Our Lady of Guadalupe: Mother of the Civilization of Love

by Carl A. Anderson, Eduardo Chávez

Nearly a decade after Spain's conquest of Mexico, the future of Christianity on the American continent was very much in doubt. Confronted with a hostile colonial government and Native Americans wary of conversion, the newly-appointed bishop-elect of Mexico wrote to tell the King of Spain that, unless there was a miracle, the continent would be lost. Between December 9 and December 12, 1531, that miracle happened, and it forever changed the future of the continent.

It was then that the Virgin Mary famously appeared to a Native American Christian convert on a hilltop outside of what is now Mexico City. The image she left imprinted on his cloak or tilma has puzzled scientists for centuries, and yet Our Lady of Gudalupe’s place in history is profound. A continent that just months before the apparitions seemed completely lost to Christianity suddenly and inexplicably embraced it by the millions. Our Lady of Guadalupe's message of love replaced the institutionalized violence of the Aztec culture, and built a bridge between two worlds — the old and the new — that were just ten years earlier engaged in brutal warfare.

Today, Our Lady of Guadalupe continues to inspire the devotion of millions.
From Canada to Argentina — and even beyond the Americas — one finds great devotion to her, and great appreciation for her message of love, unity and hope. Today reproductions of the Virgin’s miraculous image can be seen throughout North and South America, in churches and homes, on billboards and even clothing apparel. Her shrine in Mexico City, where the miraculous image is housed to this day, is one of the most visited in the world.

In Our Lady of Mother of the Civilization of Love, Anderson & Chavez trace the history of Our Lady of Guadalupe from the sixteenth century to the present discuss of how her message was and continues to be an important catalyst for religious and cultural transformation. Looking at Our Lady of Guadalupe as a model of the Church and Juan Diego as a model for all Christians who seek to answer Christ's call of conversion and witness, the authors explore the changing face of the Catholic Church in North, Central, and South America, and they show how Our Lady of Guadalupe's message was not only historically significant, but how it speaks to contemporary issues confronting the American continents and people today.

Genres: Catholic, Religion, Nonfiction, Faith, History, Christian, Audiobook

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

The 13th supreme knight of the Knights of Columbus, Carl A. Anderson has led the Knights and their families since 2000 to unprecedented levels of charitable giving and support for their communities and Church. Under Mr. Anderson’s leadership, membership has grown to more than 1.9 million Knights, who together in 2014 alone donated over $173.5 million to charity and provided more than 71.5 million volunteer hours of charitable service worldwide. Over the past decade, under the supreme knight's guidance, the Knights of Columbus has donated more than 691 million hours of service to charity and $1.4 billion to charity.

Reviews

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many of my friends who are of Mexican ancestry have told me about Our Lady of Guadalupe that I decided to read this book. Not only does it trace Our Lady of Guadalupe's place in history it tells the story of what happens when cultures are forced to confront the violence of differing ideologies...Our Lady of Guadalupe has shed as many tears as men have shed drops of blood...yet still we refuse to change.

[The Lit Bitch · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don’t often read a lot of nonfiction but ever once in a while a book catches my eye that I simply must read and that’s what happened with this book.

Our Lady of Guadalupe’s feast day is Dec 12 and even though I am a Catholic myself (albeit a new one), I wasn’t very familiar with anything to do with her. I first started becoming interested in Our Lady back when I was living in Arizona over ten years ago.

In Arizona she is huge as there is a large Hispanic population there. It was amazing to see the devotional level to Our Lady yet as a non-Hispanic person, I felt odd showing interest in Our Lady. Almost as if she was an image reserved only for the Hispanic culture.

Flash forward twelve or so years and here I am as a new Catholic convert and in a new state (Oregon) where Our Lady is not so venerated here as we have a smaller Hispanic population….and it’s Dec 12th and my Parrish priest is heading to a city wide celebration for Our Lady. I was surprised that there was such a huge following.

I couldn’t stop thinking about Our Lady and why her image was so important. She is the patron saint of the Americans, not just Mexico or Central America, but all of America so I felt almost obligated to find out more about her.

I started looking for books and found this one. There is no shortage of books on Our Lady but this one stood out to me because it had become a bestseller a couple of years back and I liked that the emphasis was more on history rather than theology–though there is theology in the book, it isn’t the singular focus.

I absolutely loved this book. The historical information was fantastic and well researched. The first half of the book focuses on the story of Juan Diego and how he became a saint and how Our Lady appeared to him and what followed after. The details were well researched and presented in an upfront fashion. It wasn’t overly historical which made it easier to read but yet had enough facts and research to satisfy even the most enthusiastic historian.

It also talked about how Our Lady changed the Catholic Church not just at the time of the apparition but even now. You do not need to be a Catholic to read this book by any means. As a new convert I am not as familiar with all the nuances of the faith, but I was able to navigate the story and understand different theological concepts as well as historical significances.

This was an excellent and captivating book. I can’t say enough good things about it. It wasn’t overrun with historical data or language nor was it overrun with Catholic doctrine and theology. It struck a perfect balance between the two and thus would appeal to wide audience.

I can easily see why this book became a bestseller, it’s well written and the structure is easy to follow. It covers all areas of interest, from scholars to theologists to curious people like me. This is the book you didn’t know you needed to read. I bought multiple copies of it for my family for the holidays because it was that good. After reading this book I can see why she is such an important figure not just in the Hispanic culture but for all Catholics around the world. What an outstanding read!

See my full review here

[Aleksandr Jackson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. Juan Diego isn't just a poor Indian. His tilma isn't just a cape. And Mary isn't just a woman. For anyone curious about the Blessed Mother's appearance to Juan Diego and her message of Christ, I would encourage them to read it. I learned so much not only about the supernatural aspect of her apparition but also what it meant in the historical context of the New World.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything one would want to know about O.L. of Guadalupe. The first half is a historical and cultural study. The second half is more of a meditation and spiritual reflection on the motherhood of Mary for the U.S., the Church, and the individual.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently began to understand the significance of the virgin mary in christian/catholic thought. It is very fascinating to read about the significance of an instance of marian apparitions. Especially the significance of the Virgin of Guadalupe since she is the patron of the Americas, and I live in that part of the world.

Excellent book, fantastic description of the story of this apparition of the virgin Mary. I think it will help the reader to understand that Mary is a conduit to her Son, even these various apparitions.

[Argum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Around mid December, I was discussing Our Lady of Guadalupe with a friend. She was discussing both the Mass at our parish with mariachi band and a documentary she had seen that showed the tilma after the cleaning accident miraculously untouched on the image. I realized that despite being an American Catholic who should know things about our patroness in this particular apparition, I really knew about nothing beyond it happened. So I set out to find a book about this. This book's first half or so is exactly that, but then it takes a turn to be more focused on Mary as Mediatrix (never used the word but a light theological discussion). The second half did try to make it specific to the Virgin at Guadalupe. So I am not disappointed as I did learn a lot about the apparition and the tilma, but it was more than I had intended. But then a little dose of Mary as Mother of us all is never a bad thing.

[B K · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting with the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego and ending with the role Our Lady of Guadalupe plays in modern day life, this book is a must for Mary fans, and those trying to understand the role of Our Lady of Guadalupe in the Catholic church ase well as the culture of the Americas.This book compares and contrasts the Aztec symbology with that of Our Lady of Guadalupe and the Catholic Church. PJP2 and PB16 are quoted throughout the book. At times, the book can be a bit dry, but nonetheless it was a very informative read.

[Gwen · Rating 5 out of 5]

If the rest of the book is as packed full of insights as the first 25 pages, I will be checking this out again and it will definitely be on my list to buy.

Beginning with Aztec culture and the Christian convert Juan Diego, the authors explore every nook and cranny of meaning from names to relationships and symbolism of flowers and songs. I have loved reading every word of the first two chapters.

[Don · Rating 5 out of 5]

1531 event that changed the lives of 9M people within years, a story of love that may enrich your life.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed learning more about the Virgin of Guadalupe. The book not only gave the history but also challenged the reader to live out the gospel. Good read.

[Jeannette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Growing up, I'd of course knew of Our Lady of Guadalupe, but I'm not sure that I've ever really read the story start to finish. Perhaps as a child, but I haven't really done a lot of reading on the subject or its meaning since. This book may not have been the best start in that sense, as it doesn't tell the full story in sequence until Appendix A (Note to Past Self: You should have started here.), but what it does do is interpret the story really well.

From the elements of the actual image of Our Lady of Guadalupe to the words she used with St. Juan Diego, this book examines each part of the encounter. On top of that, it goes into interpreting its relevance. It starts with its relevance to the Catholics of the time, as well as the Spanish colonists, but where I found it most fascinating was where it connected the elements of the image and the encounter with the Native American culture of the area at the time. It also continues on to outline how the event is relevant today. While, for the most part, it doesn't point to specific incidents or situations, it explains meanings and effects in ways that I could easily connect to things in life and the world. There were a number of ideas that I didn't even think to look for in this book that were addressed.

While this book isn't inaccessible, I do think its more written for someone who is familiar with the faith. It was also a bit repetitive sometimes, and occasionally I had a hard time keeping my attention on it. That being said, I am really glad I read it and I got a lot out of it. I love it when readings on faith are really relevant to where I am in life, and this was one of those cases.

[Rolf · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thorough and really compelling exploration of everything the Virgin of Guadalupe means, sociologically, culturally, religiously.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book written by the Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus caught my attention when I saw it at the library, but unfortunately, it didn't do a very good job of holding my attention. The parts about Juan Diego's visions of Mary were interesting, even fascinating. The rest was dry, technical, and rather boring. Had I been reading this one instead of listening to it, I probably wouldn't have finished.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a really thorough explanation of the significance of the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe both at the time it occurred and for right now. If you already know a lot about the symbolism and iconography of the image itself, the beginning of the book will be repetitive for you. If you haven't delved into that yet, this is a great introduction. And it's worth reading for the explication of the cultural impact of these symbols and what they can teach us about evangelization today.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. The book starts with a basic history of the apparition and moves to a discussion of the symbolism in the picture on the tilma. It ends with various lessons for us today to learn from Our Lady of Guadalupe. I am not a theologian, but as far as I am able, I found the book to be orthodox. I came away from it with a deepened faith and wanting to recommend the book to friends.

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

For as new as this book is, I was put off by the authors’ use of the word “Indians”, by the word “man” in place of “humanity” or “people”, and by the failure to more honestly describe the treatment of native peoples by invading Spaniards. But I’m headed to the shrine and wanted to read up. The book was helpful for that.

I much prefer Virgil Elizabdo’s “Guadalupe: Mother of the New Creation”

[Rachel Dvorak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating bit of history. A tad dry in some parts, however the depth and detail revealed about this apparition is well worth the read.

[Mario · Rating 5 out of 5]

a must read book

[Judith Babarsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first account of Our Lady of Guadalupe that I have read, previously only aware of the basic facts. The book describes the appearance of Our Lady on a hillside outside of Mexico City in December 1531. But the author goes beyond the basic facts of the appearance to discuss the imagery and meaning behind it. The Mexicans were largely under the rule of the Spaniards at the time and, although some had converted to Christianity, many remained faithful to indigenous deities. This all changed fairly rapidly after the appearance of Mary to a poor Native American Christian named Juan Diego. The book explains the significance of the imagery on Juan Diego’s tilma (a piece of clothing worn over other clothes) that miraculously appeared. The images blend Mexican American traditions with Christian traditions and led many Mexicans to convert. It was a blending of Old World traditions with the New World. As the book stated, “The Guadalupe message is, in its originality, a spiritual education, an education in love.” Whereas the European culture was largely based on the written word, the Indians of the New World lived more in a culture of image. This book does an excellent job of delineating these differences and the significance, therefore, of the appearance of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Discussing how evangelization based upon a theological explanation of Christianity was bound to fail with the Indian culture, the author describes how Our Lady of Guadalupe spoke to the Indians through imagery — speaking of relationships, motherhood, love. It is a definitely a book I will refer to again for its explanation of the images and how they spoke to the Mexican culture.

[Patty Betts · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such an inspiring book that has begun my journey as a new converted Catholic - embracing the Lord’s Mother as my own! I recommend this book - even my children enjoyed this book that we ended up doing more research on Juan Diego and the Lady.

“This is the good news of the gospel that is to good to forget: that Jesus Christ brought us a message that has emphasized the absolute value of life and of the human person, who comes from God and is called to live in communion with God. What Christ makes clear in His incarnation, in coming to man fully as a man, and in His death - is that each of us is a result of God; each of us is willed, each of us is loved. For this reason, to live as a Christian is not simply to follow rules of “being good” but to be united to a Person. ‘Christian ethics is not born from a system of commandments, but rather is the consequence of our friendship with Christ. This friendship influences life; if it is true, it incarnates and fulfills itself in love for neighbor. Our relationship with Christ is deeply positive rather than the source of prohibitions it is a source of love that compels us to return to love with love and to treat others with compassion, generosity and justice.” - St. Benedict XVI

[Jarrett Vandiver · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who is interested in evangelism among diverse cultures should read this book. When it comes to reconciling two different cultures and being a witness for millions to convert to Christ, you can’t do any better than Mary’s appearance to Juan Diego—our Lady of Guadalupe. At a turbulent time when Christianity struggled to take root in the 16th century Americas, Mary appeared to Juan Diego (to a mestizo in the form of a mestizo) and this apparition was the beginning of the conversion of over 9 million Native Americans to the Christian faith. This was not a top-down conversion as was typical of Europe; this was one of the most unique religious explosions that spread not from kings but from commoners to commoners.

This book goes through the amazing details of Mary’s image on Juan Diego’s tilma—an image which has withstood the test of time and survived many attempts at destruction. After a detailed retelling of the apparition story and analysis of the image itself, the book concludes with theological insight on how Our Lady of Guadalupe is an example for evangelization and a culture of life in our modern American world.

[Mark Montanye · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our Lady of Guadalupe was a very good read and I would recommend it for two purposes. First, if you are interested in the history of the image and the cultural significance among Latinos & Catholics, the story is fascinating. As a geography teacher it is also interesting thinking about the diffusion of Catholicism in the Americas as a result of the image, rather than the traditional diffusion that occured as the church expanded throughout Europe with the influence of government leadership. Second, the faith application which you need to have a much more philosophical approach and interest in order to truly make sense of the second half of the book. But if you are looking understanding aspects of the faith, then have a look at the entire book. If you are interested in just the history & the image itself as well as its cultural significance, then the first half of the book is your focus.

[Drew · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently visited the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico City. The first thing I did when I returned home was bought this book. Before I went I thought I had researched enough about the events that had happened in Mexico City but I was hadn't even scratched the surface. This book really put not only the events that had happened into prospective but also brought forth the spiritual reality which is the whole purpose.

[Joe Grech · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having never heard of this apparition I was hooked when I read a review in a local paper. Immediately I wanted to know more and at once started my research on the net. This led me to this book which I found truly fascinating and would recommend it to all.
As result I ended up by building up a Powerpoint program and touring various local parishes. After every presentation the audience were thrilled and went home enthralled.

[Michael Jolls · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before reading this book, I was familiar with the overall story and symbolism, but this really dives into the details. Examining the Guadalupe story from every angle imaginable... until it starts to eat itself. Half of the book is PHENOMENAL, but a third of it could be tossed out, as it gets into theological concepts, primarily pulling from Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, and goes off on elongated tangents that are ultimately confusing and/or simply dull.

[Daniela Dzurakova · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a very nice book that analyses the importance of Holy Mary as an element of evanjelisation on the American continent. It included the descruption of apparition, as well as historical background. It does not focus so much on the analysis of the picture itself what I would appreciate, but the basic info is there. Overall, very easily read.

[Celina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Our Lady of Guadalupe & enjoyed learning more about the apparition and Juan Diego. The book was a slow read (not helped by my notorious problem of starting too many books at once) but was well researched & I loved the appendices with the full Nican Mopohua & timeline as well. I never knew a copy of the image was on board a ship in the battle of Lepanto!

[Jess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wanted a more thorough look at Our Lady of Guadalupe, but after reading about the image, I found other sources that dispute the originality of many of
The markings that the author spent so much time explaining. This and the usage of the descriptor “Indian” was off putting. I may pick it up later but this wasn’t the book I was hoping to read.

[J.S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have never really realized the full beauty and profound meaning of Our Lady of Guadalupe. This book has strengthened my commitment to Mary, and I challenge all those who deny her to pray on this revelation. If you are still not moved by her, you are probably dead inside.
JS

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very detailed account of the miracle and those involved. Lots of cultural nuances are discussed which are really enlightening. I enjoyed reading this, and learned a lot, but think I will need to reread the book to really understand all that was presented.