Just as the global Christian population has slightly declined in recent decades—31% in 2010 to 29% in 2020—many expressions in Spanish rooted in religion have also faded from everyday use. They no longer circulate with the same frequency they once had among older generations. Still, religion remains deeply influential in Latin America and the Caribbean, where 85% of the population identify as Christian, accounting for nearly a quarter of the world’s Christians.

From colonial times onward, religious tradition shaped not only beliefs and behaviors but also the language itself. This long influence produced dozens of sayings rooted in religious imagery. The Cervantes online library alone lists more than 70 documented expressions. Here are a few examples:

1.    Dios dirá

Literal translation: God will say.

English equivalent: Time will tell.

Meaning: The outcome is uncertain; we must wait and see.

2.    Dios te bendiga

Literal translation: God bless you.
English equivalent: God bless you.
Meaning: A wish for protection, well-being, or good fortune.

3.    Si Dios quiere/Dios mediante

Literal translation: If God wants.
English equivalent: God willing.
Meaning: Something will happen only if circumstances allow; expresses hope but not certainty.

4.    En casa de herrero, cuchillo de palo
Literal translation: In the blacksmith’s house, a wooden knife.
English equivalent: The shoemaker’s son always goes barefoot.
Meaning: People often lack the very thing they produce or are experts in.

5.    Cuando Dios cierra una puerta, abre una ventana
Literal translation: When God closes a door closes, He opens a window.
English equivalent: When one door closes, another one opens.
Meaning: Opportunities appear even when something seems to end.

6.    Más solo que cura sin parroquia

Literal translation: More alone than a priest without a parish.
English equivalent: As lonely as a castaway. (closest in English).
Meaning: Feeling completely alone or isolated.

7.    Todos los bienes, de Dios vienen
Literal translation: All good things come from God.
English equivalent: All good things come from above.
Meaning: Blessings and good fortune have a divine or external origin.

8.    Que sea lo que Dios quiera

Literal translation: Let it be what God wants.
English equivalent: Whatever will be, will be. / Let God decide.
Meaning: Accepting whatever outcome comes, surrendering control.

9.    San Roque, San Roque, que este perro no me toque

Literal translation: Saint Roch, Saint Roch, may this dog not touch me.
English equivalent: None (there’s no direct English idiom).
Meaning: A traditional rhyme said when a dog looks threatening, used to calm fear of being bitten. 

10. Santo Tomás, una y no más

Literal translation: Saint Thomas, once and no more.
English equivalent: Once is enough.
Meaning: A warning not to repeat a mistake or not to allow something again.

11. Santa Rita, lo que se da/ te dan no se quita

Literal translation: Saint Rita, what is given to you is not taken away.
English equivalent: What’s given is given. You can’t take back a gift.
Meaning: Once something is granted or decided, it should not be reversed; you can’t retract what you’ve already offered.

12. San Valentín, amores mil

Literal translation: Saint Valentine, a thousand loves.
English equivalent: Love is in the air.
Meaning: Valentine’s Day brings romance; love seems to blossom everywhere.

13. Quien a Dios tiene, todo lo puede

Literal translation: Whoever has God can do anything.
English equivalent: With faith, all things are possible.
Meaning: Faith provides strength and confidence to face challenges.

14. A cada santo le llega su día

Literal translation: Every saint gets his day.
English equivalent: Every dog has its day.
Meaning: Everyone eventually gets their chance for recognition or justice.

15. No tener vela en este entierro

Literal translation: Not having a candle in this burial.
English equivalent: It’s none of my business.
Meaning: Not being involved in a matter; having no stake in the situation.

References:

Profesores ELE: Doce expresiones de origen religioso en español
https://profesoresdeele.org/2022/04/13/doce-expresiones-de-origen-religioso-en-espanol/

Biblioteca Cervantes: Refranes alusivos a Dios y a los Santos
https://www.cervantesvirtual.com/obra-visor/refranes-alusivos-a-dios-y-a-los-santos/html/

Pew Researh Center: How the Global Religious Landscape Changed from 2010 to 2020
https://www.pewresearch.org/religion/2025/06/09/how-the-global-religious-landscape-changed-from-2010-to-2020/

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