The history behind Our Lady
The Virgin Guadalupe is a Catholic title for Mary, the mother of Jesus. In Roman
Catholicism, our Lady of Guadalupe holds a special place in the religious life of Mexico and sh is one of the most popular religious figures. As the mother of Jesus Christ, Catholics have so much love and respect for the woman that was chosen to conceive Jesus through the Holy Spirit. As the mother of God, the Virgin Mary has a unique position among all creatures. She is exalted, yet human. Although she is known for being the mother of Jesus, there was a significant fact that brought lots of questions. She was a virgin. So why was she important and what
difference did her virginity make? What was so special about this seemingly average village girl? Before we can dig deeper into this, it’s important to understand what life was like in Israel around 2,000 years ago.
Background of Mary
From Catholic tradition, Mary was a young girl who was pious, mature beyond her
age, single-minded, humble, and a person who was wise in her perspective of life and her world. She was a female Galilean villager, probably between the age of 13 to 16 years old. In her world, she was of low status. Her position in that society made her very vulnerable. To add more, her engagement with Joseph involved a financial agreement between the two families that could only be ended by divorce or death. When it was announced that she was pregnant, some people from that village may have wanted to use the full force of the law (no sex outside of marriage) to stone her. At that point, they lived under rules that were designed to set them apart from surrounding nations and set them apart as God’s people.The punishment could’ve
been extreme, hard for contemporary human beings in the 21st century to comprehend.
The Angel’s appearance
One important event that marked how Mary became who she is was through the
appearance of the angel Gabriel. Gabriel is known for delivering God’s messages to humanity, which makes him God's messenger. Shortly six months after Mary’s cousin Elizabeth, had become pregnant, God sent Gabriel to Nazareth, a city in Galilee.
The angel went to a virgin promised in marriage to a descendent of David named Joseph. The virgin's name was Mary. This event led to Gabriel announcing to Mary that she was chosen to conceive the son of God. This was how the news took place. God sent his angel or archangel to deliver this news to the virgin Mary.
Our Lady of Mexico
She didn’t just touch our hearts in Mexico because of her being the Mother of God, but also because she appeared in Mexico. This event is celebrated every December on the 12th. On December 9th, 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared at Tepeyac Hill to Juan Diego, an Indigenous Mexican who lived in Mexico City. She asked Juan to build a shrine at the spot where she appeared. When the local bishop heard the news, evidence was demanded before building a church. The Virgin Mary appeared again on December 12th and told him to pick roses even though it was winter. When Juan Diego went back to show the bishop the proof, he opened his cloak and dozens of flowers fell out. Something else unexpected happened. A stunning picture of the Virgin Mary was on Juan Diego’s cloak. After the bishop saw this, the church was built in her honor on Tepeyac Hill. That same year, she was proclaimed patroness (a saint who protects and leads) of Mexico City. Many people from diverse backgrounds and origins honor and love her for the role she has played before and after
Jesus Christ was born.
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