By: Sr. Jacque Schroeder (Peoria TEC)
When was the last time you contemplated the manger scene? I mean really just gazed at the humility and simplicity of it all… For St. Francis– and all who share his spirit– Christmas is the “Feast of Feasts.” As a child, my brothers and sisters and I would spend all kinds of time in front of our family manger scene– moving the figures around, holding the baby, talking to Mary and Joseph and the shepherds and wise men… Small children, I think, have an inborn sense of the holy light which the darkness hasn’t yet dimmed, overshadowed, or placed under a bushel basket.
In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. (Gen 1:1-3)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. ...The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-5,14)
The Paschal Mystery that we celebrate so well in our TEC communities began the moment Mary said “YES” and the Word leapt into her womb.
St. Francis was captivated by the God who desires to be totally united with all creation and so entered fully into all His creation, becoming One-with-us in all things. Francis understood that the Incarnation of God in human flesh changed everything then and changes everything now. The Paschal Mystery that we celebrate so well in our TEC communities began the moment Mary said “YES” and the Word leapt into her womb.
So Francis created the visual of the manger scene to help the people of Greccio, Italy, really see what God has done, so that each of us could choose to allow God to open our eyes, to allow the Light to enter into our souls, to receive the LOVE that is enfleshed in this “Only Son” and indeed in every little child born into this world. He knew that God’s sign is humility, simplicity and poverty. Pope Benedict XVI said in his Christmas homily in 2006:
“God’s sign is that He makes Himself small for us. This is how He reigns. …
He comes as a baby — defenseless and in need of our help… He asks for
our love: so, He makes Himself a child. He wants nothing other from us than
our love, through which we spontaneously learn to enter into His feelings,
His thoughts and His will — we learn to live with Him and to practice with Him
that humility of renunciation that belongs to the very essence of love. God made
Himself small so that we could understand Him, welcome Him, and love Him.”
Francis invited everyone in Greccio to take part in this live demonstration of the Birth of Jesus, where everyone was needed and wanted. He placed the altar directly above the manger scene in the cave outside of the town because he understood that it is in the Eucharist that the Incarnation (God becoming Flesh) continues each time Mass is celebrated. With eyes enlightened by faith and love, Francis saw and understood that the Eucharist is the Sacrament revealing the humility of God– continuing the Incarnation– Emmanuel, “God with us.” Every Eucharist, St. Francis knew, was not only our participation in the passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus, but also a continuation of God becoming flesh– in our flesh! Every day when we celebrate “Christ’s Mass” we celebrate Christmas.
May Christ be born anew in you today and every day! Peace and All Good to you! Celebrate Christmas!
