St. Francis of Assisi: the Incarnation and Greccio Christmas was simply dear to Francis. The Nativity of our Lord -- the theological doctrine of the Incarnation, the birth of Jesus to the Virgin Mary, when Christ, consubstantial Son of the Father, begotten not made before all creation, was born in Bethlehem in fulfillment of the Old Testament's Messianic prophecy. However, Francis did not reason in such theological or abstract dimensions. He was never a heady academic striving to intellectually or theologically grasp the divine mysteries. Instead, he sought to live them with his heart, spirit, and emotions. For Francis, Christmas had to be real. Thus he celebrated the Nativity of the Child Jesus, in the words of Thomas of Celano, with “immense eagerness above all other solemnities, affirming it was the Feasts of Feasts, when God was made a little child and hung on human breasts. He would kiss the images of the baby’s limbs thinking of hunger, and the melting compassion of his heart toward the child also made him stammer sweet words as babies do” (Celano, Second Life: 151, 199). In the Incarnation, the nature of God was most obvious to Francis. This is the moment when the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary, lay wrapped in swaddling clothes in a manger. Before the Incarnation, God had not wholly revealed himself to mankind; he was mysterious and hidden, known only partially: “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets” (Hebrews 1:1). Yet in Jesus, God had become near: “but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world” (Hebrews 1:2). His coming was foretold from of old: “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government will be upon his shoulder, and his name will be called ‘Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace’” (Isaiah 9:6). In the Incarnation, “the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared” (Tit 3:4). God was revealed as kindness and love. Almighty God humbled himself by coming down from Heaven’s royal throne (see Wis 18:15) and taking on human flesh in the womb of a virgin. God finally appeared and showed himself. In this, something new has happened: no longer was God far away, aloof, and remote from humanity up in Heaven; now he has appeared and has come into the world. He has appeared. In the Incarnation, we finally know who God is. God has appeared as a child born in a stable in Bethlehem, not in the palaces of kings. This is the “epiphany” -- the manifestation of God -- that the person that God assumes is a child, a babe. Now the Almighty God, the Eternal Father is a child -- in all his weakness, neediness, and dependence. In Jesus’s humanity, the profound humility of God was revealed. God’s nature was shown to the world. The Son of God was born in the poverty of the stable, in the nature of a child. God -- the giver of life, the Creator of creation -- became dependent on human life and love. The Creator became creation. In the Incarnation is the nature of God: humility and simplicity. Francis’s spirituality was ever practical, concrete, and tangible and his faith life involved his entire being. Francis needed to enter into that human-divine mystery by seeking to see, touch, feel, and make present the events of the human life of Christ. He couldn’t just think or talk about the life of Christ; he had to live it. He needed to be close to his Savior, to live the Gospel fully, and to retrace his footsteps with his mind, body, and spirit. He meditated constantly on the historical life of Christ: Christ’s words, his deeds, and important life events -- especially the humility of the Incarnation and the charity of the Passion. Thomas of Celano said, “Francis used to recall with regular meditation the words of Christ and recollect His deeds with most attentive perception. Indeed, so thoroughly did the humility of the Incarnation and the charity of the Passion occupy his memory that he scarcely wanted to think of anything else” (Celano, First Life: 30, 85). So in 1223, just three years before he died, Francis did something entirely new: he wanted to make the Incarnation come alive. And this happened in Greccio -- a small village in the Rieti valley near Rome. Francis called on John of Velita -- a local knight from Greccio who was a follower of Francis in the Third Order. He asked him to find a way to demonstrate the inconveniences of the circumstances of the Savior’s birth -- to show how he was born in a manger with hay and an ox and donkey nearby. Thomas of Celano described the scene in First Life: 30: 84-86. Word spread that something new was going to take place. People came from all over the valley and beyond. A thousand torches illuminated the darkness in a long procession over the fresh snow on the road from Rieti to Greccio. They were friars and clerics, nobility and commoners, and more. They were pilgrims, faithful, in addition to some who were just plain curious. When Francis finally arrived, his heart was elated as he rejoiced at the crowds. When he looked upon the manger and the animals, his heart melted and he was overjoyed: simplicity was glorified; poverty was made rich; humility was exalted. The brothers sang, the laity praised God, even the animals were jubilant. Bethlehem was in Greccio. In the stable at Bethlehem, Francis could touch and caress the Christ child -- like Simeon in the Temple. In everything, there was solemnity, beauty, and joy, The priest celebrated the Christmas Mass over the manger and all were consoled. Francis himself participated in the Mass vested as a deacon, and proclaimed the holy Gospel in chant. Then he preached to all the people about the birth of the poor King in the poor city of Bethlehem. He preached in a strong, sweet, clear, and sonorous voice. At the elevation of the Host, Francis saw a vision: a little child lying in the manger. Afterwards, the hay that had been placed in the manger was preserved so that it might be used to restore health. Many of the animals of the surrounding area were freed from various diseases after eating some of the hay. Also, women who had been suffering long and hard labor had an easy delivery after placing some of this hay upon themselves. Finally, an altar was constructed over the manger and a church was built over the grotto. No one had ever done such a thing before, and this was something quite new. In fact, Christmas had not always been a major feast in the Church; for the early Church, the primary feast was Easter. And this precedence never changed. Yet through Francis and the experience of Greccio, something new took place: a new emphasis was placed on Jesus’s humanity and earthy life. The humility and simplicity of God was revealed with a new profundity. Thus, a tradition began each year to re-recreate the nativity scene of Jesus. In time, it began to be called a crèche, which name comes from the town of Greccio. Today throughout Italy, there is a tradition of beautiful, detailed nativity scenes. Especially in the church of Greccio, above the basilica, there is a series of creches, or presepi, donated from all over Italy, and the world.
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Bret ThomanCatholic. Franciscan. Married. Father. Pilgrim guide. Writer. Translator. Pilot. Aspiring sailor. Archives
April 2024
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