Suffering With Joy

Our Lady of Guadalupe: Feast in Advent

Our Lady of Guadalupe under the title: Morning Star, Norma Salazar Orozco, oil on canvas

Tomorrow is the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I wrote an article about her appearance to St. Juan Diego which I invite you to read in the articles section of this site. Truly, if you are like me, it will increase your love of God and Our Lady.

For years Guadalupe has interested me, but until I read a couple of books (referred to in the article), I didn’t realize the many miraculous aspects of this event.  Who knew that St. Juan’s tilma should have disintegrated 450 years ago?  Not the average person like me!  And there is so much more to it than that.  Please send this post on to your friends because this joyous story is much needed in our day.

Aspects of the apparition related to Advent

First and foremost, Our Lady’s image on the tilma, and also how she appeared to St. Juan Diego, is as a woman with child.  She is expecting Jesus whom we also expect in recollection of His birth over 2000 years ago.

Second, she appeared in Advent, 1531.  Jesus could have sent His mother to the people at any time, but He chose Advent, a liturgical time of yearning and looking forward to the Savior.  Few people among the Aztecs had converted to Christianity before the apparitions.  Afterwards, grace was poured out upon the people.  They became believers in Jesus.  The yearning in their hearts for God that St. Augustine speaks of  in his Confessions was satisfied: “Our hearts are restless until they rest in Thee…”.

Third, the message of Mary appearing as a mestizo was a sign of the peace God desired between the indigeneous people and the Spanish, a blending of the races under the Prince of Peace, Counsellor, God the Mighty as Isaiah 9:6 foretold : “For a Child is born to us, and a son is given to us, and the government is upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, God the Mighty, the Father of the world to come, the Prince of Peace.”  Her image was a sign of great blessings, peace and joy to come, just as the Advent liturgies celebrate the sign of great blessings to come.

About the painting in this post

The painting of Our Lady of Guadalupe in this post is by Norma Salazar Orozco, a gifted Mexican artist from a family of gifted artists.  Visit her site and see how she has used Our Lady’s image from the tilma to illustrate Mary’s different titles.  Among their many subjects, the Orozco family is obviously devoted to honoring the Blessed Mother in art.  If you love art, you will love the work of this family and their story.

Tags: Advent, Our Lady of Guadalupe, peace and joy