Setting up the Nativity scene is also praying

At Christmas 1223, in Greccio (Italy), Francis of Assisi prepared in a cave a manger with a real ox and donkey, and Mass was celebrated there. He wanted people to see, almost touch, the poverty in which Jesus was born. The idea was so popular that the Franciscans spread it everywhere. That's how the Nativity scene was born. That's why setting it up isn't just decorating. It's a way of telling at home, with figures, what we celebrate: God become a child in a poor place, surrounded by simple people. Setting it up as a family, letting the little ones place the figures, stopping for a moment in front of it before going to bed… these are ways of praying that don't need many words.