Across the globe, people are celebrating the Christmas season. Together we eagerly await commemorating the birth of Jesus, born in a manger, the Savior, the hope of the world.
In Central America, families have set up their Nativity scenes just as you might have done in your home. Mary and Joseph, the shepherds with their animals, and the wise men are all gathered around a manger. While the scenes may be embellished with bright, woven fabrics, like they are in Guatemala, or painted with a rainbow of lacquered colors, like they are in El Salvador, the Nativity is essentially the same to yours. By this and in so many other ways, we are reminded of our connection with the world; We are woven together in hope.
As you come to the end of your “pilgrimage year,” we pray that you have found it to be a journey full of miracles. May your new year bring you joy and blessing!
This reflection is one of a series called El Peregrinaje or Pilgrimage. Each blog in this series offers meditations on words in Spanish and English and include brilliant photos of daily life taken during a month-long pilgrimage across El Salvador in September 2021 by Jordan Shive and Micaela Bueno. The meditations were written by Michelle Negron Bueno and Micaela Bueno and compiled in the 2022 Enlace calendar.
From the soothing sound of pattering rain to the knitting together of communities woven together in peace and God’s love, we hope you can join us in considering everyday things with a mind of worship. They hope that their words would allow you to marvel at the beauty of life while also reflecting on your own journey.
Learn more about the El Peregrinaje / The Pilgrimage Blog Series!