Hispanic Ministry - Advent and Posadas

2,022 Years ago was the first Advent, where God became one of us to restore our human nature, which was disfigured by sin. “Born of the Virgin Mary, Jesus becomes one of us, human nature has been assumed in Him, not absorbed. For that reason, our human nature has been dignified.”  (Vatican Council II, “Joy and Hope”).

Let’s make of this Advent something different. Waiting, sharing, praying, loving are some of the keys that can open the doors to Christmas. Open your heart and empty it of the useless so that there is a space where God can be born.

This season of Advent invites us to meditate on the coming of the Messiah. We will see in the liturgy different signs that will help us live the advent of Jesus with hope but also in an atmosphere of prayer and a time of sharing.

Something that characterizes this special time are the posadas, a practice that some faithful Catholics carry out where we remember the pilgrimage Joseph and Mary made from their departure from Nazareth to Bethlehem, knocking on doors, asking for posada, searching for a safe place to stay, for baby Jesus to be born. But where does this tradition of las posadas come from?

The traditional posadas come from Mexico. The Aztecs performed a ceremony full of rituals to the god Quetzalcóatl. These rituals took place very close to Christmas, so the friars, evangelizers, used this “festival” to present the true Christian meaning. They gathered the faithful and at the Masses, they meditated the Gospel and interspersed readings of the nativity of Jesus, or they staged fragments of the pilgrimage of Joseph and Mary in Bethlehem waiting for the child: “In 1587 the superior of the convent of San Agustín de Acolman, Fray Diego de Soria, obtained from Pope Sixtus V, a permit authorizing in the new Spain the celebration of Masses called “de aguinaldos” from December 16 to 24. In these Masses, passages and scenes of Christmas were interspersed. To make them more attractive and entertaining, sparklers, fireworks and Christmas carols were added.” At the end, they said a novena, a figure symbolizing the nine months that Mary remained pregnant. Lastly, the monks gave fruit or sweets as a thank you for having listened, participated and accepted the Christian doctrine.

Little by little this tradition became more of the people, becoming part of our popular piety.

Today our posadas continue to enliven our advent. They invite us to meditate, pray and share with joy and hope.

Advent cannot be understood without a spirit of preparation for the birth of Jesus. It should not remain only in external signs (consumerism); it should be filled with the spirit of prayer, charity and generosity to the poor.

Something very characteristic is the piñata, which symbolizes sin, and when breaking it open, the grace of God emanates.

But Advent, is a time to wait as a Church, with Joseph and Mary. This Advent will be a little different, yes, but also encouraging. Many family members and friends will not be at our table, perhaps there will be more silence due to the pain.

However, the light always shines, and in the midst of this pain, God is near and it is necessary to tell him, come a little closer. He gives us the most beautiful virtue, living hope. To see today with joy and tomorrow with confidence and courage, to contemplate the Savior, the Redeemer, “Who, coming for the first time in the humility of our flesh, carried out the plan of redemption drawn from ancient times and opened the way of salvation for us; so that when He comes again in the majesty of His Glory, revealing the fullness of his work, we may receive the promised goods that now, in watchful waiting, we hope to attain.” (First Preface of Advent).