By Sister Celeste Reinhart, SSND
It was my first Christmas in Bolivia.
It was much different than in Canada, where we really did sing as we took sleigh rides across the snow. The lights twinkled there so beautifully. I was a little homesick.
Bolivia didn't have snow. It was so poor that it looked the same on Christmas as any other day, except for one place in every home. A table in the front room held a Christmas creche and food and tiny ceramic tchotchkes.
The trinkets were what I would have called junk, until I learned what they meant. Understanding that changed my view of their worth, and deepened my own feeling of reverence.
The display was an expression of the family's faith commitment. A tiny truck might mean thank you for getting us a truck, or please help us get a truck. Corn seeds might mean please give us a good crop, or thank you for our crop. Other trinkets included chickens, bread, houses.
The trinkets were purchased on the Feast of the Three Kings. Vendors lined the streets, displaying their "dear little things" for sale. It was an annual family outing, and so beautiful.
Later, I saw the Feast of the Three Kings celebrated with real people in Puerto Rico. They came on donkeys through the town plaza to the church, bringing gifts for the real Mary, Joseph, and "el Nino Dios." The Baby God. Then they had Mass, with the Three Kings serving as cantors.
I will never forget these graced scenes. They are the perfect example of how multiculturality can deepen our own faith. I am grateful to have been a part of them.
