People visit the Nativity scene and Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Dec. 17, 2021. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“Let us not live a fake, commercial Christmas! Let us allow ourselves to be enveloped by God’s closeness, by the Christmas atmosphere that art, music, songs and traditions bring to our heart.” (Pope Francis, at the lighting of the 2021 Vatican Nativity scene and tree)
It’s easy to get lost in the rush of the holidays. Pope Francis’ blessing of the Vatican’s Nativity scene calls us back to the basics of the reason for the Christmas season: Emmanuel, God with us in total giving from the heart through the vulnerable birth of Christ. “Jesus came to the world through the concreteness of a people to save every man and woman, of all cultures and nationalities. He made himself small so that we might welcome him and receive the gift of God’s tenderness.”
This year, in the center of St. Peter’s Square, visitors are treated to an inspiring setting of that first Christmas designed by artisans from the highlands of the Andes mountains in Peru. The entire Nativity creche comes as a gift from the Chopcca Nation of the Huancavelica region, whose name loosely translated means “common ancestor.” More than 30 life-size figures of the Holy Family, Three Kings, and the shepherds are all dressed in the traditional bright, multicolored garments of the region’s Indigenous people to symbolize that God’s coming among us is for the salvation of all.
Next to the Andean Nativity stands a 90-foot-tall fir tree from a sustainably-managed forest in northern Italy, where the round wooden ornaments were also made. Representing Christ as the “tree of life,” it reflects “the light of love that continues to shine in the nights of the world.”
During the papal blessing in the tree lighting ceremony, our Holy Father emphasized that such traditional Christmas symbols bring an atmosphere that is “rich in tenderness, sharing and family closeness,” which calls all to bring “joy and the peace of God’s love and not the selfish indulgence of consumerism and indifference.”
Pope Francis said the creche remains a symbol of hope that God “never tires of us” and that he chose to dwell among humans “not as one who stands on high to dominate, but as the one who stoops low, small and poor, to serve … For it to be truly Christmas, let us not forget this, God comes to be with us and asks us to take care of our brothers and sisters, especially the poorest, the weakest and the most fragile, those whom the pandemic risks marginalizing even more.”
Pope Francis attends the unveiling of a large bronze statue titled, “Angels Unawares,” by Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz, in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican Sept. 29, 2019. The statue depicts a group of migrants and refugees on a boat. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)
It is no coincidence that this year’s Nativity scene has been placed adjacent to the permanent life-size sculpture, named “Angels Unaware,” of migrants of all ages seeking a hopeful future for their families. Pope Francis intentionally highlights the plight of vulnerable people who are forcibly on the move this Christmas. After recently returning from his apostolic journey to Cyprus and Greece, through which millions of migrants and refugees pass in search of a better life, the pope underscored how treatment of the vulnerable is vitally fundamental to experience the real peace of Christmas.
He said, “The future of us all is at stake, and that future will be peaceful only if it is integrated. Only if it is reconciled with the most vulnerable will the future be prosperous. When we reject the poor, we reject peace.”
Here in Hawaii, we have many opportunities to share peace and joy especially with those struggling during this pandemic. That’s why Catholic Charities Hawaii is making it easy to share our gifts with others through their annual “Holidays from the Heart” campaign. This Christmas, consider sharing aloha with families, keiki and kupuna in need by donating gift cards to grocery or retail stores such as Foodland, Walmart, Target, Long’s or Ross! These gifts make it possible for individuals and families in need to purchase everyday essentials as well as toys and goodies to brighten their holiday season.
If anyone has donations or questions about “Holidays from the Heart” please call the Catholic Charities Oahu office (808) 527-4820. And for more on how local churches around the world are involved in welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating migrants and refugees this Christmas season and beyond, please visit www.migrants-refugees.va.
Happy holidays from the heart! Mele Kalikimaka! Peace! Mahalo!
Your friends from the Office of Social Ministry
