The Virgin of Guadalupe is officially celebrated on December 12th. However, the period in 1531 that got the tilma and the flowers delivered to Bishop Zumárraga in Tlatelolco, the destroyed commercial center and sister city to Tenochtitlan, goes back to the 9th when the Virgin first appeared to Juan Diego in nearby Mount Tepeyac.
For good reason, much has been made of the religious, cultural and political significance of her appearance in the Valley of Mexico. In a sense, she represents the connection between the end of one era (pre-Columbian Mesoamerica) and the beginning of another (the colonial experience in the Americas).
For the newly conquered people 494 years ago, she offered a sort of consolation for a devastated world. At the same time, appearing as a “Brown Virgin” she sought to be to identify with the “Brown” people she came to console.
The Virgin of Guadalupe continues to be venerated as much as ever but in an evolving manner. She originally came to provide spiritual refuge for a people whose gods had abandoned them.
In subsequent periods, she has become a partner in the fight for national freedom, liberty and independence as well as the fight for human rights. Today she sits on the top tier of religious icons in the Americas and is the subject of worship, offerings of different kinds and acts of gratitude for her companionship.
More importantly, the Virgin manifest the essence of the Holy Spirit, the subject of Christ’s promise in the Upper Room. The Upper Room was the scene not only of the Last Supper but also Christ’s appearance after resurrection as well as his departure from the world and ascension to heaven.
Before leaving, Jesus promised that the disciples would not be orphaned and that he would send the Holy Spirit to be a companion that would help them remember his teachings. In the group he left behind was his mother Mary, the manifestation of that companion.
Mary had been carrying the Holy Spirit since the conception of Jesus. At some point in her pregnancy, she visited her cousin Elizabeth who, at an old age, had conceived and was carrying John the Baptist.
Saint Luke tells the story of the visit and how the baby John leaped in the womb upon hearing the greeting Mary gave to her cousin. It is in this act that Elizabeth received the Holy Spirit.
The Upper Room is where the disciples receive the Holy Spirit from Mary who was obeying the will of her son. So, the great companion of the Christian spiritual world has been the mother figure in its different manifestations of the Virgin.
The two major groups of the Christian community in the world, the Catholics and Protestants, have valued the Holy Spirit so much that it was made 1 of the 3 pillars of the Holy Trinity in the 5th Century. Yet it is curious that these same groups treat the mother of God as less than that.
The Virgin of Guadalupe as one of the incarnations of the Holy Spirit has and is fulfilling the role of the best companion one can have. More than a companion however, the Virgin has the responsibility of making sure that the teachings in Jesus’ ministry are remembered.
With great sacrifice, Caravans are arriving from different part of the Mexico to gather at the doors of the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City to worship and celebrate. The great fanfare includes significant Indian representations that still remember their past.
The views expressed by David Conde are not necessarily the views of LaVozColorado. Comments and responses may be directed to News@lavozcolorado.com.
