Pope writes Apostolic Letter on
the significance of the Christmas crèche
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| A nativity scene in the Hermitage of Greccio Sanctuary |
Pope Francis has written an Apostolic Letter on the meaning
and importance of the nativity scene. He signed the Letter during his visit on
Sunday afternoon to the Italian town of Greccio.
By Vatican News
Greccio is the mountain village where Saint Francis of
Assisi created the first crib scene in 1223 to commemorate the birth of Jesus.
Pope Francis returned to the town on Sunday to deliver his Apostolic Letter
entitled, “Admirabile signum”.
An enchanting image
The Latin title of the Letter refers to the “enchanting
image” of the Christmas crèche, one that “never ceases to arouse amazement and
wonder”, writes the Pope. “The depiction of Jesus’ birth is itself a simple and
joyful proclamation of the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God”, he
says.
A living Gospel
“The nativity scene is like a living Gospel rising up from
the pages of sacred Scripture”, continues Pope Francis. Contemplating the
Christmas story is like setting out on a spiritual journey, “drawn by the
humility of the God who became man in order to encounter every man and woman.”
So great is His love for us, writes the Pope, “that He became one of us, so
that we in turn might become one with Him.”
A family tradition
The Pope hopes this Letter will encourage the family
tradition of preparing the nativity scene, “but also the custom of setting it
up in the workplace, in schools, hospitals, prisons and town squares.” Praising
the imagination and creativity that goes into these small masterpieces, Pope
Francis says he hopes this custom will never be lost “and that, wherever it has
fallen into disuse, it can be rediscovered and revived.”
The Gospel origin of the crèche
Pope Francis recalls the origin of the Christmas crèche as
related in the Gospels. “Coming into this world, the Son of God was laid in the
place where animals feed. Hay became the first bed of the One who would reveal
Himself as ‘the bread come down from heaven’.” The nativity scene “evokes a
number of the mysteries of Jesus’ life and brings them close to our own daily
lives”, writes the Pope.
Saint Francis’ crèche in Greccio
Pope Francis takes us back to the Italian town of Greccio,
which Saint Francis visited in the year 1223. The caves he saw there reminded him
of the countryside of Bethlehem. On 25 December, friars and local people
came together, bringing flowers and torches, writes the Pope. “When Francis
arrived, he found a manger full of hay, an ox and a donkey.” A priest
celebrated the Eucharist over the manger, “showing the bond between the
Incarnation of the Son of God and the Eucharist.”
The start of the tradition
This is how our tradition began, continues Pope Francis,
“with everyone gathered in joy around the cave, with no distance between the
original event and those sharing in its mystery.” With the simplicity of that
sign, Saint Francis carried out a great work of evangelization, he writes. His
teaching continues today “to offer a simple yet authentic means of portraying
the beauty of our faith.”
A sign of God’ tender love
Pope Francis explains that the Christmas crèche moves us so
deeply because it shows God’s tender love. From the time of its Franciscan
origins, “the nativity scene has invited us to ‘feel’ and ‘touch’ the poverty
that God’s Son took upon Himself in the Incarnation”, writes the Pope. “It asks
us to meet Him and serve Him by showing mercy to those of our brothers and
sisters in greatest need.”
The meaning of the crèche elements
Pope Francis reflects on the meaning behind the elements
that make up the nativity scene. He begins with the background of “a starry sky
wrapped in the darkness and silence of night.” We think of when we have
experienced the darkness of night, he says, yet even then, God does not abandon
us. “His closeness brings light where there is darkness and shows the way to
those dwelling in the shadow of suffering.”
The landscape
The Pope then writes about the landscapes that often include
ancient ruins or buildings. He explains how these ruins are “the visible sign
of fallen humanity, of everything that inevitably falls into ruin, decays and
disappoints.” This scenic setting tells us that Jesus has come “to heal and
rebuild, to restore the world and our lives to their original splendour.”
The shepherds
Turning to the shepherds, Pope Francis writes that, “unlike
so many other people, busy about many things, the shepherds become the first to
see the most essential thing of all: the gift of salvation. It is the humble
and the poor who greet the event of the Incarnation.” The shepherds respond to
God “who comes to meet us in the Infant Jesus by setting out to meet Him with
love, gratitude and awe”, he adds.
The poor and the lowly
The presence of the poor and the lowly, continues the Pope,
is a reminder that “God became man for the sake of those who feel most in need
of His love and who ask Him to draw near to them.” From the manger, “Jesus
proclaims, in a meek yet powerful way, the need for sharing with the poor as
the path to a more human and fraternal world in which no one is excluded or
marginalized.”
Everyday holiness
Then there are the figures that have no apparent connection
with the Gospel accounts. Yet, writes Pope Francis, “from the shepherd to the
blacksmith, from the baker to the musicians, from the women carrying jugs of
water to the children at play: all this speaks of everyday holiness, the joy of
doing ordinary things in an extraordinary way.”
Mary and Joseph
The Pope then focuses on the figures of Mary and Joseph.
“Mary is a mother who contemplates her child and shows Him
to every visitor”, he writes. “In her, we see the Mother of God who does not
keep her Son only to herself, but invites everyone to obey His word and to put
it into practice. Saint Joseph stands by her side, “protecting the Child and
His Mother.” Joseph is the guardian, the just man, who “entrusted himself
always to God’s will.”
The Infant Jesus
But it is when we place the statue of the Infant Jesus in
the manger, that the nativity scene comes alive, says Pope Francis. “It seems impossible,
yet it is true: in Jesus, God was a child, and in this way He wished to reveal
the greatness of His love: by smiling and opening His arms to all.” The crèche
allows us to see and touch this unique and unparalleled event that changed the
course of history, “but it also makes us reflect on how our life is part of
God’s own life.”
The Three Kings
As the Feast of Epiphany approaches, we add the Three Kings
to the Christmas crèche. Their presence reminds us of every Christian’s
responsibility to spread the Gospel, writes Pope Francis. “The Magi teach us
that people can come to Christ by a very long route”, but returning home, they
tell others of this amazing encounter with the Messiah, “thus initiating the
spread of the Gospel among the nations.”
Transmitting the faith
The memories of standing before the Christmas crèche when we
were children should remind us “of our duty to share this same experience with
our children and our grandchildren”, says Pope Francis. It does not matter how
the nativity scene is arranged, “what matters is that it speaks to our lives.”
The Christmas crèche is part of the precious yet demanding
process of passing on the faith, concludes Pope Francis. “Beginning in
childhood, and at every stage of our lives, it teaches us to contemplate Jesus,
to experience God’s love for us, to feel and believe that God is with us and
that we are with Him.”
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