The 97% percent I didn't even know existed

The old Cathedral with Tepeyec Hill in the background

I have actually been thinking about this particular blog post since I arrived in Mexico.  After only 5 short weeks this subject has become very near and dear to my heart.

Many of you, like me before coming to Mexico, probably do not realize that Mexico is 97% Catholic. I had read this statistic and thought “wow, that is a lot of people.” However it was not until became immersed in the culture and life here that I realized that statistic represented millions of lost souls. In my own selfish way, 97% was a neat little way to categorize people by beliefs. What I did not realize is that Catholicism has permeated the culture and people look to saints and Mary for answers rather than Christ and cherish relics and artifacts rather than the word of God.

Inside the New Basilica--notice the splendor

Before I get much further in my thoughts let me make it clear: Catholics are wonderful people, many are kind, loving and sacrificial. They take their beliefs very seriously and the devout Catholics often seem to have more devotion and discipline than many Christians. I am no theological authority and I do not pretend to understand everything about Catholicism. However from what I understand and what I have observed here in Mexico, the resurrected Christ, Christ the conqueror and the power of the Holy Spirit are very much missing from Catholic faith.

Juan Diego's cloak

Much of this stems from the Virgin of Guadalupe. If you are not familiar with the story of the Virgin of Guadalupe I will briefly summarize. About 10 years after Hernan Cortez came to Mexico and conquered the Aztec people a man named Juan Diego, a native convert to Christianity, received an apparition of the Virgin Mary near Tepeyec Hill.  Immediately after the Aztecs fell, clergy began to evangelize, but with little success.  The natives did not want to give up their Aztec gods. Why should they? The god of the Spaniards, Mary and the saints were white. That December day Juan Diego witnessed a dark-skinned Mary. She gave him instructions to build her church on Tepeyec hill. Incidentally an old Aztec temple used to stand on that same hill. 

Aztec imagery in the garden surrounding Tepeyec Hill

 After the 4^th apparition of Mary, she commanded Juan Diego to gather roses in his cloak and take them to the Friar to convince him that Juan Diego’s vision was sincere.  When Juan Diego dropped the flowers in front of the Friar his cloak was imprinted with a beautiful image of the Virgin of Guadalupe. This cloak is supposed to be holy because it has not deteriorated and the image of the Virgin of Guadalupe has become iconic in Mexico.  Once the natives heard and saw that Mary had appeared to a fellow native they began to embrace the Catholic faith by the thousands. Finally Catholicism had met the native people of Mexico on their level and they had an advocate in the Church that looked and spoke like them.

Tepeyec Hill--the original church that was built after
Juan Diego's vision of the Virgin of Guadalupe

I give this history because it is the key to understanding the spiritual state of present day Mexico.  The Virgin of Guadalupe represents the unification of the ancient Aztec religion and Catholicism.

At the Basilica there is both Aztec art and Catholic art.  At the front of the church built at the top of Tepeyec there is both the images of the cross and of the sun and the moon (important symbols in the Aztec religion).

Why is any of this relevant to Mexico today? Because the affects of this event are still felt today.

Statue of an Aztec warrior offering homage to Mary

Her image is seen everywhere.  Many stores have statues of her in their window. Every market has a Catholic shrine, where the Virgin of Guadalupe and not Jesus is the center. Don’t get me wrong, Jesus is present but he is either a little baby or he is on the cross suffering.  People go to the Basilica to pray to Mary, the Virgin of Guadalupe. They go just to see the “miracle cloak” which still above the center of the altar at the new Basilica. Mary is worshipped and not Christ. If you can see past the initial splendor of the art and buildings you begin to realize that it is all a cover for superficial beliefs which bring little comfort or fulfillment.  There are ornate offering boxes every 20 feet which explains how everything is kept in such grand condition.  People crawl on their knees to the front of the altar in reverence and wait in line to see the original Virgin of Guadalupe.

Burning candles at the Basilica

My heart aches every time I walk by a Catholic mass and I know that instead of worshipping the one true God they are paying homage to false idols and people who have long since died. My God is living and active. He was on a cross,  but only for a short time and in that time he took on the burden of my sins and the sins of the world. However, three days later he rose again. Triumphant, Conqueror of Death. Not even the grave could contain him.  That is the God I worship. The Risen King, Christ the Savior, Name above all Names.

Praying in the old Cathedral
Notice the painting in the background...who is in the center?

As I was driving home tonight, I saw a spectacular view of the city in the darkness. The darkness covered the dirt and even the poverty. All that remained was light. And I realized that each light represented at least one lost soul. And I was overwhelmed.

Pray fervently for the people of Mexico.  Many Catholics are so close and yet so far from the Truth. Jesus is the truth, the way and the life and I pray that someday each of those shining lights in the city of Pachuca would not represent lost souls but would represent SAVED souls. Praise God for his work in this city and allowing us to be part of it.