried as he expounded the
mandate of the Lady from heaven, which God grant he would believe his
message, and the wish of the Immaculate, to erect her temple where she
willed it to be. The bishop, to assure himself, asked many things, where
he had seen her and how she looked; and he described everything perfectly
to the bishop. Notwithstanding his precise explanation of her figure and
all that he had seen and admired, which in itself reflected her as being
the ever-virgin Holy Mother of the Saviour, Our Lord Jesus Christ,
nevertheless, he did not give credence and said that not only for his
request he had to do what he had asked; that, in addition, a sign was very
necessary, so that he could be believed that he was sent by the true Lady
from heaven. Therefore, he was heard, said Juan Diego to the bishop: “My
lord, hark! what must be the sign that you ask? For I will go to ask the
Lady from heaven who sent me here.” The bishop, seeing that he ratified
everything without doubt and was not retracting anything, dismissed him.
Immediately he ordered some persons of his household, in whom he could
trust, to go and watch where he went and whom he saw and to whom he spoke.
So it was done. Juan Diego went straight to the avenue. Those that
followed him, as they crossed the ravine, near the bridge to Tepeyacac,
lost sight of him. They searched everywhere, but he could not be seen.
Thus they returned, not only because they were disgusted, but also because
they were hindered in their intent, causing them anger. And that is what
they informed the bishop, influencing him not to believe Juan Diego; they
told him that he was being deceived; that Juan Diego was only forging what
he was saying, or that he was simply dreaming what he said and asked. They
finally schemed that if he ever returned, they would hold and punish him
harshly, so that he would never lie or deceive again.
In the meantime, Juan Diego was with the Blessed Virgin, relating the
answer he was bringing from his lordship, the bishop. The lady, having
heard, told him: “Well and good, my little dear, you will return here
tomorrow, so you may take to the bishop the sign he has requested. With
this he will believe you, and in this regard he will not doubt you nor
will he be suspicious of you; and know, my little dear, that I will reward
your solicitude and effort and fatigue spent of my behalf. Lo! go now. I
will await you here tomorrow.”
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The
Fourth Apparition
On
the following day, Monday, when Juan Diego was to carry a sign so he could
be believed, he failed to return, because, when he reached his home, his
uncle, named Juan Bernardino, had become sick, and was gravely ill. First
he summoned a doctor who aided him; but it was too late, he was gravely
ill. By nightfall, his uncle requested that by break of day he go to
Tlatilolco and summon a priest, to prepare him and hear his confession,
because he was certain it was time for him to die, and that he would not
arise or get well.
On
Tuesday, before dawn, Juan Diego came from his home to Tlatilolco to
summon a priest; and as he approached the road which joins the slope to
Tepeyacac hilltop, toward the west, where he was accustomed to cross,
said: “If I proceed forward, the Lady is bound to see me, and I may be
detained, so I may take the sign to the prelate, as prearranged; that our
first affliction must let us go hurriedly to call a priest, as my poor
uncle certainly awaits him.” Then he rounded the hill, going around, so
he could not be seen by her who sees well everywhere. He saw her descend
from the top of the hill and was looking toward where they previously met.
She approached him at the side of the hill and said to him: “What’s
there, my son the least? Where are you going?” Was he grieved, or
ashamed, or scared? He bowed before her. He saluted, saying: “My Child,
the most tender of my daughters, Lady, God grant you are content. How are
you this morning? Is your health good, Lady and my Child? I am going to
cause you grief. Know, my Child, that a servant of yours is very sick, my
uncle. He has contracted the plague, and is near death. I am hurrying to
your house in Mexico
to call one of your priests, beloved by our Lord, to hear his confession
and absolve him, because, since we were born, we came to guard the work of
our death. But if I go, I shall return here soon, so I may go to deliver
your message. Lady and my Child, forgive me, be patient with me for the
time being. I will not deceive you, the least of my daughters. Tomorrow I
will come in all haste.”
After
hearing Juan Diego’s chat, the Most Holy Virgin answered: “Hear me and
understand well, my son the least, that nothing should frighten or grieve
you. Let not your heart be disturbed. Do not fear that sickness, nor any
other sickness or anguish. Am I not here, who is your Mother? Are you not
under my protection? Am I not your health? Are you not happily within my
fold? What else do you wish? Do not grieve nor be disturbed by anything.
Do not be afflicted by the illness of your uncle, who will not die now of
it. be assured that he is now cured.” (And then his uncle was cured, as
it was later learned.)
When
Juan Diego heard these words from the Lady from heaven, he was greatly
consoled. He was happy. He begged to be excused to be off to see the
bishop, to take him the sign or proof, so that he might be believed. The
Lady from heaven ordered to climb to the top of the hill, where they
previously met. She told him: “Climb, my son the least, to the top of
the hill; there where you saw me and I gave you orders, you will find
different flowers. Cut them, gather them, assemble them, then come and
bring them before my presence.” Immediately Juan Diego climbed the hill,
and as he reached the summit, he was amazed that so many varieties of
exquisite rosas de Castilla were blooming, long before the time when they
are to bud, because, being out of season, they would freeze. They were
very fragant and covered with dewdrops of the night, which resembled
precious pearls. Immediately he started cutting them. He gathered them all
and placed them in his tilma. The hilltop was no place for any kind of
flowers to grow, because it had many crags, thistles, thorns, nopales and
mezquites. Occasionally weeds would grow, but it was then the month of
December, in which all vegetation is destroyed by freezing. He immediately
went down the hill and brought the different roses which he had cut to the
Lady from heaven, who, as she saw them, took them with her hand and again
placed them back in the tilma, saying: “My son the least, this diversity
of roses is the proof and the sign which you will take to the bishop. You
will tell him in my name that he will see in them my wish and that he will
have to comply to it. You are my ambassador, most worthy of all
confidence. Rigorously I command you that only before the presence of the
bishop will you unfold your mantle and disclose what you are carrying. You
will relate all and well; you will tell that I ordered you to climb to the
hilltop, to go and cut flowers; and all that you saw and admired, so you
can induce the prelate to give his support, with the aim that a temple be
built and erected as I have asked.”
After
the Lady from heaven had given her advice, he was on his way by the avenue
that goes directly to
Mexico;
being happy and assured of success, carrying with great care what he bore
in his tilma, being careful; that nothing would slip from his hands, and
enjoying the fragrance of the variety of the beautiful flowers.
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The
Miracle of the Image
When
he reached the bishop’s palace, there came to meet him the majordomo and
other servants of the prelate. He begged them to tell the bishop that he
wished to see him, but none were willing, pretending not to hear him,
probably because it was too early, or because they already knew him as
being of the molesting type, because he was pestering them; and, moreover,
they had been advised by their co-workers that they had lost sight of him,
when they had followed him.
He waited a long time. When they saw that he had been there a long time,
standing, crestfallen, doing nothing, waiting to be called, and appearing
like he had something which he carried in his tilma, they came near him,
to see what he had and to satisfy themselves. Juan Diego, seeing that he
could not hide what he had, and on account of that he would be molested,
pushed or mauled, uncovered his tilma a little, and there were the
flowers; and upon seeing that they were all different rosas de Castilla,
and out of season, they were thoroughly amazed, also because they were so
fresh and in full bloom, so fragrant and so beautiful. They tried to seize
and pull some out, but they were not successful the three times they dared
to take them. They were not lucky because when then tried to get them,
they were unable to see real flowers. Instead, they appeared painted or
stamped or sewn on the cloth. Then they went to tell the bishop what they
had seen and that the Indian who had come so many times wished to see him,
and that he had reason enough so long anxiously eager to see him.
Upon
hearing, the bishop realized that what he carried was the proof, to
confirm and comply with what the Indian requested. Immediately he ordered
his admission. As he entered, Juan Diego knelt before him, as he was
accustomed to do, and again related what he had seen and admired, also the
message. He said: “Sir, I did what you ordered, to go forth and tell my
Ama, the Lady from heaven, Holy Mary, precious Mother of God, that you
asked for a sign so that you might believe me that you should build a
temple where she asked it to be erected; also, I told her that I had given
you my word that I would bring some sign and proof, which you requested,
of her wish. She condescended to your request and graciously granted your
request, some sign and proof to complement her wish. Early today she again
sent me to see you; I asked for the sign so you might believe me, as she
had said that she would give it, and she complied. She sent me to the top
of the hill, where I was accustomed to see her, and to cut a variety of
rosas de Castilla. After I had cut them, I brought them, she took them
with her hand and placed them in my cloth, so that I bring them to you and
deliver them to you in person. Even though I knew that the hilltop was no
place where
flowers would grow, because there are many crags, thistles, thorns,
nopales and mezquites, I still had my doubts. As I approached the top of
the hill, I saw that I was in paradise, where there was a great variety of
exquisite rosas de Castilla, in brilliant dew, which I immediately cut.
She had told me that I should bring them to you, and so I do it, so that
you may see in them the sign which you asked of me and comply with her
wish; also, to make clear the veracity of my word and my message. Behold.
Receive them. ”He unfolded his white cloth, where he had the flowers;
and when they scattered on the floor, all the different varieties of rosas
de Castilla, suddenly there appeared the drawing of the precious Image of
the ever-virgin Holy Mary, Mother of God, in the manner as she is today
kept in the temple at Tepeyacac, which is named Guadalupe.
When the bishop saw the image, he and all who were present fell to their
knees. She was greatly admired. They arose to see her; they shuddered and,
with sorrow, they demonstrated that they contemplated her with their
hearts and minds. The bishop, with sorrowful tears, prayed and begged
forgiveness for not having attended her wish and request. When he rose to
his feet, he untied from Juan Diego’s neck the cloth on which appeared
the Image of the Lady from heaven. Then he took it to be placed in his
chapel. Juan Diego remained one more day in the bishop’s house, at his
request.
The
following day he told him: Well! show us where the Lady from heaven wished
her temple be erected.” Immediately, he invited all those present to go.
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The
Apparition to Juan Bernatino
As
Juan Diego pointed out the spot where the lady from heaven wanted her
temple built, he begged to be excused. He wished to go home to see his
uncle Juan Bernardino, who was gravely ill when he left him to go to
Tlatilolco to summon a priest, to hear his confession and absolve him. The
Lady from heaven had told him that he had been cured. But they did not let
him go alone, and accompanied him to his home.
As they arrived, they saw that his uncle was very happy and nothing ailed
him. He was greatly amazed to see his nephew so accompanied and honored,
asking the reason of such honors conferred upon him. His nephew answered
that when he went to summon a priest to hear his confession and to absolve
him, the Lady from heaven appeared to him at Tepeyacac, telling him not to
be afflicted, that his uncle was well, for which he was greatly consoled,
and she sent him to Mexico, to see the bishop, to build her a house in
Tepeyacac.
Then
the uncle manifested that it was true that on that occasion he became well
and that he had seen her in the same manner as she had appeared to his
nephew, knowing through her that she had sent him to Mexico
to see the bishop. Also, the Lady told him that when he would go to see
the bishop, to reveal to him what he had seen and to explain the
miraculous manner in which she had cured him, and that she would properly
be named, and known as the blessed Image, the ever-virgin Holy Mary of
Guadalupe.
Juan Bernardino was brought before the presence of the bishop to inform
and testify before him. Both he and his nephew were the guests of the
bishop in his home for some days, until the temple dedicated to the Queen
of Tepeyacac was erected where Juan Diego had seen her.
The
bishop transferred the sacred Image of the lovely lady from heaven to the
main church, taking her from his private chapel where it was, so that the
people would see and admire her blessed Image. The entire city was
aroused; they came to see and admire the devout Image, and to pray. They
marveled at the fact that she appeared as did her divine miracle, because
no living person of this world had painted her precious Image.
"Then
the uncle manifested that it was true that on that occasion he became well
and that he had seen her in the same manner as she had appeared to his
nephew, knowing through her that she had sent him to Mexico to see the
bishop. Also, the Lady told him that when he would go to see the bishop,
to reveal to him what he had seen and to explain the miraculous manner in
which she had cured him, and that she would properly be named, and known
as the blessed Image, the ever-virgin Holy Mary of Guadalupe."(Nican
Mopohua).
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Why
the Name of Guadalupe?
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painting
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Why should the Virgin Mary
appearing to an Indian in recently conquered Mexico and speaking to
him in Nahuatl call herself “of Guadalupe”, a Spanish name? Did
she want to be called de Guadalupe because of the statue of Our Lady
of Guadalupe in Estremadura, Spain?
In all apparitions of the
Blessed Virgin Mary she identified herself as the Virgin Mary and
phrases like Mother of God or another of her titles, and was later
usually known by the name of the place or region where she appeared
(Lourdes, Fatima
). So why should Mary, when appearing to an Indian
in recently invaded Mexico
and speaking in the local language, want to be
named with the Spanish name of Guadalupe?
Was she talking about the miraculous statue of Our Lady of
Guadalupe, that was given by Pope Gregory the Great to the Bishop of
Seville, was lost for 600 years and was found in 1326 by a cowherd
named Gil Cordero guided by an apparition of Our Lady? The statue
was named Guadalupe for the village located near the place of
discovery.
The origin of the name Guadalupe has always been a matter of
controversy. It is nevertheless believed that the name came about
because of the translation from Nahuatl to Spanish of the words used
by the Virgin during the apparition to Juan Bernardino, the ailing
uncle of Juan Diego. |
It is believed that Our Lady used the Aztec
Nahuatl word of coatlaxopeuh which is pronounced "quatlasupe"
and sounds remarkably like the Spanish word Guadalupe. Coa meaning serpent,
tla being the noun ending which can be interpreted as "the",
while xopeuh means to crush or stamp out. So Our Lady must
have called herself the one "who crushes the serpent."
We must remember
that the Aztecs offered annually at least 20,000 men, women and children
in human sacrifice to their gods. In 1487, just in a single 4 days long
ceremony for the dedication of a new temple in Tenochtitlan, some 80,000 captives were killed in human
sacrifice.
Certainly, in this case She crushed the serpent, and few years later
millions of the natives were converted to Christianity.
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What
Can We Learn
When we reflect on the feast of Our Lady of
Guadalupe we learn two important lessons, one of faith and one of
understanding.
Missionaries who first came to Mexico with
the conquistadors had little success in the beginning. After nearly a
generation, only a few hundred Native Mexicans had converted to the
Christian faith. Whether they simply did not understand what the
missionaries had to offer or whether they resented these people who made
them slaves, Christianity was not popular among the native people.
Then in 1531 miracles began to happen.
Jesus' own mother appeared to humble Juan Diego. The signs -- of the
roses, of the uncle miraculously cured of a deadly illness, and especially
of her beautiful image on Juan's mantle -- convinced the people there was
something to be considered in Christianity. Within a short time, six
million Native Mexicans had themselves baptized as Christians.
The first lesson is that God has chosen
Mary to lead us to Jesus. No matter what critics may say of the devotion
of Mexicans (and Mexican descendants) to Our Lady of Guadalupe, they owe
their Christianity to her influence. If it were not for her, they would
not know her son, and so they are eternally grateful. The second lesson we
take from Mary herself. Mary appeared to Juan Diego not as a European
madonna but as a beautiful Aztec princess speaking to him in his own Aztec
language. If we want to help someone appreciate the gospel we bring, we
must appreciate the culture and the mentality in which they live their
lives. By understanding them, we can help them to understand and know
Christ. Our Lady of Guadalupe is patron of the Americas.
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Our
Lady: Not Just for Catholics
Latinos' long-revered Virgen de Guadalupe
now occupies a place in other denominations.
By
William Lobdell and Jennifer Mena, LA Times Staff Writers
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Margarita
Farias with the banner of the Virgin of Guadalupe that she will
carry in a San Clemente procession on Sunday. Scholars now wonder
whether the widening use of the icon will serve to further unite
Christian denominations.
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In some Catholic parishes it's a
bigger day than Christmas or Easter: the feast day of Our Lady of
Guadalupe. Beginning well before dawn, worshipers today will gather to
celebrate the brown-skinned mother of Jesus who, legend says, appeared
before a poor Mexican peasant in 1531.
But the celebration isn't just for Catholics anymore. Increasingly, the
pregnant Virgen de Guadalupe is turning up in other
Latino-dominated churches as a way to make worshipers feel at home while
honoring the mother of Christ and champion of the downtrodden.
Any church wanting to attract Latinos "that doesn't take into
account how deeply that message [of Our Lady of Guadalupe] is rooted in
the Latino identity … is pretty well doomed," said Father
Francisco Schulte, a scholar at St. John's University in Collegeville,
Minn.
The trend is particularly noticeable at Episcopal and Lutheran churches,
whose liturgical traditions are closest to Catholicism. Parishioners at
St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in National City, south of San Diego,
will gather this evening to sing and bring roses for Our Lady of
Guadalupe. During the service, eight children will have their first
communion. "Mexicans identify with her because she looks like
them," said the Rev. Patricia Andrews-Callori, rector of the
parish. "She's been a consolidating force for Mexicans."
In Berkeley, theology students and faculty at the Church Divinity School
of the Pacific, a major West Coast seminary for Episcopalians, honored
her Thursday evening with a service that mixed Catholic readings into
the standard liturgy.
"The students have decided to do [a liturgy with] Our Lady of
Guadalupe," said the Rev. Lizette Larson-Miller, dean of the
school's chapel, adding that the class consists mostly of white and
Asian American students. "They jumped wholeheartedly into it. They
want to bring this to their parishes" after they are ordained.
In San Clemente on Sunday, St. Clement's by the Sea Episcopal Church
will have mariachis as part of its morning service devoted to Our Lady
of Guadalupe. Afterward, parishioners will parade through a nearby park
for a picnic of tamales, enchiladas and homemade regional specialties of
Mexico.
"Some people don't understand it because these things are
Catholic," said Margarita Farias, a 33-year-old parishioner and
mother of two who lives in San Clemente. "But I felt that [the
Virgin of Guadalupe] is the mother of us all. I feel we can have her,
celebrate her and be a part of this church too."
Our Lady of Guadalupe's appearance in non-Catholic services has
scholars and others wondering whether the beloved apparition that has
united Mexicans for nearly five centuries can bring together Christian
denominations.
"If we can come together through her, then thanks be to God,"
said Jaime Soto, auxiliary bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of
Orange. "It makes a lot of sense that the mother in a dysfunctional
family keeps everyone together."
Spanish missionaries spread the story of her apparition — and her
Indian features — to convert Mexico's indigenous tribes from their
devotion to the Aztec mother-goddess, Tonantzin, to the Virgin Mary.
Today, there's a saying that 90% of Mexicans are Catholic but 100% are guadalupano.
So to connect with Latino congregants, especially Mexicans who've
strayed from the Catholic Church, Protestant leaders find themselves
grappling with what to do with her.
Traditionally, Latino Protestants, especially conservative evangelical
pastors, have barred Our Lady of Guadalupe from their churches. Since
its early years, the Catholic Church has had a special devotion to Mary
and the saints, putting up statues of them in churches and praying to
them as intermediaries of God. With the Reformation, Protestants
drastically reduced their status, believing that any prayer to Mary or
the saints was a sign of idolatry.
In a book about the spreading influence of Our Lady of Guadalupe,
Maxwell E. Johnson, a Lutheran minister and Notre Dame professor, points
to Lutheran churches in Illinois, Pennsylvania and Texas that honor the
Brown Virgin. In his book, the pastor of a church in Carpentersville,
Ill., writes about her parish's celebration: "The feast of
Guadalupe is one of the ways in which we … express both our 'catholic'
heritage and our Hispanic culture."
Since 1997, a Lutheran liturgical planning book has suggested ways to
celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12.
Soto said Our Lady of Guadalupe is available to everyone. "I hope
as other Christian churches learn to understand the evocative power of
Our Lady, they too will learn that you do not use her; she uses
you."
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The Episcopal Diocese of San
Diego held its annual convention at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church in
Palm Desert on February 7 and 8. The Spanish title for the event’s
theme (Unidos de la Mano: Hand in Hand for Mission and Ministry) was no
accident. The keynote address on Hispanic ministry was delivered by
Father Orlando Espin of USD. Espin is the director of the Center for the
Study of Latino Catholicism and the Trans-Border Institute. Many of the
workshops emphasized ministry to Hispanics.
 St.
Margaret’s is a large church designed with the tabernacle-free,
art-less, industrial-park aesthetic that would please the average
Catholic liturgical consultant. On Saturday morning, its parking lot was
packed with vans and tour buses. I attended a workshop entitled Nuts and
Bolts of Hispanic Ministry.
Most workshop attendees
appeared to be Episcopal clergy. Although they were friendly and
helpful, it was still uncomfortable for this Catholic to sit in a room
with priests, their wives, and priestesses. The first speaker was
Reverend Bjorn Marcusson, rector of St. Phillip the Apostle church in
Lemon Grove. Marcusson spoke of his life as a Danish citizen transferred
to the U.S. from Austria to work in a Polish parish. “So I have an
immediate affinity with the Latino-Hispanic community. If multicultural
stands for anything with me, it stands for all those identities.”
Marcusson discussed the
demographics of his Lemon Grove church. “The congregation of roughly
100 persons a year ago was 90 percent Caucasian, eight percent
African-Americans, one percent-Filipino and one percent Latinos. The
ethnic diversity within a five-mile radius of the church is 43 percent
Anglo and other ethnic groups comprise 57 percent of which the fastest
growing group is the Latina-Latino community, currently at 40 percent
and projected to grow to 50 percent within the next two years. Our
congregation is well on its way to reflect the sociological reality of
our wider community. About 40 percent of the congregation is Latino-Latina,
and their presence is increasing. Our religious-education program for
Latino kids is exploding. Average church on attendance on Sunday has
doubled, and religious education for Latino kids has grown to the point
that some Anglo kids have asked to be in those classes which is
interesting, because they have a lot of fun.”
Marcusson addressed what
he called “Myths of the Hispanic Community”: living in poverty as
illegal immigrants, illiterate, ill and unemployed versus the reality of
Hispanics as an empowered community with economic leverage. He explained
how Lemon Grove was a step up for Latinos from living in inner-city San
Diego, still working two jobs to survive, but “on their way to
realizing the American dream."
Marcusson said that the two
doors for reaching out to the Latino community are 1) the kids and 2)
sacraments. “We provide the kids with Christian education. The
sacraments are very important in the Latino community, especially the
sacrament of Baptism and First Holy Communion, which may be difficult
for the Anglo-Episcopalians to understand, because our kids go to
communion right away as they did in the early church. This is a cultural
reality, and Mother Patricia will talk about that. The question will
inevitably come: “Will YOU confirm us? Would YOU marry us? Would YOU
baptize our children? And the answer at every parish in this diocese
that does Latino ministry is, ‘Of course we will!”
Mother Patricia Calori of
St. Matthew’s Church in National City, wearing a white collar and a
gray clerical outfit with a skirt, presented her views on “popular
religion for indigenous peoples in America.” “It predates the
arrival of the Spaniards. It’s in their genetic code, and it is at
least 5000 years old. Life is saturated with the divine and the sacred.
It’s not in little compartments. The Spanish missionaries, when they
arrived in the new world, saw this, and they took advantage of this with
evangelization to convert the indigenous peoples of the Americas, and
they did it with brutality, oppression, and cruelty. But it has
survived, and it shows through the vitality of how Hispanics look at the
world.
“Family is everything in
Hispanic culture. You see children in church, roaming, talking, singing.
They don’t put them in childcare. We love the noise around us. Most of
our people live isolated during the week, and going to church is a way
of being together in the community, out of the oppressed world, out of
where they are treated as fourth- and fifth-class citizens. They have to
work three and four jobs, and they are exhausted.”
Calori described the
traditional clothing and days used for first Holy Communion (she called
it “Solemn Communion”) and handed out a flyer with other special
days that are part of Hispanic Catholic culture. She then described each
event in detail, including Quinceañera, El Día de los Muertos, Las
Posadas, the feast of the Epiphany, La Fiesta de la Candelaria, and the
feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Calori explained that the Our Lady of
Guadalupe was important to Hispanics because, “It is the biggest day,
because it is the manifestation of the Divine to the oppressed,
indigenous peoples of Mexico. The first time that the Divine expresses
and shows Himself to an indigenous person. For the first time, after
hundreds of years of persecution and oppression by the Spaniards. And if
you look at a picture of Our Lady of Guadalupe, she LOOKS ... LIKE ...
THEM.”
Calori suggested blessing
religious objects for Mexicans and adding saints’ statues and images,
especially the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, to their churches. She
said that another way to gain the trust of the Hispanic community is to
join them in their struggle against oppression.
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