Bishop takes part in Las Posadas celebration in Sedalia
Time-honored tradition echoes Mary and Joseph’s search for welcome in Bethlehem, Christ’s desire to be welcomed into hearts
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Bishop Ralph B. O’Donnell traveled to Sedalia Dec. 15 to take part in Sacred Heart School’s Las Posadas celebration for Advent.
“Las Posadas” — which means “The Inns” in Spanish — is a communal celebration that takes place throughout many Latin American countries in the days leading up to Christmas.
“It was great to be with parishioners from St. Vincent de Paul and Sacred Heart School families for the opening night of Las Posadas,” said Bishop O’Donnell.
He said this traditional Hispanic ritual is one of his favorite events of the Advent season, “calling to mind how the humble need of Mary and Joseph brought forth a generous response of the innkeeper, and ultimately the shepherds and wise men.”
Las Posadas is a reenactment of Mary and Joseph’s long and frustrating search for a place to rest and to have a baby in the crowded town of Bethlehem (Luke 2).
It isn’t only the story of how the Son of God first set foot upon the earth, but of how he takes up residence every day in the hearts and minds and communities of the people he came to save.
Each evening, participants follow stand-ins for the Holy Family from room to room or home to home, knocking on doors and singing.
At each, they experience rejection, just as Mary and Joseph did in Bethlehem 2,000 years ago.
They do this until they get to a house where they’re welcome, and everybody goes inside.
There, they venerate an image of Jesus while raising their prayer toward heaven: “This Christmas, Jesus, I offer you room in the inn of my heart. Make it a manger where you can be born.”
The celebration combines hospitality and reverence.
Participants pray and reflect on the uncertainty of Mary and Joseph as they desperately search for a place for the Savior of the World to be born.
They also call to mind the joy and awe of the shepherds, who, guided by the angel’s tiding, rushed from the fields into Bethlehem to adore the newborn Messiah.
This tradition is a time-honored spiritual and cultural mainstay for millions of Catholic households in this hemisphere.
It started among Catholics in Mexico and spread throughout much of Latin America and the United States.
Most parishes with large Hispanic populations in the diocese offer some sort of communal observance of Las Posadas.
People of all ethnic, linguistic and cultural traditions are invited to participate in this tradition communally or in the home, as an aid to their preparation for Christmas.
Children are especially encouraged to take part, to help them understand and stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas.
In all instances, there is a clear understanding that welcoming people in Christ’s name means welcoming him.
Bishop O’Donnell is grateful to everyone who made the Las Posadas observance in Sedalia possible.
He called it a “wonderful, joyful celebration and a beautiful reminder.”
“Right in the middle of preparing our hearts and our homes to welcome Christ, we are reminded that whatever we do or neglect to do for the least among us, we do or do not do for our Lord,” he said.
