The Arizona Republic: "Protestant Latinos Put Faith in Jesus, not Virgin"
From The Arizona Republic:
It may not be a famine, but today's Feast of the Virgin of Guadalupe has lost some weight.My Comments:
Thousands of Hispanic Catholics in the Valley will celebrate the Virgin's appearance five centuries ago in Mexico with processions and prayers, Masses and mariachis.
But thousands of Latino former Catholics will skip the celebrations. To these Protestant converts who once prayed to the Virgin of Guadalupe for protection, prosperity and love, she is now just a commercialized image used to market everything from religion to bus companies and mouse pads.
"Evangelicals regard any icon or symbol other than Jesus himself . . . to be simply not allowable," said Tony Zavaleta, a professor of anthropology and border culture at the University of Texas-Brownsville. "The Virgin of Guadalupe, as the mother of God, is the person whom (Latino Catholics) turn to."
The Virgin of Guadalupe is the central symbol of faith for Hispanic Catholicism and is the cultural icon of Mexico. For millions of Latinos worldwide, today's feast for their beloved Mexican mother is as big as Christmas and Easter.
Twice a day, Jose Gonzalez used to pray to the Virgin of Guadalupe. But when he turned away from Catholicism, he let her go. Now, the Phoenix pastor speaks directly to Jesus.
"Traditionally, Mexican people believe that the Virgin of Guadalupe is a mediator between God and the people," said Gonzalez, 55, of Nuevo Nacimiento Church on 27th Avenue near Van Buren Street.
"We pray only to God, through Jesus Christ," he said. "The Virgin of Guadalupe plays no role. Not at all."
***
Evangelicalism is on the rise with Latinos in the U.S. and throughout Latin America, though Catholicism remains strong.
About 23 percent, or 9.5 million of 41 million Latinos in the U.S. in 2004, identified themselves as Protestants or other Christians, according to statistics compiled in Latino Religions and Civic Activism in the United States, co-edited by Gastón Espinosa, an assistant professor of religious studies at Claremont McKenna College.
About 29 million Latinos identified themselves as Catholic, according to the book, an all-time high. Each year, as many as 600,000 U.S. Latinos leave the Catholic Church for other Christian denominations, Espinosa said.
[More]
A lot of people who didn't know their Catholic faith very well to begin with didn't realize that the Blessed Mother is always pointing to her Son. Fortunately, as many of these evangelical converts grow in their Christian faith, they will realize that the fullness of the faith can be found in the Church they left behind. Hopefully, they will return.
posted by Pro Ecclesia 10:34 AM
3 comments
3 Comments:
"Evangelicals regard any icon or symbol other than Jesus himself . . . to be simply not allowable," and yet Mary left this image herself. What a loss for Latinos to abandon their mother!
Mary left what image? I'm a Protestant so I'm not up to speed on a lot of Catholicism's finer points.
Pirate, today, you can go to the Basilica of Guadalupe in Mexico City and see the overgarment, called a tilma, which St. Juan Diego was wearing when he encountered the Blessed Virgin. Remember, this is 500 years ago.
She sent him to tell the local bishop to build a basilica there, and when the bishop (understandably) didn't believe the old peasant, Juan Diego, there miraculously appeared on his tilma an image of Mary, the famous image of the Virgin de Guadalupe.
Today, 500 years later, the image is still there, not faded at all.
I'm told that close examination of the image reveals that in the Lady's eyes, you can see the reflection of the people who were standing nearby when the image was emblazoned on the tilma.
I encourage you to read up on this very special story, and discern for yourself what, if any of it, may be true.
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