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Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

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A few years ago I attended an art exhibition about the Spanish
Conquest of Mexico. One painting depicted the period when Our Lady of
Guadalupe appeared. It featured Aztec temples to the sun and moon
being dismantled stone by stone by Indigenous persons working as
slaves under the watchful gaze of Spanish soldiers. Looking more
closely, workers were taking those stones to build a lavish
governor's palace and cathedral while ecclesial officials and
military officers sat in the shade sipping cool water.

I realized that the artist did not capture the trauma of La
Conquista.  After all, how do you depict the feelings of a
population traumatized by witnessing the loss of loved ones who
succumbed to the pandemic of smallpox and disfigured by venereal
disease at the hands of Spanish conquistadores? The historical and
social context of Our Lady of Guadalupe took place in the darkest
chapter of Mexican history. I have come to believe that the image and
story of Our Lady of Guadalupe is ultimately one of cultural
resilience and resistance.

Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared at Tepeyac, a sacred place known as the
home of  Tonantzin Coatlaxopeuh, "The Great
Mother." Juan Diego, a local Indigenous leader, claimed that the
Mother of God appeared to him as a dark-skinned maiden in Indigenous
clothing who spoke Juan Diego's own language using a grammatical
syntax signifying respect.  Church officials dismissed Juan Diego
at first, but as he told his story to others with increased
confidence, he was seen as a heretical and political threat in which
more Indigenous persons would question the supreme authority of the
Spanish crown.
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The bishop demanded evidence that the Mother of God was speaking to
Juan Diego. The only evidence he could bring were Castillian roses
that grew out of season. He put the roses in his "tilma"
(an Indigenous garment) and brought them to the bishop. As Juan Diego
rolled out his tilma, allowing the roses to spill out at the
bishop's feet, the tilma revealed the image of Mary that Juan
Diego described. It was super-imposed over the sun and moon, and Mary
wore a star-studded mantle with an inner cloak of Indigenous design.
The Bishop bowed to the image and agreed to build a temple in her
honor at the site of Tonantzin Coatlaxopeuh.
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The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, coupled with the narrative of Juan
Diego's struggle with established authority, is a sacred story
of cultural resilience, personal perseverance, and bravery in the face
of mounting opposition. Take a moment and consider the historical
context of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and look at the context the clients
that we serve. Maybe they are like Juan Diego, trying to get their
story heard. Perhaps our clients are like the Mexica that lost family
to disease, neglect, and abuse and who now struggle to find the
strength to carry on just one more day. Our Lady of Guadalupe is a
sign to remind them that they are loved and respected and that their
lives are precious. Our work is like Juan Diego's tilma in that
we carry the stories of our clients. When those stories are shared,
the Sacred is revealed.  May today's Feast of Our Lady of
Guadalupe be an affirmation of your work and a sign of hope to your
clients.

Father Jon Pedigo is Director of Advocacy and Community Engagement at
Catholic Charities of Santa Clara County and serves on CCUSA's
Parish Social Ministry Leadership Team.

 




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