Our Lady of Guadalupe
This past week, the Church celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This feast celebrates the apparition of our Lady to Saint Juan Diego. The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe has since gone on to become one of the most famous images of Mary as well as one of the most unique. The image itself contains some of the deepest symbolism of any such images. Let’s take a look at some of this symbolism.
First, the Lady is standing upon the moon. This calls to mind the woman of Rev. 12:1 who has the "moon under her feet". The moon for the Meso-Americans was the god of the night. By standing on the moon, she shows that she is more powerful than the god of darkness. However, in Christian iconography the crescent moon under the Madonna’s feet is usually a symbol of her perpetual virginity, and sometimes it can refer to her Immaculate Conception or Assumption.
Next, the aureole or luminous light surrounding the Lady is once again reminiscent of the "woman clothed with the sun" of Rev. 12:1. The light is also 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 lady 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.
For brevity’s sake, I will conclude with arguably the most significant element of the apparition. Our Lady appears brown skinned and clothed with typical clothing for an Aztec woman. More specifically she is a mestizo, a combination of Mexican and Spanish, indicating that she is for all people. Her eyes are cast downwards, indicating to them that she was not a god and symbolizing humility. She is, in effect, saying, “I am one of you and one with you.” The significance should not be lost here: in every apparition of Mary and/or Jesus, they have appeared in the likeness of those they are appearing to. For God, skin color and nationality mean nothing; all that matters is that we enter into His covenant, and Mary will show us the Way to do so.