Whether we admit it or not, whether we are aware of it or not, we are all of us looking for a place of refuge and safety, a place where we are welcome, loved and accepted. One of the gifts of catholic Christianity — of which my own Episcopal/Anglican church is a part — is that our traditions afford us forms of ritual engagement that enable us to get in touch with and explore our very human feelings and experiences.
An example of this is Las Posadas, a primarily Latin American tradition that commemorates Mary’s and Joseph’s search for a place to stay in Bethlehem as the birth of Jesus approached. Posada means inn, but also any place of refuge, safety, hospitality. Traditionally, on each of the nine nights before Christmas, processions of people move through the streets of cities or towns and in song asking for posada, and each time the group is turned away until their arrival at a predetermined place where they are welcomed in with food, drink, games and fellowship.
The nightly events serve as invitation for those who walk to see themselves (even for the few short hours of these nights) as Mary and Joseph in search of hospitality; but also, by extension, as all those who today seek refuge and safety, as all those who today are longing for a warm welcome, for a place to lay their head. More personally, the nights of Posadas may move us to ask ourselves what we are searching for and to admit to our own deep hunger for rest and acceptance, our own longing for a place where we can set aside what weighs us down and join with others in simple community and fellowship.
Certainly, that has particular resonance in these days of COVID when many of us, while we may be healthy and have enough, may nevertheless feel displaced or emotionally vulnerable as we navigate a strange, new context for our lives.
And while Las Posadas is certainly a wonderful celebration full of music, color and movement, it is also a ritual action and like all ritual action they give us the language and imagery to connect with aspects of ourselves and our world which may not always be easily accessible. They touch us at a place deeper than the merely intellectual, hitting us and affecting us at a gut level.
This year in Bakersfield we will celebrate Las Posadas and walk in procession through the streets of our downtown. We will walk in the company of our fellow citizens and in solidarity with those all who seek welcome and safety in our city. We will walk with Mary and Joseph as a reflection of our own longing for security and shelter, and what that could mean in our present moment. Let’s walk together.
The community is invited to walk Las Posadas at 5 p.m. Thursday, gathering in advance in the parking lot of Mill Creek Christian Church, 1660 S St. From there, we will walk for just under 2½ miles to various of our city’s businesses and ultimately find a very warm welcome at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 2216 17th St. All are welcome to this event.
— The Rev. Luis M. Rodriguez is the priest-in-charge at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
