Let’s keep the crib at centre of Christmas

IN 1223, St Francis of Assisi simply and joyfully commemorated the scene of the nativity according to the infancy Gospel, and the crib thus became one of the traditional and best-loved symbols of Christmas.

In the crib we contemplate the one who stripped himself of divine glory in order to become poor, driven by love for mankind.

Along with the crib, the Christmas tree, with its twinkling lights, reminds us that with the birth of Jesus the tree of life has blossomed anew in the desert of humanity. The crib and the tree: precious symbols which hand down over time the true meaning of Christmas.