St. Francis and the first Nativity...
We spent our day in the small town of Greccio. We began at the Franciscan sanctuary, perched on the edge of a cliff-- a very dramatic, and true testament to the fortitude of St. Francis and the location of his "grotto".
Famous as the place where, in December 1223, St. Francis devised the first living nativity (presepe).
Famous as the place where, in December 1223, St. Francis devised the first living nativity (presepe).
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.
Each year, the reenactment of St. Francis' efforts to create a living nativity is performed in front of 2,000 cold but enthralled spectators. It is difficult to explain how magical our night was. Huddled together 'witnessing' St. Francis realizing his dream and sharing his convictions, in the actual location of an event that happened 787 years ago... very spectacular and somewhat surreal.
"Remember that when you leave this earth,
you can take with you nothing that have received--
only what you have given."
-St. Francis
you can take with you nothing that have received--
only what you have given."
-St. Francis
1 comments:
Thanks for highlighting the important stuff at the end...I just had to scroll down! Spectacular. Surreal. Check! Hahaha. You miss me, don't you? Good thing mt jokes blog well. :)
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