By Fr Anthony Le Duc SVD
Every year, as Christmas nears, people all over the world set up Nativity scenes in churches and in their homes to commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ. This is no exception in Thailand. Every church, from the grand cathedral to the humble village church, has a Nativity scene. However, in some churches around the country, not all of the Nativity scenes are set up by Thai Christians. Some of them are made by Vietnamese migrant workers.
Catholic Vietnamese migrant workers are no longer unfamiliar in Thai churches. They have become a familiar sight to the local parishioners. A Thai Catholic in Bangkok says you know if someone is Vietnamese in church when they come to Sunday Mass dressed well, has relatively light skin, and, this is the thing that sets them apart, cross their arms in front of their chest instead of putting their palms together in the “wai” gesture that Thai people usually do.
In some Thai churches, there are so many young Vietnamese migrant workers attending Mass that on a day when they do not come to the Thai language Mass, the church suddenly looks empty. It is these same Vietnamese who usually approach the Thai pastor and ask for permission to set up Nativity scenes in front of the church for Christmas. It is quite remarkable how many of them are capable of making very elaborate designs for the scene, complete with mountains and caves.
To be able to accomplish the task is not easy. The Vietnamese youth have to first get permission from the pastor and raise money by collecting donations from members of the group. Sometimes the pastor supports with some of the cost, which could amount to tens of thousands of baht. They then have to make time to go to the church to build the Nativity scene, usually after a night of work at a restaurant or some other venues to make their own living.
To make a Nativity scene that they could be proud of requires effort, as well as time and money, things that the youth do not have much of. But every year, in front of some churches in Thailand, one can find a number of impressive Nativity scenes that have been created by the young Vietnamese migrant workers. These Nativity scenes are a testimony to the Christian faith that they hold on to enthusiastically even in situations that do not always make it easy for them to maintain and celebrate.
As I write this reflection, at. St. Joseph’s Church, only 500 meters away from the SVD community house in Bangkok, a group of Vietnamese youth is on their third day of making the Nativity scene. Some just came to the church from work. Others have taken the day off from work in order to participate in this meaningful holiday preparation.
Everyone’s life is busy and full of concerns. The Christmas season often does not make life less hectic, but intensifies the anxieties in our life. However, amidst all the fears and worries, it might do us well just to take some time in order to do something that we find truly meaningful in our life, even if it means having to lose some sleep, spend some money, or sparing some more of our time. In the end, what is time and money for, if it is not about using them for things that are life-giving and able to bring us real joy and satisfaction.