¡Feliz Navidad y Feliz Año Nuevo to you all from the Pio House! Having the opportunity to Spend Christmas in Belize with the local community and the Pio House was truly a blessing. When reflecting on the month of December I tend to immediately think of Christmas and all of the joys and memories this time brings. Reflecting deeper however, I realize how the majority of this month is spent waiting in preparation for this joy of Christmas. In the Catholic church we call this period, those four Sundays before Christmas day, Advent. “Advent” comes from the Latin word “adventus” meaning coming, as in this time we are preparing for the coming of Jesus on Christmas day. This idea of preparation was portrayed beautifully in the town of Benque through the posadas. These are processions that take place from December 16th to December 24th, and it is remembering Mary and Joseph’s Journey to Bethlehem. “Posada” is a Spanish word for “inn” as in these posadas we process through the town looking for lodging as Mary and Joseph had. There is a designated house where we stop who are the ones who will take Mary and Joseph in for the night. When we arrive there is singing and praying and the host usually prepares refreshments for the participants. Participating in events such as these helps reflect on our own hearts and remind us to think if we are prepared to have the King of Kings enter into our “inn”.
As a house, we participated in these posadas, helped put together the church Nativity scene, and prayed together to help prepare one another for Christmas. Of course this time was also filled with some baking, gingerbread house making, jamming out to Christmas songs, and watching some of the Christmas classics too. I am grateful to have had this time of preparation with the Pio House, and am thankful to all of you reading who have helped through your prayers, donations or interest in this project. These young men living together has been a light that really shined in this season of preparation.
In entering into the season of preparation as we did, the joy of Christmas was noticeably elevated. I started off the Christmas season on the other side of the border to attend the vigil Mass in Melchor, Guatemala with my Godson, Carlos. On Christmas day we invited some students and members from the community to the Pio House for a Christmas feast. My family plays an annual poker game with all the cousins every Christmas so being my first Christmas to miss out on it, it was a joy to bring that tradition here and have a heated game of poker with the guys. There’s nothing like family, especially around this time of year, so though I wasn't able to spend time with mine, the joy, unity, and growth of the Pio House made it all the merrier.
For the last weekend of the year, I was blessed to be invited by a local diocesan priest, Fr. Emmanuel, and my friend Salvador to join them and some friends on a camping trip in the mountain range of Pine Ridge here in Belize. This was a great experience with great people where we were blessed to have daily Mass and adoration and pray and reminisce about the past year together up in the mountains. I decided to hang back and I spent a night up in the mountains alone on a sort of silent retreat. During this, I took the time to really reflect on my year and how it was filled with much growth and many blessings, as well as joy along with grief. In this reflection I was also overtaken with a thankfulness. The Pio House has been on my heart for a while and seeing it come into fruition and having people like you invested in the project even by simply reading this means so much. So thank you, and I hope you stick around to see what’s ahead for the Pio House in this new year!
"And the Word became flesh and took up residence among us, and we saw his glory, glory as of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth." John 1:14
The first picture here is an example of Posada. The Nativity scene is what some members from the Pio House with a few more members from the community and I put together for Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish. The last picture you can see a firework in the background as the town of Benque was bursting with them for Christmas and New Years celebrations
Final products of the Pio House gingerbread house contest. Who's your winner?
My Godson Carlos handled the incense smoke at the Christmas vigil Mass then handled the firework smoke at the midnight Christmas celebration
Christmas dinner! Feasted on some ham, homemade eggnog, sweet potato fries, chicken, and of course I had to break out my mom's caramel apple pie recipe
As usual... I didn't last too long in the poker game
Got a little delivery from the family in the states so got to introduce my Belizean brother Sal to the gloriousness of trader Joe's (specifically their dark chocolate peanut butter cups)
Final days of the year spent in the beauty of God's creation with great company and great mixed nut butter from Costco (another gift sent from the family)
Again, thank you all for a great 2023 and I hope many blessings find you in 2024!
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