The native peoples of Mexico were conquered by the Spanish in 1519. A great sense of despair and helplessness overwhelmed the local population as their way of life was slowly being destroyed. In 1531 a local Indian, Juan Diego, was met on the hill of Tepayac by a woman who said she was the “mother of God” with the instruction to tell the bishop to build a church on the site. This request was met with skepticism by the bishop despite several additional appearances to Juan Diego. It was not until Juan Diego showed the miraculous painting on his cloak (tilma) that the bishop was convinced. That painting depicted Mary as an indigenous woman, dark of skin, clothed in native garb and surrounded by symbols recognizable to the people. The conversion of the Mexican people followed quickly. The incarnation of Jesus shows the plan of God not to remain in heaven but to enter into human affairs. At Guadalupe Mary showed that faith in Jesus was not a foreign imposition but something which sprang from the reality of people’s lives. Our responsiblity is to incarnate Jesus in our time and culture in ways people can recognize today.
