Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Readings of the Day 

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.

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.

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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