Mary: Mother, presence and symbol

Monday, August 27, 2018

*Rogelio Zelada - Office of Lay Ministry

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It is surprising to see how popular Marian devotions have been the providential channel that has nourished, maintained and enriched the faith of Latin American believers. Small pictures, extraordinary paintings, wood and stone carvings, always linked to the history of our nations, with privileged witnesses among the poorest, indigenous, mestizos, blacks, or people chosen to, at the right time, become a bridge between tradition and faith.

Found in a frame of enormous popular affection, Marian advocations are a legacy of spiritual wealth, a feast of the heart, of national identity that we must maintain, preserve and celebrate.

In each part of the Latin American continent, the Marian experience wove a rich tapestry of affection, roots and bonds of the heart that has left a very deep impression on who we are. 

Mexico

Fray Juan de Zumárraga was left speechless. The freshest and most beautiful roses of Castile that have fallen to the ground seem to light up the image that shines on the cloak that the stubborn and obstinate native has displayed in his presence. That Guadalupan prodigy initiated an extraordinary love story between the Mother of God and an impoverished, dominated and depressed people who found in the Virgin of Guadalupe the road to their identity and dignity.   

Argentina

A wagon cannot cross the river in Luján. The oxen have stuck their hooves in the mud of the shore and are not moving. The cause was the load being carried in the rustic wagon. The small image of the Immaculate, carved and polychromed in simple clay, wanted to stay in that place to be the Queen of Argentinian hearts.

Bolivia

Made of agave paste and stucco, on its face appear the features of the natives just as her garments evoke the ancient trappings of Inca princesses. Enthroned in a very poor adobe church in 1583, la Coyeta, as the Quechuas call her — that is, Our Lady of Copacabana — is the Queen of the Bolivian people.

Brazil

Poor fishing and an important commitment had led three poor anglers to the Paraiba River. They did not catch anything but entangled in the nets appears the head of an image of the Immaculate Mother. Further away they also collect the body, and then the fishing becomes abundant, overwhelming. The 16th century image, which had remained submerged for so many years in the river’s waters, had lost its original polychrome and now appears in a bright black color. She is the undisputed Mother of the Brazilian people.

Chile

In 1817, General José de San Martín placed his command baton in the hands of a beautiful image of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which he proclaimed Patroness and General of the Army of the Andes. On the eve of the Battle of Chacabuco, he promised to erect a temple to the Blessed Virgin where the freedom of Chile would be signed. Our Lady of Mount Carmel of Maipú is the heavenly Patroness of Chile since 1923.

Colombia

A much-damaged painting of the Virgin of the Rosary ended up at a hacienda where a pious Sevillian placed it in the chapel. Almost nothing could be appreciated of what had been painted on that rustic cotton cloth. On December 26, 1586, an unexpected glow completely filled the small temple, and the colors and holes in the canvas appeared to be prodigiously restored. The Colombians have Our Lady of Chiquinquirá — La Chinita, as they affectionately call her — as their Patroness and protective Mother.

Costa Rica

In Cartago, Juana Pereira, a poor “mestiza,” goes out at dawn looking for wood in the neighboring forest. Instead of wood, she finds a small image of the Virgin Mary on a rock, which the native woman presses against her heart while carrying it to her humble hut. However, the image returns up to five times to the same place where she was discovered, thus convincing everyone that they must erect a temple in that place chosen by her. The discovery happened on the day that the Church celebrates the feast of the Virgin of the Angels, and that is why she is the patron of the people of Costa Rica.

Cuba

On the northern coast of the eastern part of Cuba, three workers are in search of the valuable salt they need. A storm stops them right at the seashore, but they manage to set sail at dawn towards the salt mines. Among the vestiges of the storm, they discover a white bundle, which they initially mistake for a bird or a small girl, but which turns out to be a small and beautiful image of the Mother of God. Astonished by their discovery and, above all, having found the image’s vestments to be dry, they place it in their canoe and discover the inscription printed on the board on which it floated: “I am the Virgin of Charity.” She, whom the people call “Cachita,” is Queen and Lady of Cuba.

Dominican Republic

“Tatica, la de Higüey” (Tatica, the one from Higüey), as the Dominican people call Our Lady of Altagracia, is a devotion with several origin stories. One of them says that a young girl wanted to have a painting of the Virgin, for which her father searched unsuccessfully all over the island. While he was sharing with a group of friends his sadness at coming home empty-handed, an old man who was listening took a rolled canvas from his knapsack and handed it to him: “This is what you are looking for.” Right there, beautifully painted and gently smiling, was the image of the Virgin of Altagracia, protector of the Dominicans. 

To be continued