V.J.E.
This reflection was written by Sr. Katherine Joseph Marie Allensworth, HMSS
There are only 3 days until Christmas! In this second part of the reflections about Las Posadas, I want to share with you about the fellowship part of the celebration each night. For each of the nine days we celebrate the tradition of Las Posadas, we come together as a community in prayer and fellowship.
Las Posadas are nine days of celebrations, from December 16 through December 24, that represent Mary and Joseph journeying to find a place in Bethlehem for Jesus to be born. Each day of the nine days, we pray particular prayers, re-enact going from door to door as pilgrims with Mary and Joseph, sing carols along the way, and finally find a place for Mary and Joseph to stay at the last of the three doors, where we finish by celebrating with a meal and fellowship together. This tradition draws out the joy and gift of Jesus becoming man and dwelling among us.
The Fellowship
After we pray Vespers (Evening Prayer) and sing the Litany of Loreto, we begin our journey with St. Joseph and Mary to find a place for Jesus to be born. We go to three doors in our convents, knocking to find a place where Mary and St. Joseph can be welcomed. Below is the song we sing as we carry “the pilgrims” with us as we go from door to door.
First Door
Side 1: In the name of Heaven
I am asking for shelter,
For my beloved wife
Cannot go any farther.Side 2: There is no inn around here
Go about your way,
I will not open up
You might be a rouge.Side 1: We are weary travelers
All the way from Nazareth
Carpentry is my trade
And my name is Joseph.Side 2: I don’t care who you are
Let me sleep in peace.
I’ll tell you once again
We’re not going to open.Second Door
Side 1: I ask you for lodging
dear man of the house
Just for one night
For the Queen of Heaven.Side 2: Well, if she’s a queen
Why are you asking us?
Why does she travel alone
And in the night?Third Door
Side 1: My dear wife is Mary
She’s the Queen of Heaven
Who’s going to be the mother
Of the Divine Word.Side 2: Are you truly Joseph?
And your wife truly Mary?
Enter, dearest pilgrims
I did not recognize you.Side 1: May God always reward you,
For your kindness and charity,
And may heaven heap
Happiness upon you.Side 2: Blessed is the house
That today humbly shelters
The pure and holy Virgin,
The beautiful Mary.As the procession enters the house:
Come right in you, holy pilgrims,
holy pilgrims,
And receive this little gift.
Though we know that it is simple,
It comes from our hearts with love.Let us sing with joy and gladness,
Let us sing with joy and gladness,
At the honor that is ours.
Jesus, Joseph and Maria, and Maria,
Come to visit us today.
It is with great joy that we sing these verses and find a place for Mary and St. Joseph to stay. In re-enacting the journey of St. Joseph and Mary, it makes the story of the birth of Jesus present to our minds and hearts. Once we are welcomed into the last door, the celebration begins! We then enjoy a meal together and some type of game or movie.
This tradition and the joy that imbues it was a highlight in the life of our Mother Foundress, Venerable Maria del Refugio Aguilar y Torres. In the midst of founding our Institute and the religious persecution in Mexico, she always found great joy in this novena each year. Xavier Pikaza writes of Ven. Maria del Refugio’s experience during Las Posadas, “It was the eucharistic presence of God, the certainty of Christ’s salvation, which made her able to relax and celebrate the joy of Life.” We share in this experience of our Mother Foundress each year as we celebrate Las Posadas.
It is a busy season; the Sisters still in school are finishing their school work, the Sisters serving in classrooms are in the final weeks of the semester, and the days are full of preparations for the coming of Jesus. In the midst of all the things we are doing, we come together each night and simply enjoy each other’s company as we celebrate the coming of Jesus.
As we continue to wait these final days for the coming of Jesus, I invite you to find ways to simply be together with family and friends and celebrate the joy of the coming of Jesus. Maybe that is making cookies together, or playing a board game, or just sitting together and sharing memories. While this season can often feel busy and hurried, Jesus is inviting us to simply just be present. He is inviting us to find Him in those He has placed in our lives and have joy at all the blessings He has given us. May the Holy Family guide you and accompany you always!