An Unlikely Christmas Hero

Saint Francis of Assisi

                    Hearing the name of St. Francis of Assisi, we automatically picture the monk in a brown robe, ministering to the poor and tending to animals of all varieties.  We think of the wealthy young man who turned from a life of comfort to one of poverty for the love of God.  We think of his stigmata and of his order of priests who continue his work.  But surprisingly in this, the Christmas Season, we owe St. Francis a debt of gratitude.
                      Francis went to the Holy Land and was overwhelmed by much of what he saw.  He was so inspired that he wanted to share the feeling of the Holy Land with people at home.
                      In the year 1224, in the small town of Greccio, Francis set out to show people just what Christmas was about.  Most people were illiterate and could not understand a lot of what was said during the Latin Mass.  Francis wanted people to realize the great beauty of the navity.  He found a small cave outside of the town.  There he set up a manger and brought in live animals.  He found townspeople to dress in biblical garb and act out the Nativity while Francis himself told the story in the lanfuage of the people.  Francis's Nativity was a great success and was repeated all over Europe.  Today Living Nativities are still celebrated.  The scene is replicated countless times by creches large and small in homes and churches all over the world.
                      Francis's influence on our Christmas celebrations didn't stop there.  Because he wanted the people to leave the scene filled with the joy of Christmas and to spread that joy to all they met, he introduced the first Christmas Carols.  Prior to Francis's Christmas celebration, Christmas music sung at Masses was solemn and usually in Latin.  Francis instead took popular songs that people would know and put religious words to the tunes.  The result was spectacular.  People left the ceremony singing words of Christmas put to familiar tunes.
                     So this Christmas, when you look at a manger scene or hear "Silent Night" or your favorite carol, take a moment to thank St. Francis for helping to make Christmas merry.