Eucharistic Corner

   God is so good that he can give up his divine splendor and come down to a stable, so that we might find him, so that his goodness might touch us, give itself to us, and continue to work through us. This is Christmas: “You are my son, this day I have begotten you”. God has become one of us, so that we can be with him and become like him. As a sign, he chose the Child lying in the manger: this is how God is. This is how we come to know him.  (HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS BENEDICT XVI, SOLEMNITY OF THE NATIVITY OF THE LORD 2005). Jesus said: “I am the living bread that came down from heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; . . . he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life and . . . abides in me, and I in him” (Jn 6:51. 54. 56). (CCC 1406) The event of Bethlehem is somehow repeated in every Eucharist; God becomes flesh for us, to transform us into Him and make us one with Him.

   In 1223, inspired by his visit to the Holy Land, St. Francis of Assisi created the first live Nativity scene in Greccio, Italy, to help people experience the birth of Jesus. With permission from the pope, he arranged a cave with live animals and a manger filled with hay. During the Christmas Mass, people gathered around the scene, and it is said that a miracle occurred when a real infant appeared in the manger, which Francis embraced. Following this, many miraculous healings were reported, particularly through the straw from the manger.