If you haven’t noticed from the multiple stories and commentary in The Record recently, the church is celebrating the birth of the Nativity scene this Christmas, along with the birth of our Savior.
Eight hundred years ago this Christmas, St. Francis of Assisi organized the first living Nativity. The humble friar did so, according to Pope Francis, “to give substance to the representation — not a painting, not statues, but people in flesh and blood, in order to highlight the reality of the Incarnation.”
The pope said St. Francis wanted to inspire “emotion and tenderness toward the mystery of God born of Mary in a stable and laid in a manger.”
That God began his human life in a feeding trough, cushioned by a layer of straw, surrounded by the night air and the sounds and smells of animals, can be hard to convey with the pretty little statues in our homes.
A living Nativity can help us be moved by the reality of Christ’s birth.
Pope Francis made his remarks at the presentation of a live Nativity scene at the Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome Dec. 16. He went on to remind those gathered that starkly different scenes were being played out in Bethlehem this year.
When you see a living Nativity scene or a crèche in a home or church, this year, he said, think of the people of Bethlehem.
“For them, it promises to be a Christmas of suffering, of mourning, without pilgrims, without celebrations,” he explained. “And naturally this extends to all the inhabitants of the land where Jesus was born, lived, died and rose again. We know the situation caused by the war, the consequence of a conflict that has lasted for decades.”
A “living war scene” plays for us on the 24-hour news cycle directly from the Holy Land. It depicts our brothers and sisters, holy families — Jewish, Christian, Muslim and non-believers alike — suffering under bombs, bullets, hunger and fear.
We may not be able to simulate the sights and sounds of these scenes, but we must find it in ourselves to be moved by them anyway. God’s children are depending on us to be inspired.
The same day Pope Francis made his remarks about living Nativities, a mother and her daughter were shot and killed on the grounds of Holy Family Church in Gaza. Seven others were injured.
A convent on the parish grounds that housed more than 50 disabled people was hit by a rocket attack, rendering it uninhabitable.
The suffering and loss of life on both sides of the Israeli-Hamas conflict is staggering, and we shouldn’t be tempted to overlook it amid our festivities.
Pope Francis has asked us to “pray to the Lord for peace,” and to remember those suffering in Ukraine and other conflict zones as well.
As people of faith, let us resist the urge to choose political sides, as though war is an athletic tournament, and instead choose the side of life and peace.
During a recent interview, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, reflected on the role of faith amid war this Christmas. Faith is a light, he said, that orients us.
“This is one moment of darkness, but we know that this moment will finish,” he said. “In all situations of darkness, even the most horrible situations, there are always persons … that are testimonies of light. (There are) people who are giving light: volunteers, those who are talking about reconciliation. … There are many wonderful people everywhere, even here. Don’t allow the darkness to cover everything.”
From our homes, more than 6,000 miles from Jerusalem, let us remember their suffering and be moved by it. Let’s be a light for the Holy Land. Let’s hold all who suffer in our prayers this Christmas.
MARNIE McALLISTER
Editor
