Due to the on-going worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, Christmas 2020 will be less festive than Christmases of recent past. This may seem regrettable because office parties and other gatherings might have already been canceled. In spite of this, there is a silver lining.
Christmas is a time to celebrate the birth of Christ, followed by celebrating the life of Christ and one's life in Christ. This holy occasion has over the years been secularized by decorating trees, putting up lights, having dinner parties under normal circumstances, drinking, shopping, sending holiday cards, giving and receiving gifts (notwithstanding how happy underprivileged children are when they unwrap their presents) with hardly any thought given to a Savior Who was born in a stable in Bethlehem and placed inside a feeding trough for animals.
It is enough of a gift to the one and only merciful and loving God if the activities and joys of a secular Christmas can remind one of its origin even for just a moment. Displaying a simple ornament of Christ's nativity scene would be more of a reminder and a more thoughtful gift. It need not be modern like the 2020 Vatican nativity scene pasted below at [1] or elaborate like the one put up by Saint Francis of Assisi.
Quoted in part below without hyperlinks from an article entitled The First Christmas Nativity Scene: Created by Saint Francis of Assisi published by Learn Religions [2]:
St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and founder of the Catholic Church’s Franciscan Order, began the Christmas tradition of nativity scenes (also called creches or manger scenes) because he wanted to help people gain a fresh sense of wonder about the miracles that the Bible records from the first Christmas.
...Francis, who was living in the town of Greccio, Italy at the time, got the Pope’s permission to proceed with his plans. Then he asked his close friend John Velita to loan him some animals and straw to set up a scene there to represent Jesus Christ’s birth in Bethlehem....
...The scene, which was set up in a cave just outside Greccio, featured a wax figure of the infant Jesus, costumed people playing the roles of Mary and Joseph, and the live donkey and ox that John had loaned to Francis. Local shepherds watched over their sheep in nearby fields, just as shepherds in Bethlehem had watched over sheep on the first Christmas when the sky suddenly filled with angels who announced Christ’s birth to them.
For the few regular and occasional readers of this blog, wherever they may be (in 17 languages, using Google Translate) -
Merry Christmas!
Feliz Natal!
Fröhliche Weihnachten!
Joyeux Noël!
¡Feliz Navidad!
Buon Natale!
Vrolijk kerstfeest!
Счастливого Рождества!
Весела Коледа!
Щасливого Різдва!
Täze ýyl gutly bolsun!
!عيد ميلاد مجيد
!חג מולד שמח
메리 크리스마스!
メリークリスマス！
聖誕快樂!
Felicem natalem Christi!
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| (image obtained online) |
[1] Copied from an image search:
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