We have heard the saying, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” How true this is, gazing at the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who we remember on her feast day Dec. 12. This miraculous image was given by God to the people of Mexico at a time they desperately needed to know Jesus. This event, and the subsequent witness of the Mexican people, inspires our faith and helps us grow closer to Jesus.
In the early 1500s, the native Aztec population was at an all-time high. There was widespread worship of pagan gods and numerous ritual human sacrifices. Spanish Christian missionaries began arriving in 1521, just a decade before the miraculous image of Mary emblazoned on a tilma, or cloak, was presented by St. Juan Diego, an indigenous peasant, to Bishop Zumárraga, the first bishop of Mexico.
The image teaches us while it tells a story. A blue-green mantle, the color of Aztec royalty, wraps Mary, denoting her as a queen. Her black belt worn high, an Aztec maternity belt, depicts her as a mother. The singular four-petal flower on her tunic is placed directly over her womb. To the Aztecs, this flower symbolizes the god at the center of the universe and the creator of life itself. Yet, her bowed head and hands folded in prayer pointing toward the cross on the brooch at her neck lead us to one greater than her, the God who is her son. Her rose-colored tunic is a topographical map of the area surrounding the hill of Tepeyac where St. Juan Diego saw the apparition and where the shrine she requested was to be built. Mary stands before the sun, the most revered god in Aztec belief. Finally, her feet are planted on the moon, clothed in the stars of night — two other representations of the Aztec gods.
The symbolism is clear: this woman is the Queen of Heaven, the Mother of God. The God-child, resting in his mother’s womb, and his mother are both more powerful than all pagan gods. As this miraculous image of Guadalupe spread throughout Mexico, massive numbers of indigenous people converted to Christianity.
This miraculous image of Mary is an image for all times. Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Queen of Heaven. She is a tremendous intercessor for the needs of those who turn to her. From winning battles in Lepanto, to helping couples through infertility, to miraculous mental, physical and spiritual healings; she listens and intercedes with her son for her people. She is the Queen of Mexico, the Patroness of the Americas and the Empress of Latin America.
Our Lady of Guadalupe is our mother. The familiarity and tenderness of a mother is present in how she addresses St. Juan Diego at her first appearance, “Juanito, mi hijito,” meaning, “Johnny, my little son.” Her words speak of a tender relationship, one that she desires with each of us. On the cross, Jesus gave his mother to be our own mother and Mother of the Church. Mary says to St. Juan Diego, “Am I not here, who is your Mother?” Within 40 years of the apparitions, Our Lady of Guadalupe was commonly referred to by the indigenous people simply as “Tonantzin,”meaning, “Our Mother.” In the apparitions, she called herself the “Mother of All.” Mary, Mother of All is attentive and compassionate to her children in need. Today, Our Lady of Guadalupe has a particular motherly care for healing women who have suffered an abortion or who bear the burden of miscarriage and infertility.
Finally, Our Lady of Guadalupe is the Mother of God. Her son is Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Her image draws us to him, the source of life and all that is good. From the moment of her appearance to St. Juan Diego, her mission has been to bring home the lost sheep of Mexico, the Americas and the world to her son, Jesus Christ.
On her feast day, and throughout year two of our Golden Jubilee preparatory period, may we reflect on her as Queen of Heaven, the Mother of God and our mother. May we always allow ourselves to be drawn closer to her son.
Attend Mass
Many parishes have Mass to celebrate the Dec. 12 feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Check your bulletin or parish website.
