Pinto Beans:Center of gratitude in Saltillo
By Fr. Rich Smith
It was only in September when at a regularly scheduled visit to San Jose de la Union, in the Municipio de Saltillo, that I found, right in front of the tabernacle, a small green bean. It was the bean pod of the “pinto” that is commonly planted in this region, only about 4 inches long. I recognized it right away as the thanksgiving offering of first fruits.
We had a long spell this year without rain, from August 2007 until July of this past summer. Without rain, there is no planting. Without rain, there is no harvest either.
Then the rain began in the middle of July. It was not in great quantities, but it finally came. But then, it increased day by day, little by little, each afternoon, into a flood. The ponds and lakes could not hold the water. Dams were breaking here and there. The most water this region has seen since the hurricanes of the mid-1980s.
As we draw near to Thanksgiving, I am remembering that little bean in front of the tabernacle. It was a small, unobtrusive sign of gratitude and God’s blessings. We are blessed with so much as all the folks who share this good earth.
Even in these uncertain and hard economic times, there is also much blessing. Hopefully, with this year we can be conscious and recognize those blessings of family and home and nature. Hopefully, we can grow in gratitude for the small and not so small signs of God’s presence, love and care.
Father Benny and I are very grateful for all those who take interest in and support the work of our mission here in Saltillo, co-sponsored by the people of the dioceses of Biloxi and Jackson. So much of what we do could not happen without the generous support of the people.
Green beans, or pintos for that matter, are not generally the center piece of the Thanksgiving celebration or the Thanksgiving table, but they are surely the center of gratitude in many a rural community here. Gracias a Dios!
