OLGrace[1]

Why Mary?

Catholics differ from Protestants in many ways. One of the most prominent differences is the veneration (honoring) of the Virgin Mary. Some of the most significant manifestations of Mary, aside from being the Mother of God, were her appearances, or “apparitions” to common man.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

In 1531, the Virgin Mary appeared five times to a peasant Aztec man, Blessed Juan Diego, in what is now Mexico. It is theorized by some that the name “Guadalupe” was a mispronunciation of the Aztec word, “coatlaxopeuh” which is pronounced “quatlasupe” and sounds remarkably like the Spanish word Guadalupe. Coa meant serpent, tla was a noun ending which can be interpreted as “the”, while xopeuh means to crush or stamp out. So Our Lady must have called herself the one “who crushes the serpent.