Holy Night

IN HIS FAMOUS poem On Christmas, John Betjeman, the British poet, wrote,

And is it true? And is it true?
This most tremendous tale of all
Seen in a stained-glass window's hue
A Baby in an ox's stall
The Maker of stars and sea
Become a Child on earth for me?

These rhyming verses rightly portray the wonder of Christmas: a God appearing in the form of a helpless Baby who, in His boundless trust in us, gave Himself as an offering for our sins.
Amid the frenzy which can all too easily take possession of our souls in these days of fretful shopping, if we are at all sensitive to religious values we might recall how those great Franciscan saints of the past were wont to celebrate Christmas. How did people like Francis, Anthony, Clare and Padre Pio remember Jesus' birth?
Saint Francis experienced Christmas as the 'feast of feasts', bringing light and hope into a dark world; it was the day when, in his words, heaven and earth are made one, and God condescended to be fed by human love. If Christmas fell on a Friday, he would sweep aside fasting, wishing to see even the walls rubbed with fat, every poor person entertained by the rich, and double rations for every animal, but especially for all oxen and asses. Could he but have spoken to the Emperor, the first favour he would have begged would have been a decree ordering corn to be scattered on the roads so that all birds, but especially our sister larks, should also feast.
Francis' celebration of Christmas in Greccio in 1223 has left its mark in history. Thomas of Celano, one of the Saint's first biographers, writes that Greccio was transformed into a second Bethlehem, and that the wonderful night seemed like fullest day to both man and beast for the joy they felt at the renewing of the mystery.
Saint Clare also experienced Christmas as the most moving of feasts because, on that day, God, the Lord of the Universe, had become a poor man among the poor. John Paul II, in his letter celebrating the VIII centenary of the birth of the saintly woman, recalls a revealing episode. On Christmas Eve of 1252 Clare was bedridden. Despite her serious condition, she was feeling an ardent desire to attend Mass with her sisters. All of a sudden, while still lingering in bed, the Child Jesus bore her far away from her bed of illness, and love, which knows neither time nor place, enveloped her in a mystical experience which immersed her in the infinite abyss of God.
Saint Anthony is also enchanted by the mystery of Christmas: in the Baby of Bethlehem he sees Wisdom becoming Folly, Power becoming Weakness, Majesty becoming Lowliness, Immensity becoming Littleness and Wealth becoming Poverty. For the Nativity of the Lord, Saint Anthony waxes lyrical, and in front of the manger exclaims, 'Oh poverty! Oh humility! The Lord of all things is wrapped in swaddling clothes! The King of Angels lies in a  manger! Be shamed insatiable greed! Be shattered human pride!' Tradition portrays Our Saint holding the Baby Jesus, and this is proof enough of his devotion for the Nativity.
When speaking of Franciscan saints one cannot fail to mention Padre Pio and his especial love for the Baby Jesus and the Nativity. The saint of Pietrelcina was wont to write many letters to his spiritual superiors. One letter addressed to Padre Agostino reveals the immense joy he felt on Christmas Eve, 'Dear Reverend Father, may the Heavenly Baby also infuse your heart with all those holy feelings he granted me in the Holy Night when he was laid in the humble manger! Reverend Father, I cannot find the words to express what I felt in my heart on that most joyous night. My heart was overflowing with a sacred love for our God made flesh'.
As these great Franciscan saints remind us, Christmas is not a day like any other: it is above all the mystery of God made man. And this leads us to a very important conclusion: that it is not possible to meet God without also meeting humanity for, since the Incarnation, the two have become inseparably united. If I despise my fellow brothers and sisters, I despise Him as well, and if I hurt any human being, I am hurting God as well because, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me. (Mt 25:40)
Dear Readers, on behalf of the editorial board and from myself, please receive our heartfelt wishes for a serene and peaceful Christmas. May the Lord fill your heart with that same absolute loving bliss which Mary felt on the great day of the Nativity.