the naativity of the Infant Jesus with great devotion,
d
St.
Franciis determinedd to keep it with all posssible solemnity; and lest he should be accused of lightness
l
or
noveltty, he asked and
a obtained the
t permissionn of the sovereiggn Pontiff. Thhen he prepareed a manger, and brought
hay, and
a an ox annd an ass to the
t place apppointed. The
brethrren were sum
mmoned, the people ran together,
t
the
forest resounded with
w
their vooices, and thaat venerable
night was
w made gloorious by manny and brilliannt lights and
sonoroous psalms off praise. The man of God,, St. Francis,
stood before the manger,
m
full of devotionn and piety,
bathedd in tears annd radiant witth joy; the Holy
H
Gospel
was chanted by Frrancis, the Levite of Chriist. Then he
preachhed to the peeople around the nativity of the poor
King; and being unable to utter
u
His naame for the
tenderrness of His love, He called
c
Him thhe Babe of
Bethleehem.
By St. Bona
aventure in
T Life of St. Frrancis of Assisi
The
A certtain valiant and
a veraciouss soldier, Maaster John of
Grecioo, who, for thhe love of Chhrist, had left the warfare
of thiss world, and become
b
a deaar friend of this holy man,
affirm
med that he beeheld an Infannt marvelously beautiful,
sleepinng in the manger,
m
Whhom the blesssed Father
Franciis embraced with both his arms, as if
i he would
awakee Him from slleep. This vission of the deevout soldier
is creddible, not onlyy by reason of
o the sanctityy of him that
saw itt, but by reasson of the miracles
m
whichh afterwards
confirrmed its truthh. For exam
mple of Franccis, if it be
considdered by the world,
w
is douubtless sufficieent to excite
all heaarts which arre negligent inn the faith off Christ; and
the haay of that maanger, being preserved
p
byy the people,
miracuulously curedd all diseases of cattle, andd many other
pestileences; God thhus in all thinngs glorifyingg his servant,
and witnessing
w
to the great effiicacy of his holy
h
prayers
by maanifest prodigies and miraccles.”
“Thhe story of thhe origin of the Christmaas crèche ressts
witth the very hooly man, St. Francis of Asssisi. In the yeear
12223, St. Franccis, a deacon
n, was visitinng the town of
Greecio to celebrrate Christmaas. Grecio waas a small tow
wn
built on a mounntainside overlooking a beeautiful valleey.
Thee people had cultivated thee fertile area with
w vineyardds.
St. Francis reallized that thee chapel of the
t Franciscaan
herrmitage wouldd be too smaall to hold the congregatioon
for Midnight Maass. So he fou
und a niche inn the rock neear
the town squarre and set up
p the altar. However, thhis
Middnight Mass would be verry special, unnlike any othher
Middnight Mass.
It happened
h
in thhe third year before his deeath, that in oro
derr to excite the inhabitants of
o Grecio to coommemoratee
Photo by F. Wicks, SFO