Christmas Crib

One of our most treasured Christmas traditions is displaying the Nativity or Christmas Crib during the holy season. It is a joyful remembrance of the occurrences surrounding and leading up to the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

In every country where Christmas is celebrated, there are unique and wonderful representations of the Nativity. Perhaps the most famous is in Italy  where the "Presepio" is cherished by the entire country. In this representation, figures of the townspeople are included in the Christmas scene as a sign of their devotion and love for the Christ Child.

Saint Francis of Assisi helped popularize the devotion to the Christmas Crib in an Italian town called Greccio, the year was 1223.

SAINT FRANCIS' DEVOTION TO THE CHRIST CHILD

To understand the special events that occurred at Greccio, we must first remember that St. Francis had a very special love and tender devotion for the Christ Child. The Christmas feast was a time of great emotion for him.

Francis viewed the celebration as a privilege and spoke of Christmas as a feast of gentleness, humility, generosity and above all poverty.

It is said that the Saint's heart "melted with love" at the thought of the Lord of Lords being born as a little child in a poor stable. It is safe to assume that this devotion was born during his prolonged pilgrimage to the Holy Land where a visit to Bethlehem increased these sentiments in his already loving heart.

The Journey to Greccio

In December of 1223, St. Francis was returning from a visit to Rome where the Rule for his Brotherhood had been approved by Pope Honorius III. While in Rome, St. Francis was received by Cardinal Hugolino and was surrounded by great attention and praise. Uncomfortable with the accolades, the humble Francis quickly left Rome and on the way home to Assisi, he passed through the beautiful Riete Valley. While there, he stayed with some of his Franciscan Brothers in the Sabine Mountains.

In this same area lived a generous and very spiritual man named John Vellita who held Francis and the brothers in the very highest regard. In fact, John Vellita had given Francis and his followers a rocky piece of ground planted with trees which was just on the outskirts of the town of Greccio. From their rocky hill, the Brothers could see the town just in front of them.

CHRISTMAS 1223

When John Vellita came to visit Francis and his brothers, he was presented with an unusual request. Francis wished to celebrate the holy night of Christmas by replicating the original scene at Bethlehem.
The plan was to use a nearby cave and set up a manger filled with straw. Then, Vellita was to bring in an ox and a donkey, just like at Bethlehem.

Francis expressed a desire to celebrate the coming of the Son of God upon earth in a fitting way, and to see with his own eyes how poor and miserable the One who was born for love of us chose to enter this world.

John Vellita eagerly put Francis' plan into action. He enlisted the aid of the brothers and together they gathered the materials and assembled the holy scene.

When the people of the town and the surrounding region heard what was going on, they gathered together and, with torches lit against the dark, made their way up the hillside toward the cave.

A table had been prepared above the manger so that Mass could be celebrated. Beneath the simple and improvised altar lay the figure of the infant Jesus, surrounded by the ox and donkey.

MIRACLE AT GRECCIO

At midnight, the Mass was celebrated commemorating the birth of our Savior. Francis preached at this Mass and his words were tender and loving. The people in attendance were spellbound by his words and the tears of humility and joy that coursed down his cheeks.

Francis then picked up the Christ Child figure and to the amazement of the crowd, the Infant appeared to come to life, smiled at Francis and caressed his cheeks. Through his words and the power of his love, Saint Francis had seemingly brought to life the Child God so that all present could share in the gift of His love.

According to Brother Celano, Saint Francis' biographer, the Saint "sighed deeply, and seemed to be brimming over with wonderful joy."

GRECCIO TODAY

The place of the "Miracle At Greccio" was consecrated to the Lord and became a Church. Above the actual cave or grotto, an altar was placed in honor of Saint Francis. Today, Greccio is still a popular place of pilgrimage and during the Christmas season it is a scene of great devotion.

St. Francis of Assisi popularized the tradition of the Christmas Crib.  It is a great testimony to Saint Francis whose heart burned with love, hope and renewed faith at the great gift of love which is Christ.