Redeeming culture during Hispanic Heritage Month

By: Orpha Ortega

How can we celebrate our culture without letting it define who we are?

The month of September reminds us of where we come from. It is a month of flags, colors, music, food, family gatherings, and patriotic celebrations. For many Hispanics, September stirs up memories of our homeland, our family, our flavors, and our roots.

Our culture is part of our history, but it should not become the place where we find our identity. Many of us women live between two worlds: what we received from our culture and what God is shaping within us. Jesus left us an interesting example.

Jesus left us an interesting example. In John 7:37-38 we read, “Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.”

Jesus was in Jerusalem during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), one of Israel's most important celebrations. It was a festival filled with traditions, pilgrimages, family gatherings, and ceremonies. Jesus did not remain aloof from that celebration; He was there. And in the midst of that festival, Jesus took an element that held profound significance for the people, water, and used it to reveal a much greater spiritual truth.

During the Feast of Tabernacles, Israel remembered how God had cared for His people during the years in the wilderness. The water served as a reminder of that provision of God.

In that context, Jesus issued an extraordinary invitation: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” The people were remembering God’s provision; Jesus presented Himself as the source. The people remembered the wilderness; Jesus offered living water. The celebration held significance; Jesus gave it an even deeper meaning. This teaches us something important: Jesus did not reject the culture; He entered into it and redeemed that which could point toward God. And what do we do with our culture?

We do not have to reject our roots to follow Christ. We can celebrate our food, music, language, traditions, family, and history. But we must also ask ourselves: What aspects of our culture need to be redeemed?

Not everything we inherit should be preserved simply because it is tradition. Nor should everything be rejected simply because it belongs to our culture. Christ can redeem what is good, correct what is wrong, and give new purpose to what we have received.

As women, we have an enormous influence on the transmission of culture. We pass on words, recipes, stories, customs, values, ways of raising children, and ways of treating others. What we model today can become part of the culture of our children and grandchildren tomorrow.

Because of this, the question is not only: “What culture did I receive?”

We must also ask ourselves: “What culture am I passing on? What legacy am I leaving?”

Consider the following truths as we celebrate our culture:

→Our culture is part of our history, but it does not define our identity. We can value our roots

without making them the place where we discover who we are.

→Jesus did not reject culture; He entered into it and redeemed that which could point toward

God. At the Feast of Tabernacles, He took an element familiar to the people, water, and used it

to reveal a far greater spiritual truth.

We do not have to despise our roots to follow Christ. We can celebrate our food, our music, our

language, our traditions, our family, and our history.

→Not everything we inherit must be preserved simply because it is tradition. Christ can redeem what is good, correct what is wrong, and give new purpose to what we have received.

• As women, we have an enormous influence on the culture we pass on. Our words, recipes, stories, customs, values, and ways of treating others can become part of the legacy we leave to our children and grandchildren.

In September, we celebrate our roots and remember where we come from. But as women of faith, we can do something more: we can allow Jesus to redeem our story.

We do not need to choose between our heritage and our faith. We can bring our roots to the feet of Christ and allow Him to transform what needs transformation.

This September, as we celebrate our heritage, let us remember that our culture can tell us where we come from, but only Christ can tell us who we are. And His invitation still stands: “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink.” — John 7:37