We just
finish celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, when we celebrate another
great feast of our Lady. On December 12, we honor OUR LADY OF GUADALUPE,
patroness of all the Americas.
Juan was
walking on Tepeyac hill, now part of Mexico
City
The image of Guadalupe relates to Immaculate Conception imagery, which drew aspects of its symbolism from the Book of Revelation which describes the Woman of the Apocalypse as “clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head.” In the Guadalupe image, twelve golden rays frame her face and head, a direct reference to the crown of stars.
The moon
for the Meso-Americans was the god of the night. By standing on the moon, Mary shows that she is more powerful than the god of darkness. The crescent moon under the Madonna’s feet is usually a symbol of
her perpetual virginity, and refers to her Immaculate Conception.
The aureole
or luminous light surrounding our Lady is a sign of the power of God who
has sanctified and blessed the one who appears. The rays of the sun would also
be recognized by the native people as a symbol of their highest god,
Huitzilopochtli. Thus, the woman comes forth hiding but not extinguishing the
power of the sun. She is now going to announce the God who is greater than
their sun god.
The stars on
the Lady’s mantle shows that she comes from heaven. The stars also are a sign
of the supernatural character of the image. The research of Fr. Mario Rojas
Sánchez and Dr. Juan Homero Hernández Illescas of Mexico (published in 1983)
shows that the stars on the Lady’s mantle in the image are exactly as the stars
of the winter solstice appeared before dawn on the morning of December 12, 1531.
No small wonder that this miraculous mantle, which still exists intact after 500 years, defies scientific
scrutiny.
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