Email: Jenna Carl

December 16, 2007

Dear Friends and Family,

Christmas has definitely come to San Antonio! From the Riverwalk to the houses on the west side, the city is completely lit up for the holidays. Things have been so busy, though, around La Casa de Maria y Marta (our house) that it wasn't until yesterday that I really started to feel like Christmas. Last night was Posadas at Divine Redeemer, which is a traditional Latin American Christmas celebration. Usually, it takes place over a period of nine days. A group will go from house to house singing a song and requesting lodging (think Mary and Joseph). Ours was all in one night and at the end we had tamales, beans, and rice followed by plenty of traditional and not so traditional entertainment.

On the other hand, for one of the first times in my life, Christmas is truly coming with some sadness and heartbreak. As I get more involved in my work and the community around me, I continue to see more of a world where sadness and heartbreak are less monumental and more of a day-to-day occurrence. My daily inner struggle is centered around the materialistic, consumer-based society that I am a part of and the other society in America that on a daily basis gets pushed under the rug and out of sight. In a season where every year the gifts get bigger and more presents are expected, I look poverty in the eye every day and attempt to reconcile my own wants with the world's great need.

My mind wanders back to Luke 2, the Christmas story that Linus reads during Charlie Brown's own search for the true meaning of Christmas. I am reminded of where the baby born to save the world was born and to whom. Born homeless, to young parents, in a place far from their home, Baby Jesus could have been any one of the 20 percent of Bexar County residents that live below the poverty level. So instead of prayer requests, I leave you with my Christmas list. It isn't found easily, and you can't buy it at the mall or find it online, but if I could have what I truly wanted this year, this is what it would be.

• Peace, not just the kind between those who disagree, but the kind that you feel deep in your heart and your stomach, the kind that lets you sleep through the night and not wake up until you're well-rested, for everyone.
• A warm bed and a safe place to stay for the important people in my life for whom these are insecure, and also for the people I don't know who sleep around the SAMM Shelter under the Commerce Street bridge, whom I see as I ride the bus to work in the morning, and for those just like them around the world.
• A hot meal and a full belly for all the clients of MANNA and the Catholic Worker House, and the same for those around the world who are hungry.
• A full tank of gas and Christmas presents under the tree for the woman who was upset in our lobby last week that we weren't able to help her.
• Room at the inn for the immigrant family looking for a new and better life.
• A stop to the plan to build a wall along the Texas border that will kill the environment, economy, and spirit of the surrounding communities.
• The will to escape for the woman who is beaten by her husband and can't see a way out.
• The knowledge that they are loved for those who will spend the holidays without a loved one.

En paz,

Jenna

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.  Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord…You will find a baby wrapped in clothes and lying in a manger.
Luke 2:10-12