“So they went in haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.” // Luke 2:16 (from the Mass at Dawn)
I tiptoe up the stairs in the early morning from my bedroom in the basement to the living room, following the fresh pine scent of the tree, and my young heart draws me towards the humble crèche on the floor below the tree.
I pad across the plush carpet in my socks as I recall decorating the tree and putting out the crèche the night before. I loved unwrapping each figure and placing them in the little stable, out in the “fields” of the carpet, or, in the case of the wise men and their camel, across the room on top of the piano. Last of all, I would place the empty manger to await Christmas morning.
I sit on my knees on the floor before the crèche. My heart delights to see that He is there in His manger, surrounded by Saint Joseph, the Blessed Mother, and the shepherds in from the “fields.” I do not leave Him there, though. I pick up the figure of the Infant King, cradle Him in my little hand, and gaze at every feature. He has the tiniest toes and fingers, a curl to His hair, and a sweet expression on His face. It is as if He is saying, “I am here for you. I became a little baby just for you.”
The gift of childhood joy I took in that crèche has stayed with me into my adulthood. Now my own children arrange the figures, and I am the one who places Him in the manger for them to discover. But I still love to sit before Him in the quiet of the Christmas season and adore my Lord as an Infant in a manger.
Sister, your Christmas day might be busy and full, but it is not too busy to spend a moment with the Holy Family and the Infant lying in the manger either before a crèche at home or at church or in your imagination in your heart. He is the Reason for this day, and you are the reason He was born.
You are the reason He was born. // Susanna SpencerClick to tweet
Susanna Spencer holds a master's in Theology from the Franciscan University of Steubenville and is the Content and Theological Editor for Blessed is She. She is a freelance writer, editor, and speaker living with her philosopher husband and four kids in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She loves reading theology, attending beautiful liturgies, cooking delicious food, and casually following baseball. She is the author of the Gospel Studies including Seek His Kingdom: A Meditation on Matthew; narrator for Found: Advent With the Good Shepherd and Rescued: Lent With the Lamb of God; a contributing author to our children’s devotional prayer book, Rise Up; and Theological Editor of the Blessed Conversations Studies. Find out more about her here.
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