The Virgin of Juquila,
La Juquilita,
La Morenita de Juquila,
And originally the Most Pure Virgin of the Conception of Amialtepec.
According to local stories the Virgin of Juquila arrived in Oaxaca, Mexico
from Spain two hundred years ago – a small statue of only two feet tall.
Some say the local priest brought her from the Phillipines. He gifted
the statue to one of his house servants who was very devoted
to the Dear Dark Lady. She soon became famous for working
incredible miracles and she gained a huge following.
Many years later the clergy of the Church decided to build
a chapel for her. She was installed in the chapel near
Juquila and some years later the chapel was destroyed by a fire
but she survived. She was moved into the church in the town
of Juquila, and on completion of the reconstructed chapel,
she was moved back to her original home, but miraculously
she re-appeared in the church in Juquila. This happened
three times and it was accepted that she possessed great power.
Jaquila is an isolated place in the mountains and it is not easy
to get there. Yet, thousands of people visit and promise to return
each year. Devotees often crawl the last two kilometers and
arrive with bloody knees.
‘Like the Virgin of Guadalupe, the Lady of Juquila has a heart for the local people and their land; one can sense in the devotion a certain populism and even anti-clericalism, reflective of the Virgin’s desire to be at home with local peasants rather than imprisoned in a church. She feels for them, grants their requests, and wants to be their mother. Even after papal coronation of the devotion in 2014, the devotion remains one that is deeply tied to a people and a place.
Hence the crowd that gathered there in Salinas, California, this year. A community leader described to me how residents take turns caring for the image, but this weekly rosary was a summons to the entire community of Oaxaquenõs to bring their prayers before the Virgin. They spoke their petitions aloud: “for safety on our streets,” “for our young people” and “for healing.” They named the mysteries, each spoken by a different person leading the prayer, and responded antiphonally. They prayed the Fatima prayer after each decade as well as the prayer of St. Michael. They ended with a beautiful litany of the Virgin. I followed along on my rosary app in Spanish, promising myself that I would learn the prayers by heart for the next opportunity.
Now, when I finger the rosary that I always carry with me — a rosary made by women from Oaxaca — I join my prayer to theirs.
Afterward, many came forward to receive a flower and brush it against the image of the virgin, in order that it be a sign to a loved one of the mother’s protection. Watching them, I called to mind the words of the song that the sisters sang: “with all my soul.” Many of these people lack documents and are fearful of being deported. They live amid violence — a park nearby bears the name of a child killed in gunfire — and economic uncertainty. Many have fled places where there is even more violence, and they bare their souls to the Virgin in the hopes that she might grant them safety, solace, perhaps even a measure of comfort.
Now, when I finger the rosary that I always carry with me — a rosary made by women from Oaxaca — I join my prayer to theirs. Virgin of Juquila, “to thee do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in this vale of tears.”
Reprinted with permission of National Catholic Reporter Publishing Company, Kansas City, MO. NCRonline.org. Dr. Tim Muldoon is Catholic Extension’s Director of Mission Education.
Today is the sixth day of the Twelve Days of Mary and it also relates to the sixth day of the Epiphany of 31 December.On our wheel of colour-astro we are dealing the sixth card for
Virgo August 24 – September 23
Colour – Mary Blue
The planet – Mercury
The tarot card – Lady of the Lamp (Hermit)
The sixth house of service and health
The sixth chakra of the throat and the spiritual centre of the Intestinal Tract The colour of the throat is blue, its complementary colour is orangeand its higher spiritual colour is golden yellow
Lady of the Lamp
This card has bearing on today as well as the the time period of Virgo for your personal year in 2020 but also to the area of that house, the chakra, the spiritual centre etc. At the end we will look at and explore all 12 cards, how they support each other, complement each other and how they will affect our year.
Meditation
It is time to feel love for yourself, for the world around you and every creature and being. It is time to walk the blessing way in the steps of Wisdom. Today we take hands and take the risk of opening our hearts to possibilities hidden yet manifest right before our eyes. She sings words of unity and hope, of wonder and beauty. What does it mean to live together with Wisdom? It is to live fully awake to the centre of all the contradictions of our times, while refusing to be defined by them, nor accommodate ourselves to them. Julian of Norwich said ‘for when I am home with Her I can take my ease, for nothing is bitter in Her company.’ She also said ‘we are not to solve the contradiction, but remaining in the midst of it, in peace, knowing that it is fully solved, but that the solution is secret, and will never be guessed until it is revealed.’
blessings
Hettienne
