Christmas encourages us to embrace the Babe of Bethlehem
December 10, 2021 at 12:54 p.m.
Crafted by my husband with a simple plywood floor, roof and wall, it is covered with pine boughs, filled with hay, plastic figurines of the Holy Family and a few animals, some traditional to the manger scene, some not so much. Certainly, a humble rendering of a holy experience, but with a light shining on the scene, nothing more expensive would be more beautiful.
It is important to me because it reminds me everyday of the love and hope, faith and uncertainty experienced by Mary and Joseph when Jesus was born. Anyone who has held their infant in their arms and gazed upon the child’s face understands what it means for the heart to wonder what is in store for that child.
Honestly, I never thought about it deeply until I heard the moving song, “Mary, Did You Know,” which poses questions to Mary about the future of her baby boy and all that will happen to him. It brings me to tears no matter how many times I hear it. I think of my own sons, as newborns, and wonder how I would have felt if I had known all that would transpire in their lives as they became the men they are.
Pope Francis writes, “The nativity scene has invited us to ‘feel’ and ‘touch’ the poverty that God’s Son took upon himself in the Incarnation. Implicitly, it summons us to follow him along the path of humility, poverty and self-denial that leads from the manger of Bethlehem to the cross.”
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Mary would walk that path with Jesus from the first moment to the last, not knowing what to expect but never running from the trials that led to Jesus’ suffering. It was this personal connection to Mary as a mother that made the Nativity scene something incredibly meaningful to me.
For more than 2,000 years the story of the Nativity of Jesus has been recalled in poetry, prose and hymns, and expressed in myriad art forms. Inspired by Scripture, holy men and women of the Church pronounced their faith in the Mystery of Christ’s Birth in ways that would become important elements of Christian tradition.
The manger scene, said to have been first created by St. Francis of Assisi, is one of the most beloved traditions, though our increasingly secular culture has pushed it to the side.
The story is told by St. Bonaventure, who recalled that in 1223 St. Francis visited the little Italian town of Greccio to celebrate midnight Mass. In order to accommodate a full congregation, St. Francis set up the altar in a niche in a rock near the town.
St. Francis had a deep desire to nurture a love of Jesus in the hearts of those present, so he brought the Nativity to life, in a sense, by preparing a manger, complete with hay, an ox and an ass.
As St. Bonaventure writes that St. Francis, “preached to the people around the nativity of the poor King; and being unable to utter His name for the tenderness of His love, He called Him the Babe of Bethlehem.”
St. Francis’ profound preaching impressed the image of the Birth of Christ into the hearts of those present for that special night, especially those who could not read and would have no opportunity to study the Bible.
“All those present experienced a new and indescribable joy in the presence of the Christmas scene,” said Pope Francis. Throughout the centuries since then, the simple manger scene has become a symbol of devotion, has touched the hearts of Christians “and continues today to offer a simple yet authentic means of portraying the beauty of our faith.”
As Christmas draws near, let us keep in mind the Holy Father’s words, “The birth of a child awakens joy and wonder; it sets before us the great mystery of life. Seeing the bright eyes of a young couple gazing at their newborn child, we can understand the feelings of Mary and Joseph who, as they looked at the Infant Jesus, sensed God’s presence in their lives.”
Wishing you all the joy and wonder and faith of the first Christmas.
Quotes from Pope Francis were taken from his Apostolic Letter, “Admirabile Signum: On the meaning and importance of the Nativity scene,” a recommended reading during the Advent and Christmas season.
Mary Clifford Morrell is the author of “Things My Father Taught Me About Love” and “Let Go and Live: Reclaiming your life by releasing your emotional clutter.”
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Crafted by my husband with a simple plywood floor, roof and wall, it is covered with pine boughs, filled with hay, plastic figurines of the Holy Family and a few animals, some traditional to the manger scene, some not so much. Certainly, a humble rendering of a holy experience, but with a light shining on the scene, nothing more expensive would be more beautiful.
It is important to me because it reminds me everyday of the love and hope, faith and uncertainty experienced by Mary and Joseph when Jesus was born. Anyone who has held their infant in their arms and gazed upon the child’s face understands what it means for the heart to wonder what is in store for that child.
Honestly, I never thought about it deeply until I heard the moving song, “Mary, Did You Know,” which poses questions to Mary about the future of her baby boy and all that will happen to him. It brings me to tears no matter how many times I hear it. I think of my own sons, as newborns, and wonder how I would have felt if I had known all that would transpire in their lives as they became the men they are.
Pope Francis writes, “The nativity scene has invited us to ‘feel’ and ‘touch’ the poverty that God’s Son took upon himself in the Incarnation. Implicitly, it summons us to follow him along the path of humility, poverty and self-denial that leads from the manger of Bethlehem to the cross.”
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Mary would walk that path with Jesus from the first moment to the last, not knowing what to expect but never running from the trials that led to Jesus’ suffering. It was this personal connection to Mary as a mother that made the Nativity scene something incredibly meaningful to me.
For more than 2,000 years the story of the Nativity of Jesus has been recalled in poetry, prose and hymns, and expressed in myriad art forms. Inspired by Scripture, holy men and women of the Church pronounced their faith in the Mystery of Christ’s Birth in ways that would become important elements of Christian tradition.
The manger scene, said to have been first created by St. Francis of Assisi, is one of the most beloved traditions, though our increasingly secular culture has pushed it to the side.
The story is told by St. Bonaventure, who recalled that in 1223 St. Francis visited the little Italian town of Greccio to celebrate midnight Mass. In order to accommodate a full congregation, St. Francis set up the altar in a niche in a rock near the town.
St. Francis had a deep desire to nurture a love of Jesus in the hearts of those present, so he brought the Nativity to life, in a sense, by preparing a manger, complete with hay, an ox and an ass.
As St. Bonaventure writes that St. Francis, “preached to the people around the nativity of the poor King; and being unable to utter His name for the tenderness of His love, He called Him the Babe of Bethlehem.”
St. Francis’ profound preaching impressed the image of the Birth of Christ into the hearts of those present for that special night, especially those who could not read and would have no opportunity to study the Bible.
“All those present experienced a new and indescribable joy in the presence of the Christmas scene,” said Pope Francis. Throughout the centuries since then, the simple manger scene has become a symbol of devotion, has touched the hearts of Christians “and continues today to offer a simple yet authentic means of portraying the beauty of our faith.”
As Christmas draws near, let us keep in mind the Holy Father’s words, “The birth of a child awakens joy and wonder; it sets before us the great mystery of life. Seeing the bright eyes of a young couple gazing at their newborn child, we can understand the feelings of Mary and Joseph who, as they looked at the Infant Jesus, sensed God’s presence in their lives.”
Wishing you all the joy and wonder and faith of the first Christmas.
Quotes from Pope Francis were taken from his Apostolic Letter, “Admirabile Signum: On the meaning and importance of the Nativity scene,” a recommended reading during the Advent and Christmas season.
Mary Clifford Morrell is the author of “Things My Father Taught Me About Love” and “Let Go and Live: Reclaiming your life by releasing your emotional clutter.”