This is where it all happened

Feliz navidad!  Bethlehem was the place and I was there in October.  This fading, old fresco from the Franciscan church there portrays St Francis placing the baby Jesus in the crib.  This image originates from St Francis' special devotion to the Child Jesus which led to his being credited with creating the first nativity scene on Christmas Eve in 1223.  His inspiration was his own pilgrimage to the Holy Land. 

Francis' aim in recreating the nativity scene was to recall the birth of Jesus within the midst of the hardships that Jesus' family endured.  He wanted to do more than just present the scene of the birth of a cute baby.  He wanted to go further into the story, beholding the harsh reality within which the baby Jesus was born which prefigured the harsh challenges in his life ahead. 

Bethlehem is right beside modern day Jerusalem.  It has its own beauty but it very much experiences its own harshness as well living under what I would call a system of apartheid created by the Israeli powers.  The Palestinians face hardships in just trying to build and live decent lives.  So the story of Jesus' birth remains a powerful and living story in the very town where Jesus was born.

In the midst of our own harsh realities, in the midst of a world that knows and suffers so much harshness, the Christmas story remains a powerful and living story, giving light and hope to us with the star continuing to shine, ever showing us the way through our own mess and chaos. 

What a great season this is!  Happy Christmas!