Friday, December 12, 2025

It is the 12th of December 2025. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

It’s that time of year again, yes, the Advent/Christmas season, when we Protestants remember the Virgin Mary. Listen, we think some of our pals have gone overboard… but this is a good season for remembering the handmaiden of the Lord- the one who said yes, and might we say… yes, Mary did know.

And today, the 12th of December, you can bet the streets of Mexico City are packed as this is the feast day of the Virgin of Guadalupe, the one-time patron saint of all of the Spanish New World and today of Mexico. There might not be a more reprinted and memorable image of Mary- it’s the one with her standing with a bowed head and clasped hands- with a sunburst surrounding her- she’s dressed in turquoise. Here in my part of the world, they are ubiquitous.

The story is said to have gone back to the time of Cortés and the taking of Mexico in the 1520s. In the wake of this, the church is starting to grow, but sees its most miraculous founding event pegged to this date. The story centers on an Aztec convert to Christianity- a peasant named Juan Diego. On the 12th of December in 1531, he’s on his way to Mass, and as he passes by a hill where pagans had worshipped, he sees the Virgin Mary wearing the colors of Aztec rulers and appearing as a person of blended heritage- European and indigenous. She asks for a church to be built there for her. He is told to go to the Bishop, the bishop doesn’t believe, and Diego returns to the Virgin asking for a sign. In the meantime, amidst the back and forth, Diego’s uncle is sick, and he is told to find a priest when he was supposed to go back to the Virgin.  

All is made well when Juan is told to climb a hill, and there, he finds Castilian roses- in the dead of winter! He carries them in his cloak to the bishop, and when he opens his cloak, the roses tumble out, and the image of the Virgin is on the cloak. The cloak remains today near the location, in modern Mexico City at the Cathedral of the Virgin of Guadalupe, where 10-12 million people… that is not a typo… I checked it multiple times… 10-12 million will visit the cathedral with the cloak…

There are a number of fascinating threads in this story- this particular image became the symbol of Mexican identity and was especially resonant with the peasants and revolutionaries.

We know that Cortés and many with him had a special affinity for the Virgin Mary- they were late Medieval and Early Modern Christians- but it is supposed that her cult was especially resonant with the indigenous converts who had worshipped Tonantzin, the goddess they called “Our Mother”.

And however the imagery was developed, the use of teal and aqua was significant as these were not European colors for Mary- they would have their own image. And that Mary appears as a mixed-race person, once again, not from the European stock imagery but one that “spoke” to a different kind of person. The expanded story also has Mary speaking to Diego in Nahautl- their native language.

The attempts to date any of the artifacts to the 16th century seem misguided- what seems most likely is that there was a strong attachment to the Virgin amongst the conquistadors, missionaries and converts in the 1500’s and the parallels to the native goddess made her especially popular such that by the 17th century stories were being created and edited to tell a kind of supernatural origin story- it’s a pretty common thing. But this story, and the attachment to the Virgin and this particular image became popular fast- by 1746 she was the patroness of New Spain and by 1754 the Pope had declared this, the 12th of December the official feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe- celebrated at the site of that image and the story of her miraculous appearance in modern Mexico City… (if you’re their today, try side streets… it’s gone be crowded).

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary, and more 2nd Advent talk from 2 Peter:

11 Since everything will be destroyed in this way, what kind of people ought you to be? You ought to live holy and godly lives 12 as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. 13 But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells.

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 12th of December 2025, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who woke up this morning with a las mañanitas on his tongue… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who has near the top of his bucket list to get to Mexico City- the history, the food, the Lucha Libre! I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.