Decenber 12: Our Lady of Guadalupe

In 1531, ten years after the capture of Mexico City, peace allowed the mission fathers to teach the Catholic faith among the Indians and to baptize their children. At the beginning of December, a poor Indian named Juan Diego left his house one Saturday morning to attend divine service. On the way, as he passed the hill of Tepeyacac ("Hill of the Nose," in Nahuatl), he was startled by a song coming from the summit. The sweet, tender singing surpassed the trilling of the most exquisite birds. Juan Diego stopped, entranced, and mused, "Is it my luck to be worthy to hear such music? Is it a dream perhaps? Did I get up from my bed? Where am I? In Paradise, in heaven perhaps? I don't know." The singing ceased and a heavenly sweet voice called him from the hill-top, "Juan, my little one, Juan Diego." Filled with joy, Juan Diego was not at all frightened, but climbed the hill in search of the mysterious voice.

Juan Diego's Vision

When he reached the top, he saw a lady who bade him approach. It was a wonderful lady of superhuman beauty. Her raiment shone like the sun; the rock on which she set her foot seemed to be hewn from precious stones and the ground red like the rainbow. The grass, the trees and the bushes were like emeralds; the foliage, fine turquoise; and the branches flashed like gold.

Juan Diego bowed before her and the lady spoke: "Juan, my little one, the humblest of my children, where goest thou?"

"My lady, my child, I go to listen to such divine matters as our priests teach us," he replied.

"I am," said the wonderful Lady,"the Holy Mary, the eternal Virgin, Mother of the true God. I wish a shrine to be built here to show my love to you. I am your merciful mother, thine, and all the dwellers of this earth. To bring to pass what I bid thee, go thou and speak to the bishop of Mexico and say I sent thee to make manifest to him my will."

"My Lady," answered Juan Diego, "I go to fulfill thy command. I bid thee farewell, I thy humble servant."

 
This first vision of The Lady occured on December 10th and the next morning, as Don Juan got ready to go back to the hill he was greeted with news that his uncle was sick. He spent the day trying to find a doctor but to no avail. On the morning of December 12, 1531 Don Juan put on his tilma, his traditional cloak, for warmth as he set out to find a priest to give last rights to his dying uncle. He tried to go around the hill so as not to be waylayed by The Lady but she met him at the bottom and asked why he was so sad. When he told her about his uncle she told him not to fear and reassured the sorrowful Juan Diego by declaring her motherhood and promising that his uncle was already healed. Hearing this, Juan Diego asked for the sign for the bishop and was told to go to the top of the hill.  He brought an armful to The Lady who arranged them in his cloak and then set off to see the Bishop.
 

Our Lady with Roses

In the bishop's palace he had a long time to wait. The servants, suspecting from his attitude that he was hiding something in his arms, began to bait him. Seeing his refusal to show them what he was carrying, they began to tug at his cloak, in spite of the tearful petitions the poor Indian put up. Terrified the flowers would fall to the floor, he lifted a corner of his cloak to placate his tormentors. But a miracle! the blooms, fresh and fragrant before, to the gaze of the servants seemed as if stuck to Juan Diego's cloak. Then it was that the head steward and the servants rushed to announce that the Indian had come with the sign. The Lord Bishop commanded at once that he should be brought before him. Juan Diego prostrated himself before him and said: "Sir, I have done thy command. I went and told the Lady of Heaven thou wast asking for a sign that thou mightest believe me."

The Indian related what the Holy Mother of God had told him and described the glory in which she had lately appeared to him. Then he unfolded his white cloak and, as the lovely blooms were strewn on the floor, the miraculous image of Our Lady of Guadalupe suddenly appeared on the cloth just as it is to be seen today, painted by a divine hand on the cape of Juan Diego.

The bishop and all the onlookers knelt down. Immediately thereafter the cape was hung in the chapel.

The Basilica in Mexico City

Our Lady of Guadalupe, as The Lady who visited Don Juan that winter day so long ago came to be known, is one of the most well known religious image in the Americas. She is considered the Patroness of Mexico and the Americas and her shrine in Mexico City is the most visited Catholic pilgrimage site in the world. Her image graces everything from devotional jewelry and prayer candles to battle flags and countless tattoos. 

Miraculous apparitions of holy women have occurred to Christians since shortly after the life of Christ. There is a Biblical basis for the veneration of Mary, the Mother of Christ, but to me, these are not the appearance of some new religious figure but extensions of the worship of the feminine divine that is one of the oldest spiritual impulses known to humans. The neolithic carved figures, Isis nursing her son Horus, Asherah the Semitic mother goddess, Gaia the mother of all the Greek gods, Tonantzin Tlalli the ancient Mexican earth mother, Durga in India and Nuwa in China and even Bhumi, the embodied earth that Guatama Buddha called to witness when he achieved enlightenment - humans have venerated a mother goddess throughout history.

It is no surprise to me, or to many scholars, that when the Nahuatl culture was going through such upheaval as they were after the fall of the Aztec empire, that a new permutation of this ancient goddess would appear. A new culture calls for new gods, but not so new as to be unfamiliar, and every culture needs a mother goddess. All over the world, where the male god dominated monotheistic religions have gained prominence, a female saint or deity has sprung up to meet this deep human need for a Great Mother. Our Lady of Guadalupe is a Great Mother to so many in the Americas and beyond. She spoke to Juan Diego in his native language and asked for veneration in this specific, native place. Along with the indigenous goddesses like Grandmother Spider, White Buffalo Woman and Pachamama, she is an important American deity. She is Our Lady.

With A Candle

How do you celebrate the feminine divine? Do you burn a candle for Our Lady or address prayers to Our Mother as well as Our Father? How has Our Lady of Guadalupe, or other goddesses, shown up in your life? Would you be as quick to serve Her when she shows up as Juan Diego was?

God of power and mercy,
you blessed the Americas at Tepeyac
with the presence of the Virgin Mary of Guadalupe.
May her prayers help all men and women
to accept each other as brothers and sisters.
Through your justice present in our hearts
may Your peace reign in the world.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with You
and the Holy Spirit, one God,
for ever and ever.

Amen.