As we all learned in grade school in the USA, the Spaniards arrived in the new world in 1492. They attempted to establish settlements and colonies throughout the Caribbean Islands, Santo Domingo, and Venezuela. Their initial efforts included some attempts at evangelization. All those attempts at the imposition of foreign rule, Catholic religion, and the establishment of a self-sustaining colony met with repeated failures.
Then the Spanish conquistadores arrived in what we now call Mexico in February 1519 to establish another colony. Friars from the Franciscan order were charged with the evangelization of the native population in Mexico. The original 12 Apostles, that is the initial evangelizers, from the Franciscan Order arrived in Mexico in May of 1524. They were: Fray Martín de Valencia (Leader), Fray Francisco de Soto, Fray Martín de Coruña, Fray Juan Juárez, Fray Antonio de Ciudad Rodrigo, Fray Toribio de Benavente Motolinia García de Cisneros, Fray Luis de Fuensalida, Fray Juan de Ribas, Fray Francisco Jiménez, Fray Andrés de Córdoba, and Fray Juan de Palos (lay Franciscan). Later, Augustinian and Dominican friars joined the evangelization efforts.
When the Spanish conquistadores arrived, the Aztec empire had been organized into a well-structured society with urban and agricultural areas for centuries. The government and religious sectors were already well formed also for many centuries. During this initial period of the conquest, the Aztec authorities recognized the authority of the Spanish king over them and Spain began to import precious metals and agricultural goods. However, the Aztec political and religious leaders and the common folk resisted the imposition of any foreign religious system. The Aztec political leaders even threatened the Spanish by inferring that the imposition of the Catholic religion would provoke an uncontrollable revolt by the common folk. Despite the efforts of the friars, very little progress was made during those initial years of evangelization efforts. During those first year, their human efforts met insurmountable barriers like multiple languages, cultural differences, political resistance, and their association with foreign military conquistadors. The Aztecs were conquered politically and militarily, but overall, the Latino heart and soul resisted being dominated. They would not renounce their Aztec gods and idols. They surrendered their territory, their goods, their political freedom, and their minerals. But the Aztecs never renounced their heart and soul.
Almost forty years after arriving in the New World and after 12 years in Mexico the Spaniards were only able to convert a small number of folks. The small local communities of Catholic faith were mostly those centered around the mission compounds. So, we can say that after 40 years of effort, the process was a failure.
Then the evangelization process took a huge turn. In December of 1531 Juan Diego, an Aztec commoner, experienced a vision while on the road. In the vision Mary was clothed in Aztec style of dress, spoke to him in his native Aztec language, protected his family by curing his uncle, and proclaimed herself mother. She understood his concerns, his connections, and his obligations to his family. Suddenly the Catholic faith was no longer associated with ugly, foreign, unintelligible Spanish military. Here we have Aztecan language, cultural values, family, duty to a beloved uncle, and the love of a mother.
Seven years later the Aztec heart and soul was Catholic. Practically the whole Aztec empire, around 7 million people, was converted over that short seven-year period.
What the Spanish conquistadores could not accomplish in forty years by force of arms and political force, Mary, the mother of Jesus, was able to do in a few years through signs of God’s maternal concern and using the seeds that God had planted within the native Latino culture – service, duty, and connection to family and community, plus motherly love and concern.
Today’s Gospel presents Mary as a woman who surrenders her will to the will of God and who constantly goes beyond herself to serve others. The Gospel today shows us Mary running to serve her older cousin who is pregnant and in need of help. Mary, who was also pregnant, had every right to sit down and rest in her own home, to worry about herself and her child, or to insist that others serve her. Yet we see that she gets up and runs to serve her cousin. This is Mary as an image of that common Latino heart and soul dedicated to family and to others. This is our common vocation as Christians.
Mary, the mother of Jesus, sign of our mother the Church says:
Am I not here, I who am your mother?
Image: WIKI COMMONS Miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe Rosas; Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Text: Selected historical text throughout the reflection, is from Wikipedia.