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Our Lady of Guadalupe
Dear Families,
I saw the Virgen De Guadalupe once. The Tilma, to be specific. No apparitions for me. Yet. I was a freshly minted teacher right out of college, spending my first adult spring break traveling around Mexico with a friend who was born there. It was a warm day, but clear, and we waited in line for a while to see what looked like just a painting. It was good, as far as paintings are concerned, though I didn’t ponder it too deeply. Later that night we went to see Club America play Chivas at the 100,000 seat Azteca Stadium, and that was far more fun. It is sad that we sometimes miss the truly miraculous in favor of some distraction.
If you go to any Mexican community, you see the image everywhere. In paintings, statues on mantels, on necklaces and bracelets, on tattoos, bumper stickers. Why?
In the year 1531 she appeared to Juan Diego, an aging Indian man of little means. That date and those details are important, because it was barely a decade past the arrival of the Spanish under Hernan Cortez, to Tenochtitlan, the capital of the Aztec Empire. The Spanish decimated the Aztecs, both with warfare and diseases, and swept in a new order, one which in 1531 everyone was still trying to sort out.
Suddenly, there she is, the mother of the invader’s God, appearing to a lowly Indian, but with the appearance, skin, hair color, and language of the locals. The image is rich with meaning - her hair is loose, the sign of being a virgin, though the black belt around her waist was a sign of pregnancy. Her hands are folded, showing she is not a God, but praying to someone who is. She wears a turquoise shawl, a sign of royalty to the Aztecs. She stands in front of the sun, showing her preeminence in comparison to the Aztec Sun God. This is just an introduction, there is much more.
Then, there is the tilma itself - made from cactus fiber and supposedly the robe of Juan Diego himself, the image is said to have appeared miraculously while in audience with the bishop. Made from simple cactus fiber, it should never have lasted a decade, let alone 500 years. They even tried to blow it up, and all was a smoking crater except for the tilma.
A society destroyed, suddenly found purpose, found love, and care. Before long, Mexico was a thoroughly Christian nation, and the Virgen de Guadalupe declared the Patroness of all of the Americas. Which is why we celebrate and honor her each year, even in far-off Elm Grove, Wisconsin.
We invite you to attend our Virgen de Guadalupe assembly, coming up on December 4th. The 6th grade has been learning a traditional Mexican folk dance with Senora Paglianti, and Mrs. Gundlach has been preparing the same students to learn a skit, sing some traditional songs and pray. We celebrate and tell this story because it is forever relevant, a story of God’s mother speaking to our brokenness, and calling us home. May Our Lady of Guadalupe pray for us.
God Bless,
Siggy Spelter
Principal
Our Lady of Guadalupe Assembly Wednesday, December 4th,
10:30 - 11:30am in the Gym.
Presented by our 6th grade class.
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