Dec. 25, 2008: Christmas
In the recent days I have been asked by several folks, “Fr. Paul, how do you celebrate Christmas in Korea?” Well, over 50% of South Koreans are Christians, so they do celebrate Christmas the Western style with Christmas trees, Santa Clause, and gifts. I think the more interesting Christmas custom is found with the Spanish-speaking countries, like Mexico. They have a custom called “Las Posadas” which is translated as ‘the lodgings’ or ‘the inns.’ Every evening, nine days before the Christmas Eve, children and people in the neighborhood reenact the journey that Joseph and Mary took from Nazareth to Bethlehem in their search for shelter before the birth of their child, Jesus. We know that Joseph and Mary tried to find room at an inn but were turned away. The gathered people divide into two groups, the ‘pilgrims’ and the ‘inn keepers.’ The ‘pilgrim’ group includes two children who dress up as Mary and Joseph; and sometimes Mary rides a real donkey. The ‘pilgrims’ visit about three houses. Outside the first two houses, the pilgrims sing the following song:
En el nombre del Cielo
os pido posada,
pues no puede andar
mi esposa amada.
In the name of Heaven
I ask you for lodging,
because She cannot walk,
my beloved wife.
The “inn keepers” waiting inside the houses reply with the following song:
Aquí no es mesón;
sigan adelante.
Yo no puedo abrir,
no sea algún tunante.
This is no inn,
keep on going.
I won't open the door,
in case you are a vagrant.
So Mary and Joseph, and the ‘pilgrims’ move on to the next house and do the same. There is something about this story that really touches us. We can identify with both the ‘pilgrims’ and the ‘inn keepers.’ Many of us during this year became Mary and Joseph carrying Jesus to our family, friends, and neighbors. But like the ‘pilgrims’, we were turned away and told to move on. And many of us during this year also became the ‘inn keepers,’ turning away those who were reaching out to us through Jesus.
I had an experience like those ‘pilgrims’ few months ago on my communion rounds. I was to visit two homebound elderly and bring them communion. Someone called to say that another family would like a visit. Assuming that this family was Catholic, I placed extra hosts in the pyx for this family and drove up to their house first. I knocked on the door and an older lady opened the door. I said, “Hi, my name is Fr. Paul from St. Aloysius Catholic Church.” She didn’t miss a beat and said, “No communion. Leave my property.” Slam!!! I said to myself, “Did this lady just slammed the door on me?” As I drove to the next house, I asked the Lord, “Lord, I feel hurt being rejected. Is this what you felt when you were rejected by the people?” He replied, “Yes, and do you remember you rejected me the same way several years ago?” That cut me to the heart. And my memories brought me to my high school and early college days when I rejected Jesus with passion and even ridiculed the whole Christian faith. At that time, there was no room at the inn for Jesus in my heart. I told him to move on. But God does not give up just because we reject Him. The entire Old Testament was about God being faithful even when His people were not. All God needed was just a small, humble ‘yes,’ a small crack in the door to our heart for Him to come in. If God gave up on me after I told Him to move on, I would not be standing here as His Son’s representative. God shows how compassionate He is, how much stuff He is willing to put up with, how patient He is by reaching out to guy like me. When some parishioners tell me that their children wandered away from the Church, in my heart I know that God is reaching out daily to their children.
Going back to the “Las Posadas,” the custom does not end with Mary and Joseph being rejected at the first two houses. At the third house, the ‘pilgrims’ sing the same song, but the ‘inn keepers’ sing a different verse:
Entren, Santos Peregrinos,
reciban este rincón;
no de esta pobre morada,
si no de mi corazón.
Enter, Holy Pilgrims,
accept this dwelling;
not of this humble house,
but of my heart.
If all we have in our heart tonight is doubts or even misgivings about faith or religion, God will even accept that if we are willing to say a small ‘yes’: “Okay God, I’ll let you in for a short while but you’ll have to leave if you ask too much of me.” If God is willing to rest and sleep on a feeding trough of sheep and goat, He is more than willing to make a home even in hearts that have trouble welcoming him.
En el nombre del Cielo
os pido posada,
pues no puede andar
mi esposa amada.
In the name of Heaven
I ask you for lodging,
because She cannot walk,
my beloved wife.
The “inn keepers” waiting inside the houses reply with the following song:
Aquí no es mesón;
sigan adelante.
Yo no puedo abrir,
no sea algún tunante.
This is no inn,
keep on going.
I won't open the door,
in case you are a vagrant.
So Mary and Joseph, and the ‘pilgrims’ move on to the next house and do the same. There is something about this story that really touches us. We can identify with both the ‘pilgrims’ and the ‘inn keepers.’ Many of us during this year became Mary and Joseph carrying Jesus to our family, friends, and neighbors. But like the ‘pilgrims’, we were turned away and told to move on. And many of us during this year also became the ‘inn keepers,’ turning away those who were reaching out to us through Jesus.
I had an experience like those ‘pilgrims’ few months ago on my communion rounds. I was to visit two homebound elderly and bring them communion. Someone called to say that another family would like a visit. Assuming that this family was Catholic, I placed extra hosts in the pyx for this family and drove up to their house first. I knocked on the door and an older lady opened the door. I said, “Hi, my name is Fr. Paul from St. Aloysius Catholic Church.” She didn’t miss a beat and said, “No communion. Leave my property.” Slam!!! I said to myself, “Did this lady just slammed the door on me?” As I drove to the next house, I asked the Lord, “Lord, I feel hurt being rejected. Is this what you felt when you were rejected by the people?” He replied, “Yes, and do you remember you rejected me the same way several years ago?” That cut me to the heart. And my memories brought me to my high school and early college days when I rejected Jesus with passion and even ridiculed the whole Christian faith. At that time, there was no room at the inn for Jesus in my heart. I told him to move on. But God does not give up just because we reject Him. The entire Old Testament was about God being faithful even when His people were not. All God needed was just a small, humble ‘yes,’ a small crack in the door to our heart for Him to come in. If God gave up on me after I told Him to move on, I would not be standing here as His Son’s representative. God shows how compassionate He is, how much stuff He is willing to put up with, how patient He is by reaching out to guy like me. When some parishioners tell me that their children wandered away from the Church, in my heart I know that God is reaching out daily to their children.
Going back to the “Las Posadas,” the custom does not end with Mary and Joseph being rejected at the first two houses. At the third house, the ‘pilgrims’ sing the same song, but the ‘inn keepers’ sing a different verse:
Entren, Santos Peregrinos,
reciban este rincón;
no de esta pobre morada,
si no de mi corazón.
Enter, Holy Pilgrims,
accept this dwelling;
not of this humble house,
but of my heart.
If all we have in our heart tonight is doubts or even misgivings about faith or religion, God will even accept that if we are willing to say a small ‘yes’: “Okay God, I’ll let you in for a short while but you’ll have to leave if you ask too much of me.” If God is willing to rest and sleep on a feeding trough of sheep and goat, He is more than willing to make a home even in hearts that have trouble welcoming him.
