Why pray this version of the Posadas?

1) Reality at the US/Mexican border:

• Laws passed in the mid-1990s tripled the number of Border Patrol agents.
• Walls have been built at urban border crossings.
• Traditional crossing areas are now blocked, forcing migrants into dangerous terrain.
• These policies have led to more than 2,000 deaths along the border since 1994 and increasing reports of human rights violations against migrants

2) Our scriptural tradition: Leviticus 18:33-34

When strangers sojourn with you in your land, you shall not do them wrong. The strangers who sojourn with you shall be to as the natives among you, and you shall love them as yourself...

3) Our call to global solidarity:

Is this how God calls us to treat the stranger in our midst?

More about Las Posadas

Las Posadas are traditionally celebrated in Mexico and in the Southwestern United States. While the tradition varies from place to place, the common thread is a reenactment of Mary and Joseph looking for a place to stay, as they have had to journey to Bethlehem to be counted in the census. As we know, Mary is nearing the end of her pregnancy, making for a very difficult journey.

This version of Las Posadas takes us along on the journey of a present day migrant family, Marķa and Jose, moving from south to north. They too are seeking hospitality in a foreign land in a time of great need. We take part in this custom in solidarity with our brothers and sisters along the US/Mexico border who gather at the border fence, aware every day of the divisions this boundary has created. We also enact this in solidarity with our immigrant and migrant brothers and sisters who live in the United States and pray that all of us will create relationships with them, individually and as groups, and embrace the biblical call to welcome the sojourner for once we were sojourners in this strange land. Throughout this service we keep in mind the thousands who have died in the last several years while trying to seek safety and survival across the border.

How to find this version of Las Posadas:

The Franciscan Washington Office for Latin America and the Border Working Group have prepared "POSADAS SIN FRONTERAS (WITHOUT BORDERS:) One People, One World, One God." It is available to download in both English and Spanish at: http://www.rtfcam.org/resources/packets/posadas/las_posadas.htm