“A Tour of the Nativity”
Father Peter Fitzgibbons
January 4 – 5, 2025
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
As you can see, and as promised, the Wisemen made it. They always do. The creche will be up for another week. Do you know why? The Christmas season doesn’t end until next week, which is the Baptism of our Lord. I’m kind of a traditionalist, so we are keeping it up until then. Saint Francis is credited for creating the first nativity scene in the 13th Century. The nativity or creche is a portrait of the Church and a small book on Catholic theology, so I’m always amused when non-Catholics have one. You display Catholic icons, and you’re not Catholic? Really?
The creche is the Church and is one of the first of many manifestations of Christ in the Gospel. Inside the creche, you see Christology – the study of Christ; Ecclesiology – the study of Who the Church is; Soteriology – the study of redemption; Hagiography – the study of the saints; and Eucharistic theology, the study of doctrine regarding the Eucharist. There are a lot of ‘ologies’ present in the creche and, in the interest of time, I’ll make just a few points about each.
In Ecclesiology, you learn that the Church and its people are always gathered around Jesus just as we are now – He’s right there in the Tabernacle. In the creche, you find who makes up the Church. Who makes up the Body of Christ? That’s an interesting question. In the creche, we see the very holy – the Blessed Mother and Saint Joseph were both born without original sin. You also see the very learned and the very ignorant. Do you know why they are there? The ignorant – the shepherds – know that they don’t know anything. They were not the sharpest knives in the drawer, but they knew enough to be obedient. They responded to the voice of an angel, and they saw the Savior. The Wisemen are educated and know they don’t know everything, which is the goal of education. They took the shoe leather express across the desert, which would not have been fun. What do the Blessed Mother, Saint Joseph, the Wisemen, and the shepherds have in common? Obedience. If you read the Gospels, obedience did not always come easy. The Wisemen walked across the desert or rode on camels, neither of which would be pleasant. And yes, I have ridden on a camel. I haven’t eaten one, but I’ve heard they taste like chicken. But if you walk across the desert during the day, it’s not pleasant, and it’s not much better at night. During the day, the temperature is about 70 degrees, but at night it drops to about 30 degrees. The Wisemen were out there in the desert, and they were freezing. Their trip across the desert was both brutal and dangerous. But they were obedient, and they won the prize for obedience . . . to see the Savior and be in His presence. We will, too, if we are obedient and achieve Heaven.
In the creche, the Savior is lying in a manger, which reflects Soteriology. In 33 years, the wood of the manger would become the wood of the Cross. So, His suffering, death, and resurrection are already forecasted in the nativity.
Christology is also reflected because of the gifts the Wisemen brought: gold because He is a king and frankincense because He is God. A lot of non-Catholics say, “Using incense is terrible.” Why? It’s used in Scripture. Christ didn’t throw it out, did He? The Blessed Mother didn’t say, “Get this crap out of here,” did she? In fact, incense is used in the presence of God. Read Revelation 8:3-5. Incense is the prayers of God’s people rising. If you want to be biblical, use incense. The Wisemen also brought myrrh which forecasted Christ’s sacrifice. Myrrh is a burial spice similar to formaldehyde or embalming fluid. I’m sure the Blessed Mother wasn’t exactly thrilled about that gift. The first two gifts were pretty cool, but that last one, not so much. There is no sense in Scripture that she knew her Son would die. But that is why He came. In 33 years, the reason He came would be fulfilled . . . to suffer in death and to be resurrected so that we would have the means to eternal life.
Finally, Eucharistic theology is reflected in the creche because Christ laid in a manger where the animals ate, and He became for us the Bread of Life. His flesh would become the food of life for all of us. Christ said, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink His blood, you have no life in you” (John 6:53). For the non-Catholics, He is saying that His flesh is real food, and His blood is real drink.
The Epiphany is a wonderful meditation about the truths of our faith. I always liked the sheep and wished I could be like them. Know why? They realized they had no brains, but they had great humility, and they were there. They kept our Savior warm.
How will you apply this message to your life? _________________________________________
You can read all of Father Fitzgibbons’ sermons by going to AnnunciationCatholicAlbemarle.com, clicking on “Blog” then “Categories” and then “Sermon Notes.” On a cell phone: click on “Blog” and then “Menu.” Scroll to the bottom and click on “Categories.” Sermon Notes are also available on the Church’s Facebook page at OLA.Catholic.Church. Click on “Groups” and then “Sermon Notes.”
