On this most touching of Christian feasts, let us hear again the story of one of our popular customs—the Christmas Crib.
In the last year of his life, Francis of Assisi told his friends, “This will be my final Christmas. I want to celebrate it in a new way.” Francis had a friend in the lovely mountain town of Greccio. His friend owned some land on a hillside opposite the town. Several grotto-like caves lined the hilly property. His friend gave him and his brothers the land to use as a hermitage.
Francis and a few of his disciples moved there at the beginning of advent. Francis confided to his friend that he would like one cave to be transformed into a Bethlehem scene. His friend lined the cave with straw. He installed a manger filled with straw and brought in an ox and a donkey. On the side he placed a small altar for Mass.
About an hour before midnight, the people of the village of Greccio came in procession to celebrate Christmas with Francis. Their stream of lanterns and candles looked like stars coming across the valley. As they sang the laude, the ancient Christmas carols of Umbria, they seemed to echo the Gloria of the angels in Luke’s Gospel.
When they arrived at the cave, they were charmed by the sight of the ox and donkey and manger. And none more delighted than their children. The Eucharistic celebration began. At homily time, Francis stood by the manger to talk about the birth of Jesus. A spell of religious awe overtook the listeners. One account says that at the end of the homily, a gold light filled their assembly. They saw Francis reach into the empty manger and lift out a baby and cradle him in his arms. And then he held the baby out to them, saying: “My brothers and sisters, behold the Savior of the world.” And all of them were joined as one in the mystery of the Incarnation.
After the Eucharist, Francis disappeared. Not until dawn, when the morning star hovered in the sky, did someone find him. He was absorbed in prayer, his face turned toward Bethlehem.
And that is how our custom of having a Christmas crib began. Through the centuries, Christians have found a thousand ways to create their own version of the crib. By bringing to life the Christmas scene, millions of believers have been put in touch with this profound mystery of God’s love for us.
What does Francis teach us by his Vision of the Crib?
-
See the simplicity of God’s mystery. Our education makes us look at the complicated side of life. Our culture prizes the complexity of a scientific world. The result is we approach God as such a confusing reality that we fail to see the simplicity of his love. Francis brings us a birth room and a child on a hillside. He tells us that God has the simplicity of this child.
-
Observe how God comes amid the poor. Since God is the greatest there is, it seems to us he should be found in the palaces of the mighty. Francis builds his crib scene on a road near a poor village. God is always to be found among the poor, the needy, the suffering.
-
See how human God can be. What is more captivating than a few hundred families singing carols at midnight beneath a starry sky in the hills of Umbria? What is more soul satisfying than cradling a baby with love in the mountain air? What better way could God have chosen to show how much he thinks of us? What better method could Francis have picked to communicate how caring God is?
As we gather by the altar and the Crib, let us sing Gloria and thanks to the Holy Child who brings us such joy… And another thanks to Francis for the glorious idea of a crib.
PRAYER
Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God. Glory to you on this feast of your birth in Bethlehem. We are grateful for the simplicity of your mystery. We are ennobled by your choice to come into the world as a human being. We are inspired to search for you among the poor and the humble and to be humble and poor in our own way. We rejoice in your birth and seek to live better lives as a result. Amen
|
