Saint of the day for December 24: the Story of Christmas in Greccio

Saint of the day for December 24nd

The History of Christmas in Greccio

What better way to prepare for the arrival of the Baby Jesus than to take a short trip to Greccio, the place in central Italy where St. Francis of Assisi created the first Christmas nativity scene in the year 1223.

Francis, recalling a visit he had made years earlier to Bethlehem, decided to create the manger he had seen there. The ideal place was a cave in nearby Greccio. He would find a baby - we're not sure if it was a live baby or a carved image of a baby - some hay to lay it on, an ox and a donkey to stand next to the manger. Word got around to the people of the city. At the appointed time they arrived carrying torches and candles.

One of the friars began to celebrate mass. Francis himself gave the sermon. His biographer, Tommaso da Celano, recalls that Francesco "stood in front of the manger ... overwhelmed by love and filled with a wonderful happiness ..."

For Francis, the simple celebration was intended to remind us of the difficulties that Jesus suffered as a child, a savior who chose to become poor for us, a truly human Jesus.

Tonight, as we pray around the Christmas cribs in our homes, let us welcome that same Savior into our hearts.

Reflection

God's choice to give human beings free will was from the beginning a decision to be powerless in the hands of man. With the birth of Jesus, God has made divine impotence very clear to us, as a human child is totally dependent on the loving response of other people. Our natural response to a child is to open our arms as Francis did: to the child of Bethlehem and to the God who created us all.