Saint
Francis honored our Lord in a special and memorable way for people who
were taking Christmas for granted. Francis created the first
Christmas Presepio.
He
illustrated the great mystery of the Incarnation by recreating the
original nativity of Bethlehem. Francis gathered his fellow monks
and the local villagers to celebrate the birth of Our Lord. They
wore the simple raiment of shepherds and were accompanied by an ox and a
donkey. A young woman, wrapped in a blue mantle, took shelter from
the cold. Close by, a gentle man leaned on a gnarled stick.
All those present prayed and shared the Eucharist. When in one
little part of that very big scene, the Christ child was placed on the
manger-altar, the whole world was made different. They realized
Christ was present. We, too, must become a new Bethlehem, and
realize Christ is among us. Thus we can understand God's love is ever present,
and God's presence all loving. The presepio of St. Francis served as
a reminder of all that Christmas should be, and what he began in Greccio
in 1223, has become part of our Christmas tradition.
This
Presepio is dedicated to those who continue to experience the love of
Christ and serve each other in the Lord's name.
I
thank my grandfather, Henry Gioia, for sharing this special family
tradition with me for so many years...
