In an increasingly secular society, with the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping and the frequent removal of religious imagery from Christmas displays, it seems that communities have forgotten the incredible gift of Christ and the beauty of his birth.  What should we do in the face of this secularism?  Missionaries faced similar concerns when first introducing Christ and his Blessed Mother to the peoples of Latin America.  The missionaries found that simple re-enactments of the story of Christ’s birth, in the tradition of Saint Francis of Assisi, could touch the hearts of the people.  Spanish missionaries referred to these nine-day novena celebrations as Las Posadas, meaning “the inns” or “the shelters”, as they highlighted the journey of Mary and Joseph and their search for shelter before the Saviour’s Birth.  The Las Posadas novena in preparation for Christmas also aptly represents the nine-month pregnancy of the Blessed Mother Mary.  In the Philippines the tradition of Las Posadas  evolved into Simbang Gabi, a novena of dawn Masses from December 16^th to 24^th.  In some communities, the Panunulúyan pageant re-enacting the journey of Mary and Joseph is performed before the Misa de Gallo or even on each of the nine nights.

Due to the uncertainty of continued COVID-19 protocols and other concerns, we will not be holding a public nine-day Novena in our parish.  Nevertheless, as circumstances permit, we encourage the faithful to mark Las Posadas in their homes and families and to pray in a suitable manner a Novena in Preparation for Christmas from December 16^th to 24^th.  There are many options for praying the Christmas Novena, all which aim to prepare our hearts for the coming of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Some of the faithful pray the biblical titles of Jesus that correspond with the O Antiphons that appear in the Liturgy of the Hours during the final days before Christmas followed by the recitation of the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be.  Another suitable prayer which could be used for the Novena is the one given here ascribed to Pope Saint John XXIII:

O sweet Child of Bethlehem,
grant that we may share with all our hearts
in this profound mystery of Christmas.
Put into the hearts of men and women this peace
for which they sometimes seek so desperately
and which you alone can give to them.
Help them to know one another better
and to live as brothers and sisters, children of the same Father.
Reveal to them also your beauty, holiness, and purity.
Awaken in their hearts love and gratitude for your infinite goodness.
Join them all together in your love and give us your heavenly peace.
Amen.

An online Christmas Novena provided by the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, with suitable reflection and prayers for each day of the nine days, can be found at:

https://carmelitesistersocd.com/2014/las-posadas/

If one surfs the internet, there are many other prayers and resources available online provided by various sources.  For example, you could use the readings and prayers from Journey to the Inn: An Advent Celebration by the Knights of Columbus:

http://www.kofc.org/un/en/resources/communications/posada.pdf

Another suitable resource that could be followed for the nine days is provided by the School Sisters of Notre Dame:

https://atlanticmidwest.org/files/attachments/post/las_posadas_all_days_-_one_document.pdf