By Fr Antony Christy, SDB –
Christmas is a time of joy! Come what may, this joy cannot be lost or left out. One of the joys of Christmas, apart from the Santaclaus, the Christmas tree, the stars and the sweets is the Crib. We enjoy looking at the cribs made in the Church or in homes and many of us enjoy making it ourselves at home! The Crib is a phenomenon from the thirteenth century, to be precise from the year 1223 when Francis of Assisi made the first crib in a place called Greccio, in Italy.
St. Francis infact thought of this idea, to bring back our attention on the event of the birth of Christ, from all the mere material distractions like the food and decorations. What a novel way of reminding ourselves of the First Christmas, we need to thank God for that intuitive saint who had initiated this beautiful tradition. Why am I speaking of the Crib… it is from there I wish to offer the reflection for this wonderful feast.
Seven lessons from the Christmas Crib:
It has always been a moment of surprise and wonder to look at cribs made with interest, each depicting an scene so different and novel. But there are certain characters of the Crib that do not change at all – the traditional characters of the Crib. Have you realised, that each of them have something important and specific to communicate to us? Let us listen to the lesson that each of them give, I wish to present seven of those lessons. I leave it to your choice, to pick up whichever appeals to you more than the others, and see how you can make it part of your life, to be part of the Crib too!
Lesson 1 : From the Shepherds – Simplicity
The Shepherds have an essential place in the Crib. We cannot have a traditional crib without them. They were the first ones to be informed of the birth of the Child and they were the first ones to arrive on the scene, not the great Herod or the great high priests and the chief priests, not the learned and the rich – but the simple shepherds, smelling of their sheep and tired due to the night watch. Our simplicity takes us closer to God, the God of the Simplicity.
Lesson 2: From the Beasts of the Stable – Selfless Giving
Without being very conscious about it, we give an important place to the beasts, the cattle, the donkeys and the cows in the stable. They were playing very important role at the stable during the original Christmas, they were keeping the mother and the child warm, at the delivery and later. The warmth of the cattle was such an important element for the child – just imagine the beasts were not even aware of the good that they were doing. Look at the challenge that they throw at us: to give, and never to be conscious that you are giving. That selfless giving will take us to the Crib, to God’s presence easily.
Lesson 3: From the Angels – Service
All the traditional cribs have angels around, infact they were there all the time. The angels took messages to Mary, to Joseph before the nativity; they took messages to Joseph about the need to move and to protect; the angels were around to do what the Lord wanted, they are forever at the service of the Lord. When we are at the service of our neighbours, we to becomes Angels, Angels of the Lord taking what the Lord wants us to deliver to others. The more service minded we become, the more closer we get to the Lord, who came to serve and not to be served.
Lesson 4: From the Magi – Seeking Truth
The Wisemen who come to close the intense period of Christmas with their visit on the day of Epiphany, are another important part of the Crib. They come seeking for the Lord, they come seeking for the Truth, they come seeking for the One whom everything points to. They were seeking the Lord. This is what has drastically disappeared in the world today. The world is in no way excited about the coming of Christ, they are only excited about the holidays and the discounts. When we seek the Lord, we reach the crib! When we truly seek the Lord, everything around will bring us to God!
Lesson 5: From dear St. Joseph – Silence
Joseph listened and carried out orders; he spoke nothing. The Silent protector of the Son of God and the Mother of God. What a beautiful role he plays in the Crib, even there quiet and peaceful, standing by with that manly gait, not seeking the limelight or trying to steal the show, controlling crowds or creating furore. He was not dictating terms to Mary, much less to God placing his demands for the role that he has to play. He was silent, a silent collaborator with the divine will. When we are silent, we begin to sense the divine presence within and all around us.
Lesson 6: From loving Mother Mary – Surrender
Look at Mary now in the Crib – a mother’s sense of fulfillment in her eyes and the loving gaze that spreads on her new born son. That sense of fulfillment comes after a long process of surrender – the young maiden surrendering her life and all her dreams, the spouse in promise surrendering her marriage and family, a loving mother surrendering all her expectations. When we surrender, we see the Lord acting in and through us with mighty power and grace.
Lesson 7: From the little New Born – Self Emptying
This little new born is so helpless. Can you imagine is the Word in and through which the entire universe was created – yes that Word is made flesh and is seen here as a simple, helpless infant at the mercy of the people and the beasts around. The Self Emptying of the Son of God begins here. St. Paul would speak of it later in the letter to the Philippians – from the sky to the Crib and from the Crib to the Cross…it is a great self emptying and it was because of that, God gave him a name above every other name. It is only self emptying that will give us an identity as sons and daughters of God, not our achievements and our pride, not our riches and our titles.
Of these seven characters here, which one would you like to be…what lesson would you like to take to heart? Begin from today and grow in that virtue, the Lord will be soon born in your heart too! Then it will be Christmas all your life!
Let us finish with a small incident I have always loved to narrate, about that christmas play the nursery children practiced for weeks to put up for the parents. The day came and the play began. Mary with her stomach so big and Joseph with the bundles on his shoulders, knock at the first inn and the inn keeper shouts “No place in the inn”. The second inn and the same response: “sorry, the inn is full”. And the third house, the little chap peeps out and says, “no room in the inn please” and when Mary and Joseph turn away with a sad face, the little chap steps out. Everyone was surprised because that was not what they practiced. The little fellow looking at the sad face of Mary, said, “true there is no room in the inn, but there is little space in my room! you can come!”
This is Christmas – to tell the Lord, ‘the world says there is no place for God here, but I tell you Lord there is space in my heart. Come!’ And the Lord will come and will be born in our hearts!
Fr Antony Christy is a Salesian Priest from 2005, who has a Masters in Philosophy (specialisation in Religion) and a Masters in Theology (Specialisation in Catechetics). He is currently pursuing his doctoral research in Theology at Salesian Pontifical University, Rome. Walking with the Young towards a World of Peace and Dialogue is the passion that fires him.