Christmas

I was recently jogging in my neighborhood when I noticed a yard filled with Christmas decorations: Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer…and toward the back, in the midst a forest of lights and inflatables, were Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

There’s no point in bashing the commercialization or the secularization of Christmas. It’s a fact, just as surely as the stores began the Christmas season the day after Halloween and will end it on Thursday (December 26).  By contrast, the Church’s celebration of Christmas begins on the eve of December 24 and lasts well into January until we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord.

Instead of a critique, I want to offer you an invitation to take a new look at an old tradition: the Nativity scene, crèche or pesebre. Wherever it is—in your house or yard or here in the church—please spend a few moments contemplating it in the coming days. Te invito a reflexionar sobre tu pesebre esta Navidad.

The first Nativity scene was the inspiration of St. Francis of Assisi in a little Italian town called Greccio nearly 800 years ago. In his recent Apostolic Letter, Admirable Signum (“Enchanting Image”), Pope Francis reminds us that the Nativity scene is more than a sentimental object. It is a sacramental, that is a holy object that can prepare us to receive the sacraments (esp. Eucharist) and to grow in holiness. It is a way that we can get in touch—literally—with God’s poverty, humility and above all, love for us.

El pesebre es un sacramental. Nos permite experimentar la gracia de Dios. San Francisco de Asís comenzó la tradición hace casi 800 años. En el pesebre experimentamos la pobreza, la humildad y el amor de Dios por nosotros.

The lights remind us that the Light of the World has come among us. The animals, trees, hay, rocks and other natural things remind us that God speaks and comes to us in and through creation. Through the mystery of the Incarnation, creation itself has become sacramental. Dios nos habla a través de todos los elementos de la creación. La creación misma se convierte en un sacramento.

The shepherds remind us that the first people to behold the Christ and proclaim his birth were humble, ordinary people. All of us are given the grace to be evangelists, to share the Good News of Jesus with others. Los pastores, gente común como nosotros, se convirtieron en los primeros evangelistas y proclamaron el nacimiento de su Salvador.

The Manger in which Mary laid Jesus is, Pope Francis says, a sign of God’s revolutionary love and tenderness and a sign of hope for all of those who feel marginalized or excluded. We can all share in the life and mission of Jesus. El pesebre es un signo del amor y la ternura revolucionaria de Dios. Les da la bienvenida a todos.

Mary looks upon her son, and we remember her as the model of total submission to God’s will, regardless of the risks and costs. She is full of grace. Joseph likewise looks upon Jesus. He is the guardian of his young family and, with Mary, is the first teacher of Jesus. María y José miran a Jesús. María fue un modelo de sumisión a la voluntad de Dios, y José fue el guardián y maestro de Jesús.

Finally, there is the baby Jesus, (el Niño). Pope Francis says it so eloquently:

God appears as a child, for us to take into our arms. Beneath his weakness and frailty, he conceals his power that creates and transforms all things…. To our astonishment, we see God acting exactly as we do:  he sleeps, takes milk from his mother, cries and plays like every other child…our life is part of God’s own life.

Dios se ha convertido en uno con nosotros. We love Frosty, Santa, Rudolph and even the Grinch. May we love Jesus, Mary and Joseph even more.

Merry Christmas! ¡Feliz Navidad! +