{"id":8288,"date":"2021-09-19T18:32:56","date_gmt":"2021-09-19T23:32:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jenniferfitz\/?p=8288"},"modified":"2021-09-19T18:32:56","modified_gmt":"2021-09-19T23:32:56","slug":"thinking-about-images-of-mary","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/jenniferfitz\/2021\/09\/thinking-about-images-of-mary\/","title":{"rendered":"Thinking About Images of Mary"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

In my goofing off today: \u201cThe First Instagram Filter\u201d<\/a> from Jeff Miller at The Curt Jester<\/em>.\u00a0 He jokes about the popular meme that depicts the Shroud of Turin and the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe as the original selfies, saying, \u201cToday I realized Mary used the first Instagram filter with \u2018indigenous women\u2019 mode.\u201d<\/p>\n

And of course that\u2019s one point of view.<\/p>\n

As Catholics we\u2019re free to not believe in the miraculous nature of either image.\u00a0 Approved apparitions and miracles are deemed \u201cworthy of belief\u201d but they aren\u2019t required<\/em> beliefs.\u00a0 The Church investigates, gives the phenomenon a thumbs up or thumbs down on whether it looks legit, but if you remain skeptical, that\u2019s fine.\u00a0 Private revelation isn\u2019t binding on the universal Church.<\/p>\n

But, suppose you\u00a0do<\/em> believe in the miraculous appearance and image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.\u00a0 In that case, let me help you go next level: What if that\u2019s what Mary\u00a0actually looks like<\/em>?\u00a0All the time.\u00a0 Possibly: Portrait of her teenage self, except in cool clothes.<\/p>\n

Compare:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Juan Diego\u2019s Tilma, public domain.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Now let go of the trappings and focus just on the face.\u00a0 Honestly? You can probably think of several different cultures around the world where if you saw someone with that face, but dressed and speaking and behaving like a local, you wouldn\u2019t suspect it\u2019s someone from Mexico City.\u00a0 Gentlemen, keep in mind that girls do stuff to their eyebrows and hair, so don\u2019t get hung up on that.<\/p>\n

Hold that thought, and then scroll through the portraits in Wikipedia\u2019s article on the Fayum mummy portraits<\/a>. This one, for example:<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Some 2nd century Egyptian lady, public domain<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Or this one:<\/p>\n

\"File:Fayum-34.jpg\"<\/p>\n

Another Egyptian lady, circa 3rd century, public domain.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

I picked the Fayum portraits because they are done in a realistic style and date from approximately the same era and the same general region as Mary and Jesus.\u00a0 They give us an idea of what someone from the region could have looked like.<\/p>\n

Personally? I think it\u2019s entirely believable that the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe isn\u2019t Mary\u2019s face transformed into the image of someone from another part of the world, it\u2019s just Mary\u2019s actual face.\u00a0 Like every teenage girl ever, why wouldn\u2019t<\/em> she have fun dressing up with the clothing and styling of the people she\u2019s hanging out with?<\/p>\n

Just a theory.\u00a0 In no way negates the totally legitimate practice of depicting the Holy Family as members of any ethnicity or cultural group that suits<\/a>.\u00a0 But if it helps you in any way, feel free to think about that possibility.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In my goofing off today: \u201cThe First Instagram Filter\u201d from Jeff Miller at The Curt Jester.\u00a0 He jokes about the popular meme that depicts the Shroud of Turin and the image of Our Lady of Guadalupe as the original selfies, saying, \u201cToday I realized Mary used the first Instagram filter with \u2018indigenous women\u2019 mode.\u201d And […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1209,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[329,12,60,466],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8288","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-history","category-liturgical-living","category-sacred-art-music","category-thinking-topics"],"yoast_head":"\nThinking About Images of Mary<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In my goofing off today: "The First Instagram Filter" from Jeff Miller at The Curt Jester.\u00a0 He jokes about the popular meme that 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