As Lent Madness voting resumes for the week, we encounter Hadewijch and Juan Diego, two outsiders in their own unique ways. In case you're wondering about the pronunciation, Hadewijch rhymes with hate-a-witch (if you're either a Wiccan or from Salem, Massachusetts, please don't get offended).
In the only Saturday match-up of Lent Madness 2015, Molly Brant sent Swithun back to the proverbial swamp 58% to 42%. Molly will face the winner of Bede vs. Cuthbert in the Saintly Sixteen.
Yesterday, in case you missed it (and if you did, you should sign up on the home page to receive e-mails every time we post something), we shared some resources to supplement your Lenten journey. We've invited folks to add others in the comment section, not because we don't have all the answers but because we're lazy. So check out what we're calling "Lent beyond the Madness" and feel free to add to the list.
Hadewijch
In the early thirteenth century, new expressions of religion began to appear in what are now the modern-day countries of Belgium, Luxembourg, and The Netherlands. The devotions of contemplation and ecstatic mysticism began to be publicly practiced by a group of devout women known as the Beguines. Beguines were not nuns, but women who chose to lead lives of poverty and prayerful contemplation without taking formal vows. Their members were from across all socioeconomic classes; some lived alone, and others formed small groups.
Hadewijch was among these devout women. Other than her devotion as a Beguine, almost nothing is known of her life. What we do know has been distilled from her writings—collections of poetry, letters, and visions. Her writings show a proficiency in Latin and French, with a vast knowledge of both the Old and New Testaments and early Church writers, especially Saint Augustine of Hippo.
Her writings tell of a burning love for the Trinity and mystical love for Christ. In fact, her writings are filled with the theme of love, although a much more diverse sense of the word than English translations can capture. Hadewijch used various terms for love, including karitate (love of neighbor), lief (the beloved) and minne (a feminine word of the language of courtly love). Minne is used most often in her writings, as an experience of the soul in a loving, erotic relationship with God.
While almost nothing is known directly about her that can be pinned down as historical fact, her use of the images of courtly love to describe our relationship with God suggests she was nobility. She took common images of her day—love offered to a lady by a knight, the knight facing dangers to win the love of a woman, the elegant dance of honor, expressions of love, the trials faced to win the love and affection of the beloved — and used the tension, seduction, and longing particular to courtly love to express the relationship between the soul and God. Her poetry brought a holy sensuality to the usually dry theological writings of the time, which were also rife with superstition and threats of eternal damnation.
Her use of courtly love and eroticism to speak of our relationship with God did not find support in the traditional church hierarchy or in the Beguine community. From the content of letters and visions, scholars believe Hadewijch was evicted from her community and perhaps imprisoned for her expression of faith and belief. Other letters indicate she lived her last years homeless, serving the sick and dying in hospitals where she could care for those in need, sleep in a corner when possible, and pray in a chapel.
Collect for Hadewijch
Loving God, we thank you this day for the ministry and mystical experiences of your servant Hedewijch. Grant that we might each discover a language of love to speak to you, and to our brothers and sisters in faith. Give us grace to speak of love and out of love daily, to you and to the world, not counting the cost or considering the risks of speaking and loving boldly, knowing that your love perfects our imperfections, and that mercy and grace cover a multitude of shortcomings. Amen.
Juan Diego
Juan Diego is the first Roman Catholic indigenous American saint. Born in 1474 with the name “Cuauhtlatoatzin” (“the talking eagle”), Juan Diego was a member of the Chichimeca people and lived a simple life as a weaver, farmer, and laborer. When he was fifty years old, he and his wife were among the first indigenous people in the former Aztec Empire to accept baptism and convert to Christianity.
According to tradition, on December 9, 1531, Juan Diego rose before dawn to walk fifteen miles to mass. As he passed the hill of Tepeyac, he heard a woman’s voice call him to the top of the hill. There, he saw a beautiful young woman dressed like an Aztec princess. She said she was the Virgin Mary and asked him to tell the Bishop of Tepeyac to build a church on that site in her honor.
The bishop was skeptical of Juan Diego and demanded proof of the Lady’s identity. On December 12, Juan Diego returned to Tepeyac and asked the Virgin Mary for proof. She told him to climb the hill and to pick the flowers that he would find in bloom. He obeyed, and although it was wintertime, he found roses blooming in the frozen soil. He gathered them in his tilma (cloak) and took them to the bishop. When Juan Diego opened his tilma, dozens of roses fell out. An image of Mary, imprinted on the inside of his cloak, became visible. Having received this proof, the bishop ordered that a church be built on Tepeyac in honor of the Virgin and thousands converted to Christianity.
This was the first Marian apparition in the New World. Additionally, Mary spoke to Juan Diego in Nahua, the Aztec mother tongue. The familiar language and comforting words of Our Lady still prompt thousands of converts to declare their faith in Jesus and love for Mary; this devotion can be seen and felt throughout much of Latin America, including roadside shrines and icons in bodegas, restaurants, and households from South Texas to Tierra Del Fuego.
Juan Diego died on May 30, 1548, at the age of seventy-four and was buried in the first chapel dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe. Pope John Paul II praised Juan Diego for his simple faith and offered him as a model of humility for all Christians. On May 6, 1990, Juan Diego was beatified by Pope John Paul II in the Basilica of Santa Maria de Guadalupe, Mexico City.
Collect for Juan Diego
Almighty God, you love the least of us and reveal your glor y and blessings to those simple and seeking souls who desire the warmth and vision only you can provide.We thank you for the life and ministry of Juan Diego, who, inspired by a vision of The Blessed Virgin, helped to spread the story of Jesus’ redeeming love throughout his community and into the New World. For the beauty of roses in winter, for comforting words in our own tongue, and the grace to spread the life-changing message of the Gospel, we thank you. Amen.
Vote!
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186 comments on “Hadewijch vs. Juan Diego”
Thank you , Deborah for the quote! I just found it and it makes me wish to withdraw my earlier comment
This is a tough one. The roses are a truly beautiful image, and I won't mind a bit if Juan Diego ends up the "winner."
But I think I'll vote for Hadewijch. I've always loved the Beguines and all mystics - and the Lent Madness underdog - so that's the way I'm going today.
Hmm.
To choose between a woman of the 13th century about whom we know very little (other than her writings), and Juan Diego--the central figure of a Guadalupe tradition who
many (most?) scholars say never existed.
With Native peoples on a roll (voters oddly having Oakerhater displace Theresa of Avila within Christian tradition; and Molly Brant's non-existent legacy trumping Swithun's), I'll go with the flow and vote for the mythical Juan Diego.
It seems that Juan was petitioning for a "Chapel of Ease," and unwittingly did an enormous service to a vast
Spanish-speaking community. By this he justly earned sainthood. Hadejijch was like St. Teresa of Avila in her erotic mysticism and like Mother Theresa in her attempts to aid the sick and dying. This contest goes to show that grand works and small ones are equal in the eyes of God.
On the theory that the social role of saints is to inspire people to imitation of holiness, I am voting for Juan Diego in honor of the indigenous Mexican men I have known, in an alien culture, walking the way of faith and honor and creatively blending diverse religious ideas.
Thanks Jaime. Beautiful connection to Juan Diego and the many immigrants who today have chosen to live "in an alien culture, walking the way of faith and honor and creatively blending diverse religious ideas."
I tip my hat, and give my vote to the Lady known as Hadewijch.
Thank you,Deborah, for the quote from Hadewijch's writings. It helps me understand the sensuality described in the biography.
Nevertheless, I vote for Juan Diego.
Today I'm going to follow the native American trend which seems to be developing. He helped spread the Gospel to his people, and besides the roses growing in the winter really got me.
JUAN DIEGO!
Juan's story is impressive, but I've always had a weakness for mystics and been a little skeptic of miracles. I'm for Hadewijch.
I voted for Juan today. I liked that he was trying to convince others to build a church. You have to love a guy who can find and pick roses out of the frozen soil. Also, who when asked for proof that Mary told him to build a church - comes back with an imprint of her on his cloak!
Juan Diego for me. Getting up before dawn to walk 15 miles to mass is a miracle in itself, but a visitation from the Blessed Virgin did it for me.
I seem to have trouble voting. Any one else? When pick a nominee and click on the vote button, nothing happens. I can't tell if I am actually casting a vote. Also when I click on the results, nothing happens. Help!
Thanks.
I voted for Love-a-Witch. Appreciate them both. The images add nuance, additional layers of access to meaning beyond my own imagining. Seeing Juan hauling home all those roses makes a prompt for . . . whatever. Prayer writing, conversation, musing as I run.
I've always been dubious of the tradition of Juan Diego. I can't help but see it as a way the conquerors pushed their own agenda. My vote for Hadewijch was a vote for the many women who, being neither virgins or nuns, were/are marginalized in the Church. Her life of service following her expulsion was admirable.
Ann, you expressed what I feel perfectly. I only wish we were offered some of the writings of Hadewijch; we could use such inspiration. C'mon, people -- Our Lady of Guadelupe is ubitiquous wherever Spanish is spoken in the Western Hemisphere and gets at least the attention she deserves. Juan Diego already has all the kudos anyone could have, or want.
Remember the first Great commandment tells us to love The Lord our God with all our hearts, all our souls, and all our minds. Yes, I voted for Hadewijch and implore you all to do the same. There is still time!
Oh, I just reviewed more of these comments and must thank those who posted links to works by Hadewijch -- lovely stuff.
I can't find the Monday Madness video. Help I'm going through withdrawal!
I'm so happy to have met Hadewijch - I'd heard of neither her nor the Beguine movement before.
Even so, I grew up in California and Arizona, so Juan Diego and I are old friends. The image of the Virgin of Guadalupe has always been part of my life and the story is part of my personal faith journey. I can't vote against an old friend.
To pronounce Juan Diego's Nahuatl name, try sounding it out using this guide http://www.native-languages.org/nahuatl_guide.htm . Every letter makes a sound, and once you get it and say it about 50 times, you'll be able to impress people at cocktail parties.
I love them both but Juan Diego's visualization speaks to my heart.
A tough choice today. My first inclination was to Juan Diego. I love the image of the Blessed Mother as an Aztec woman. I have only recently been attracted by mysticism and it is through reading meditations by Richard Rohr. I am by nature a practiical, doing sort of person. But I clicked on the link and read some of Hadewijch's poems and found this:
You who want
by Hadewijch
English version by Jane Hirshfield
Original Language Dutch
You who want
knowledge,
seek the Oneness
within
There you
will find
the clear mirror
already waiting
And I do want the knowledge and I am trying to seek the oneness within.
So I am voting for Hadewijch.
Thank you all for your comments. They really do complete the Lent Madness experience.
My favorite flower is the rose. How could I not vote for Juan Diego.
I love Hadewijch's writings -- but I disagree with Laurie Brock about the pronunciation of her name. My knowledge of Dutch is rudimentary, but I think the "a" is like the "a" in "car," the "ij" is like the "y" in "wyvern," and the "ch" is like the "ch" in Scottish "loch." Altogether a softer-sounding name for a woman who used courtly love traditions to write of the love of Our Lord.
It wasn't Laurie who wrote that pronunciation or mispronunciation, but the SEC, but thanks Annette for offering this correction!
BTW the RC Cathedral in Dallas, Texas is named for Our Lady of G.
That said I had to vote for she who, like the Song of Songs in Hebrew Scriptures, taught us that God loves us deeply.
The shrines and icons of Our Lady of Guadalupe can be found not only from south Texas to Tierra Del Fuego, but throughout Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California as well. Devotion to her is as strong among Anglican Latinos as it is among Roman Catholics.
I voted for Hadewijch because the Collect for Hadewijch is beautiful, calling us to speak in love and out of love daily and boldly.
Well, as a librarian, I tend to vote for the writers, anyway, but I was even more drawn to Hadewijch today because of her enduring emphasis on love in relationship with God, especially at a time when condemnation was the norm. I think the world right now could use a bit more focus on what it means to truly and deeply love God and neighbor.
I read about both of the choices for today and was going to vote for the faithful Hadewijch, but something made me think of roses in winter and a beautiful song came to mind. It is "Bring me a Rose in the Wintertime" and was written by Rev. Carey Landry, a former Jesuit priest who left his RC faith to marry, back in the 80's. I love his music. I think this song he wrote must have been influenced by Juan Diego. I think I will change my vote for St. Juan Diego.
I voted for Juan Diego. It must have taken courage to go back to the site of his vision, lay eyes on the Blessed Virgin, and ask her for evidence she was real. Can you imagine: "Um, so, thanks for meeting me here again... Anyway, this is a little awkward, but... I'm going to need some proof..." Sometimes it is hard to ask God for what we need, even if it is for a larger purpose.
Had to go with Hadewijch. I visited the Beguinage in Bruges, Belgium last summer and found the whole lifestyle very appealing. She sounds fascinating.
What happened to the archbishops this year? Are they just stunned by the first round?
Miss them!
Apparently Maple Anglican is on break. He announced before Lent that his schedule didn't allow him to produce videos this season. A loss indeed!
I went with Hadewijch, she lived true to her calling, in spite of the opposition, and used her love to care for others. Her expression of love for the Sacred, if it took on a sensual expression is perfectly natural as well as supernatural. The problem seems we human types always try to compartmentalize love, to be genuine we must love with our whole being, we are body, mind and spirit. Enjoy and live in all of your being, Hadewijch did!