Easter, an experiential event, By Dione Goyette

I really wanted to write an article about our experience over Easter last year here in San Miguel because it had a profound effect on me and Paul, and I think (hope) it at least made a small but permanent mark on the memories of my kids.

But I was nervous to write about it because I don't know a lot about Catholicism and didn't want to offend anyone with my possibly muddled facts and information surrounding Semana Santa.

My husband is a (sometimes-practicing) Catholic, so I have had exposure to this religion, but I have to admit that the Catholicism I have seen here in Mexico hardly resembles the church-going experiences I have been a party to in the northern part of North America.

I have to say that when I experienced Easter here last year, I saw real faith for the first time.

It was the look of real comfort on the faces of the people who would quietly kiss a silk rope tied to the foot of a crucifix. It was the solemn demeanor that even teenagers would exude when they watched an Easter procession. It was the respect of the women who wore their finest black outfits and sometimes very high-heeled black shoes to carry the supports of very heavy angels or saints during lengthy processions. It was the feeling you got in the city as the people of San Miguel mourned the loss of Jesus as if he had just passed. It was, in essence, experiential religion. You could actually feel it!

Paul and I took our kids to see the trial and ensuing procession that is enacted each year at Atotonilco. It was a blaringly hot day, and we had no shade as we waited with the crowds for the trial to begin. The men all wore real crowns of thorns, and the town was almost totally silent as we waited. We saw only one other Norte Americano that I can remember during the day as he appeared and disappeared in the crowd, trying to take photos. It happened to be our friend Patrick Raymond, who is a priest from Madison, Wisconsin.

The trial was conducted all in Spanish, of course, and was a little difficult to hear, so I'm not sure how much of it was understood by our kids, but as the procession proceeded through town and stopped at all the stations of the cross Paul whispered quick explanations to us all. The information was almost inconsequential because what we saw said enough. There were Roman soldiers on horseback pushing back the crowd if it came too close and Jesus was periodically flagellated with a strong rope (enough to draw blood). The cross he bore was truly of burdensome weight. The kids really got it! They got it more than a sermon in a church would ever have been able to communicate.

When it came time for Jesus to be crucified and the cross was being lifted upright, the crowd remained silent with baited breath. It was as if they were under a spell. Our spell was soon to be broken, though, because when Jesus was finally upright and stationary and we were lowering our cameras, we noticed a lone figure atop a cement block a ways up the hill, directly behind Jesus' left shoulder. It was Patrick, who had weaseled a key spot for viewing the crucifixion. To this day all of our pictures of Jesus on the cross have Patrick standing on his left shoulder like a real-life guardian angel. To be honest, it was a welcome respite to the heavy sentiment of the day, and I do not doubt that Jesus had something to do with it. He must have known that I needed some humor in order to truly get the message.

On Easter Sunday, we all attended a Roman Catholic service that was attended almost solely by Norte Americanos. It explained so much about what we had seen. Whereas in northern North America the focus is on the resurrection of Christ, in Latin-American cultures the focus is on the death and the crucifixion of Jesus. It was helpful to wrap up the week with this perspective, and it allowed me to differentiate the two approaches.

I learned so much about the story of Jesus, and it was an incredibly moving experience. Now, I can't quite recall all of the details, but I have a feeling that I remember the most important thing: the image of a people who are truly living their faith.

Dione Goyette is the mother of three and novia/esposa to one. She and her family currently live in San Miguel. She can be contacted at mexgoyettes@yahoo.com