ME APAREZCO PORQUE ME LO HA DICHO MI PSICÓLOGA

First, let’s start with a clear concept—this is the religious meaning of *VIRGIN*: for the Catholic Church, the Virgin Mary is the Mother of God, since she is truly the mother of Jesus, who is God. Mary did not give birth to the Word (the second person of the Trinity), because—as God—he is eternal, but she did give birth to Jesus, the Word made flesh. This means that Jesus and God are one and the same, and therefore, she is His mother. Thus, in the Catholic Church, the Virgin Mary is recognised and venerated as the mother of Jesus and the Mother of God. The Church proposes Mary as a model of obedience, in contrast to the disobedience of Eve…

On stage, the Virgin of El Rocío appears. She’s under a lot of stress and depression, and her therapist has told her she has to make an appearance—because it’s what’s expected of her—and to do it in a theatre, since most of the audience is probably in therapy too, and they’ll understand. But this appearance doesn’t solve anything for Rocío. She’s exhausted from all the shared custody with the other Virgins, but why so many demands? After all, she’s only mentioned four times in the Bible! Why must she live up to an image that others have created of her? Eternal mother, flawless wife, caretaker of all who seek her help. It seems like she only exists for what she does for others—and she’s had enough.

So the Virgin sought psychological help because she couldn’t take it anymore. She just wanted to cry and stay in bed, and it turned out she had full-blown depression. Low self-esteem, guilt, and 2000 gruelling years of sacrifice… And what she really wants is to step down from the pedestal, make stuffed peppers at home, throw on a tracksuit, and dance to Rosalía. And on top of it all—look at the world! It seems like Jesus and God have gone out for lunch at *El Ventorro* and have no idea what’s going on! (Which… might just be the case.)