Saint Francis of Assisi loved the feast of Christmas above all other celebrations, because the Son of God, King of Glory, came into the world. He came into the world to bring Peace and the Lord’s Presence.
With Christmas, the Son of God immerses himself in our humanity and we immerse ourselves in his kind, affable and merciful presence.
Dearest All, Merry Christmas!
Saying Francis at Christmas means saying Greccio, in memory of when Francis wanted to celebrate Christmas in a castle in the Holy Valley at the gates of Rieti, to remember how God had chosen to give birth to his son among the poor, not by bad luck but by choice, among the straw with the ox and the donkey, with the shepherds and their brides rushed from the surrounding mountains: not necessarily the least of the earth, but the most sincere, the truest.
From this extraordinary experience was born the devotion and practice of the crib, which the Franciscan friars over the centuries have spread throughout the world.
The study made by artist Filip Moroder Doss on the meaning of the representation of Jesus’ birth led him to meet St. Francis who first wanted to evoke this historical moment that he defined as “the humility of the incarnation.” An almighty God who became man, became incarnate in the womb of the Virgin Mary and came into the world helpless as a child and poor as the last of the last. It is well known that, in all religious cultures, light is a symbol of God because it can clearly express two specific qualities of the divine that theologians call “transcendence” and “immanence.” Jesus himself describes himself as “the light of the world.”
On the one hand, in fact, light is external to us, we cannot take it in our hands and snatch or dominate it, it “transcends” us, that is, it surpasses us, it is “other” and different from us, thus representing the mystery and distance between us and God. On the other hand, however, it envelops us, reveals us, warms us, brings us to life and is what remains with us and within us, thus depicting the closeness of divinity to its creatures. Here, then, is justification for the surprise and bewilderment that Jesus’ statement arouses: let us not forget that it will be John himself, in his First Letter, who will define God precisely in this way, “light, and in him there is no darkness” (1:5).
Live the experience in the space
As the Cardinal Ravasi writes, “Celebrating Christmas does not just mean preparing a beautiful Nativity scene carved with its shepherds, with the Magi in long robes and a heavenly joy suffused throughout the scenario»
800 years ago, on Christmas night 1223, St. Francis in Greccio wanted to celebrate the Lord’s Christmas in a cave. And for this purpose he had an altar prepared for Mass, had the ox and the donkey arranged, and finally the manger with straw. Thanks to his engaging homily, the people present were so touched that they had a profound spiritual experience: the baby Jesus who was lying in them as if asleep because of their neglect, came to life again, and they came back to experience God’s tenderness in their existences. To confirm this, a nobleman present, Giovanni Velita, from the town of Celano, who had helped Francis with the preparations, had a vision: he saw Francis pulling up from the manger and embracing the baby Jesus.
From this extraordinary experience was born the devotion and practice of the nativity scene, which Franciscan friars over the centuries have spread throughout the world.
The nativity scene speaks to us of the tenderness of the Lord Jesus toward humanity and urges us to recognize him in those around us, especially in those who are struggling or tried by life.
Also this year we friars, here in Assisi, in the Basilica that holds the mortal remains of Francis, inspired by him and by the grace of God, wish to relive with you the tenderness and beauty of God’s love made one of us in Jesus. Tenderness of gestures and beauty of art will go hand in hand: if you want to join us, you are welcome!
If one looks at the work of sculptors Filip Moroder Doss and Thomas Comploi from afar, an extraordinary force develops from three different sources. The baby Jesus in the center of the two parents and in the center of all the figures forms a real pupil of a large eye, which through the groups of figures is built in the shape of hands. The two artists have created a contemporary work that can be read in a classical iconographic sense, but at the same time presents the mystery of birth in a completely new way.
