Isaiah 62:1-5/ Acts 13:16-17, 22-25/ Luke 2:1-14
This Christmas is a special Christmas for someone, and it is none other than Pope Francis because he is celebrating his first Christmas as the Pope.
There are already a few “firsts” for him – he is the first non-European Pope (he is an Argentinean); and he is the first Pope to choose the name of “Francis” (of Assisi).
And talking about St. Francis of Assisi, he made a special contribution to the celebration of Christmas – he was the first to stage a Nativity scene.
Back in the year 1223, when St. Francis of Assisi went to a small village to celebrate Christmas, he wanted to highlight the Nativity scene.
So he found a shed and laid it with straw and he got an ox and a donkey and he got some of the villagers to play the different characters of the Nativity scene.
So there was Mary and Joseph and the baby Jesus and some shepherds with their sheep and a couple of angels.
(It was something like the Nativity pageant put up by the children that we saw before the Mass.)
And they sang hymns and read the gospel about the birth of Christ and prayed.
Everyone at the Nativity scene was moved and they felt like as if they were there at that very first Christmas.
And hence from then on, the Nativity scene became the main feature of Christmas celebration.
But more than that, the enactment of the Nativity scene also brought about blessings for the people.
As the account goes, the straw that was laid in the shed, when it was fed to the cattle and sheep, cured them of a disease that was afflicting them.
It was also said that the wooden beams that supported the shed was used to build the church nearby and they were surprisingly durable.
But over and above all the blessings, the people had a change of heart.
They heard and they saw the joyful news of the birth of Christ their savior.
Differences and disputes were reconciled, wrongs were forgiven, kindness and generosity flowed among the people.
Indeed the birth of Christ is good and joyful news. It brings about bountiful blessings and graces.
Today, we are gathered together as the people of God to celebrate the birth of Christ.
The birth of Christ brings about abundant blessings for us.
When we look at the baby Jesus in the crib, we will see that His arms are open and extended.
It is meant to show that He welcomes and embraces us and He also wants to give us blessings in abundance.
And of course the greatest blessing is the gift of Himself.
Jesus took His place in a lowly manger so that we will have a place in heaven.
When we reflect on the Nativity scene, we can see what Jesus is all about.
The shed is a symbol of poverty – Jesus emptied Himself and came down from heaven to be with us.
The donkey is a symbol of humility; the ox is a symbol of sacrifice; the sheep is a symbol of gentleness and docility; the shepherds represent the poor and the lowly.
The symbols of the Nativity scene point to what Jesus is, and they also point to what we are called to be.
Today, we journey back to that first Christmas, to receive the blessings that Jesus wants to give us.
And today, we also journey forward to proclaim the joyful news that Christ is born and that God is with us.
May God be with Pope Francis as he leads the church forward.
May God be with us as we work for reconciliation and forgiveness so that peace that Jesus came to bring will be a reality.