The image of the Virgen de Guadalupe was always a sensitive subject in my home. My mother grew up in a stern Jehovah's Witness family in El Salvador, which preached against idolizing such images. Jehovah’s Witnesses are a Christian denomination, which believe that such images hold no power and should not be regarded with such high praise. As a result of growing up with this mindset, every image of her that appeared in our home heavily displeased her.
Though my mother did not care for these images my dad was raised Catholic, and proudly wore the Virgin on his chest everyday. My father was raised in Mexico, where the image is a national symbol seen everywhere you look. Being so heavily influenced by her significant presence, he scattered images of the Virgin throughout our house just as his family did. From the chain he wore, to the backlit framed portrait that was always lighting our living room when the lights went out.
Growing up in a mixed Christian-Catholic home religion was a continual source of contention. Though my parents grew up with their own preconceived notions on things, they provided us with their own perspectives and left us to come to our own conclusions and decisions on religion and its images. They have given my siblings and I the freedom to explore our own faiths but not before giving me my own Virgen on my eighteenth birthday. I now proudly wear her on my chest everywhere I go, not as as much as a religious symbol, but rather a symbol of the love and strength my parents have given me.
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