St. Francis, recalling a visit he had made years before to Bethlehem, resolved to create the manger he had seen there. The ideal spot was a cave in nearby Greccio. He would find a baby, hay upon which to lay him, an ox and an ass to stand beside the manger. Word went out to the people of the town. At the appointed time they arrived carrying torches and candles. One of the friars began celebrating Mass while Francis himself gave the sermon. His biographer, Thomas of Celano, recalls that Francis stood before the manger, overwhelmed with love and filled with a wonderful happiness. For Francis, the simple celebration was meant to recall the hardships Jesus suffered even as an infant, a savior who chose to become poor for our sake, a truly human Jesus. - Source
I would love to be at Christmas Mass in Greccio.
"I would love to be at Christmas Mass in Greccio"
ReplyDeleteMe too. I would like to stay and keep watch bundled up by a little campfire praying with my fellow pilgrims as we sing to the Babe and His mamacita.
We would of course ask San Jose to keep watch with us and ask him to tell us stories about our Lord and His hidden childhood.
A wonderful Christmas to all!
And to you Yaya. Terry I love these photos. So intimate. Thanks.
ReplyDeletethis afternoon at vespers, father could hardly talk so Sister read to us a homily by a bishop; maybe it was the metropolitan but i didn't recognize the name, but it was about greccio and the tradition of a living creche. The byzantine-ruthenian church does things a bit differently than the latin rite and often read someone else's homily, sometimes st. john chrysostom, sometimes someone contemporary.
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