Homily: Christmas Homily 2023
Homily: Christmas Homily 2023 (Lk 2:1-14) “Bethlehem Today”
We celebrate a special anniversary this Christmas. We remember Jesus’ birth 2023 years ago. But there is another anniversary.
800 years ago, this November St. Francis was in Rome. He was there to meet with the Pope to receive approval for the rule for his religious order. Francis was very familiar with the hill town of Grecio 50 miles north of Rome. He had been going there for over ten years. He often went there to preach to the people in the surrounding countryside. The people there built a hermitage for Francis so he could come there on retreat.
Before Francis left Rome, he asked the Pope’s permission to stage a live Nativity scene. Plays depicting religious themes were often performed in church. Two weeks before Christmas Francis asked his friend, the Lord of Greccio, Giovani Velita, to prepare a cave with live animals and a hay-filled manger.
The story of Christ’s birth was described during church services. Most of the time Latin was spoken so the people really couldn’t understand the story. Francis wanted everyone to appreciate how the Christ child suffered, how he was born in a cave in the open air with only the farm animals around him to keep him warm. He had a plan.
In December of 1223, in the rock craigs a short distance out from Greccio, the Gospel scene was staged. The smell, the sounds, would all be the same as what Jesus experienced. The people came from the whole area to see the sight. Fires were built around the cave for light. People carried torches in procession from wherever they were. Mass was celebrated in the cave. Francis, who was a deacon, read the Christmas story. He then preached a homily.
A wax statue was placed in the manger that represented the child Jesus. At one point in his homily Francis picked up the statue from the manger. When he did, Lord Velita claimed a real child appeared in Francis’ arms. Francis embraced the child Jesus as he preached.
Other miracles followed. People were healed of various sicknesses when they touched the straw that was in the manger. Sick animals were fed the hay that had been placed in the cave for the play. When the animals did, they were healed. From that point to this, Nativity Scenes have been erected in public spots throughout the world to remind us of the circumstances of Jesus’ birth.
Francis’ live nativity scene was a social protest. He wanted people to remember that many children in the Medieval world (his world) suffered because of the sins of society. War raged. Poverty was rampant. A high number of children died in infancy because of a lack of health care.
As we hear about the first living nativity, we might reflect on what is happening in Bethlehem tonight. Have things changed all that much in two thousand years. The Holy Family are icons of what so many people are experiencing in 2023. Joseph and Mary walked four days from Nazareth to Bethlehem because an earthly ruler wanted a census. Caesar Augustus wanted to exact more taxes so he would have more power. The Holy Family were oppressed by Caesar, also by King Herod the Jewish ruler. The land was occupied by a foreign power. Freedom was non-existent. Death was around every corner.
What is Bethlehem like tonight? The city is on the West Bank under control of the Palestinian authority. Very few Christians reside there because of religious tension. War rages all around Bethlehem. Movement of the people is restricted. Children are the main victims of all the brutality that is happening. The Christmas celebration that usually happens has been called off by religious leaders. At the Luteran Church the Nativity scene consists of a statue of baby Jesus laying on a pile of rubble in the open air.
All of this can be considered a downer. We talk about the real meaning of Christmas. But do we realize what the real meaning is? If St. Francis were here today, he would want us to go to Bethlehem as it is today. If world leaders went there maybe there would be peace.
A woman named Stephanie Saldana is the wife of a Syriac Catholic priest. She lives in Bethlehem. She wrote a reflection on what it is like to be in Bethlehem today. She lives there with her husband and three children. She sees all kinds of hardships ahead as the tourist industry shuts down. Her small parish community is trying to support one another. Her words cause us to think.
“During wartime, you cannot wait for God to arrive. I search for God already with us. I felt God when the bakers beneath our house handed my children warm bread. When my friend Hanadi carried a pot of burbara through the checkpoint on the feast of St. Barbara so that she could share dessert with her colleagues. God was in Sami the tea seller who taught me the recipe for his tea that was infused with mint and sage, cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, lemon and rose. God was in Sulei, a man, wiping down chairs on Star Street, preparing his café when the war is over. I walk to the Church of the Nativity where I find teenage boys lighting candles before the icon of Mary, Our Lady of Miracles, as they go to school. All this makes me aware of the Incarnation.”
The Incarnation is a kindness. God breaks through the void to comfort us. Emanuel isn’t simply a word but a connection that carries the weight of the entire world. God bridges the distance saying. You are not alone. I would never ask you to live this by yourself. It is precisely this we are longing for, God to reach out, to keep reassuring us. And God does.”
Reflection Question:
Do I think of St. Francis as an advocate for social justice? Why or why not?
Am I discouraged that injustice still is prevalent in the world. Are there signs of hope?
Dear Parishioners,
There will not be reflections on Tuesday- Friday of this week. I will be taking a break after Christmas. I hope all of you are enjoying quality time with your families.
Merry Christmas,
Fr. Mark