The Virgin of Guadalupe

As a child my mother would have a small replica of the Virgin of Guadalupe in our living room. It is very difficult to say in one word what the Virgin means to my family but overall I believe we feel she represents greatness. She is the person who could overcome any obstacle. I remember as a child my mother would pray to her every night. She would pray for the roof on our heads, food on the table and the health of my grandmother. Even though my grandmother passed away a few years ago, my family and I still believe in the Virgin. We look at all the things she has given us like our loving family and our home. When anything tragic is happening in our lives my family turns to the virgin because we feel she gives us hope for happiness. I believe that what makes her special to my family is that, besides god, she is the most important and most represented person in the Catholic religion. Her presence allows women to know that they can do anything and that she would be there to guide women towards greatness.

            When seeing the pictures of the Chicana artist’s interpretation of the Virgin, I felt inspired. I see their interpretation as the modern version of the Virgin.  No one knows how the Virgin looks and when seeing those alterations to the virgin I realized that she could be interpreted in many ways. The Virgin of Guadalupe is the “ideal” woman for me and she can be the “ideal” woman of someone who is the complete opposite of me. She is the idol that cannot and would not disappoint because she is different for everyone. As far as questioning the Virgin of Guadalupe I feel that everyone is entitled to his or her own questions about religion. For me personally, I do not need a physical answer to if she existed and if she was able to do the miraculous things that people claimed she did. I feel that there are many unanswered questions in the world and to find an answer for everything would cause me to loose faith in my religion and me.