GRECCIO LITURGY

2020
Narrator 1: Francis arrived at Damietta
and requested permission from the papal legate
who was in the crusaders’ camp
to enter the saracens’ camp at his own risk.
Together with fray Illuminato he even spoke
to the sultan Melek-el-Kamel
who listened willingly to Francis,
and it seems that he also gave Francis
permission to visit the Holy Land.
That was autumn of 1219.
Four years later in 1223 in Greccio,
Francis celebrated in an original way
the feast of Christmas on December 25,
by organizing a Christmas Crib Midnight Mass
in order to evoke the poverty
of Christ's birth in Bethlehem.
In this 8th centenary of the said encounter
of Francis and the Sultan
we reflect on the message of dialogue
among Christians and non Christians
and connect it with the birth of Jesus.
INTRODUCTION 2 Celano 199-200

Francis's Devotion to the Lord's Nativity

Narrator 2: Francis used to observe

the Nativity of the Child Jesus
with an immense eagerness
above all other solemnities,
affirming it was the Feast of Feasts,
when God was made a little child
and hung on human breasts.
Francis would kiss the image of the baby's limbs
thinking of hunger,
and the melting compassion of his heart
toward the child also made him
stammer sweet words as babies do.
This name was to him like
honey and honeycomb in his mouth.
When there was discussion about not eating meat,
because Christmas day fell on a Friday,
he replied to Brother Morico:
“You sin, brother, when you call ‘Friday’
the day when unto us a Child is born.
I want even the walls to eat meat on that day,
and if they cannot, at least on the outside
they be rubbed with grease!”
He wanted the poor and hungry
to be filled by the rich,
and oxen and asses to be spoiled
with extra feed and hay.
“If ever I speak with the Emperor,” he would say,
“I will beg him to issue a general decree
that all who can should throw

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 wheat and grain along the roads,
so that on the day of such a great solemnity
the birds may have an abundance,
especially our sisters the larks.”

SIGN OF THE CROSS

Leader: In the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.

GREETING
Leader: The Peace of the Christmas holidays
fill you with joy.
All: And with your spirit.

OPENING PRAYER
Leader: Let us pray.
Jesus, Prince of peace
All: We gather in your name.

Leader: Jesus, Good Shepherd

All: We gather in your name.

Leader: Jesus, Word of life

All: We gather in your name.

Leader: Jesus, friend of the poor

All: We gather in your name.

Leader: Jesus, source of all forgiveness

All: We gather in your name.

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Leader: Lord Jesus Christ,
You call us together in faith and love.
Breathe again the new life
of your Holy Spirit among us
hat we may hear your holy word,
pray in your name,
seek unity among Christians
and harmony with all men and women
and live more fully the faith we profess.
Through the night hours of the darkened earth
we watch for your coming as the Promised One.
As we wait, give us a foretaste
of the joy that you will grant us
when the fullness of your glory
has filled the earth.
All glory and honor be yours with the Father,
and the Holy Spirit, for ever and ever.
All: Amen.

Leader: Let us be seated.

HEBREW TESTAMENT READING (Isaiah 9:1-6)

Reader 1: Brothers, listen to the words of the Prophet Isaiah

The people who walked in darkness
have seen a great light;
upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom
a light has shone.
You have brought them
abundant joy and great rejoicing,
as they rejoice before you as at the harvest,
as men make merry when dividing spoils.
For the yoke that burdened them,

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 the pole on their shoulder,
and the rod of their taskmaster you have smashed,
as on the day of Midian.
For every boot that tramped in battle,
every cloak rolled in blood,
will be burned as fuel for flames.
For a child is born to us, a son is given us;
upon his shoulder dominion rests.
They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero,
Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.
His dominion is vast and forever peaceful,
from David's throne, and over his kingdom,
which he confirms and sustains
by judgment and justice,
both now and forever.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this!
The Word of the Lord.
All: Thanks be to God.

RESPONSE IN SONG (City of God)

Awake from your slumber! Arise from your sleep!
A new day is dawning for all those who weep.
The people in darkness have seen a great light.
The Lord of our longing has conquered the night.

Refrain: Let us build the city of God.

May our tears be turned into dancing.
For the Lord our light and our love
has turned the night into day.
We are sons of the morning; we are daughters of day.
The One who has loved us has brightened our way.
The Lord of all kindness has called us to be
a light for all people to set their hearts free.

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FRANCISCAN READING Bonaventure LM X 7, 610-611

Reader 2: Brothers, let us listen to

“Zeal for Prayer and the Power of Prayer”
from St. Bonaventure
It happened, three years prior to his death,
that [Francis of Assisi] …
decided to celebrate at the town of Greccio
the memory of the birth of the Child Jesus
with the greatest possible solemnity,
in order to arouse devotion.
So that this would not be considered
a type of novelty,
he petitioned for and obtained permission
from the Supreme Pontiff.
He had a manger prepared,
hay carried in and an ox and an ass led to the spot.
The brethren are summoned, the people arrive,
the forest amplifies with their cries,
and that venerable night is rendered brilliant
and solemn by a multitude of bright lights
and by resonant and harmonious hymns of praise.
The man of God stands before the manger,
filled with piety, bathed in tears,
and overcome with joy.
A solemn Mass is celebrated over the manger,
with Francis, a levite of Christ,
chanting the holy Gospel.
Then he preaches to the people
standing around him
about the birth of the poor King,
whom, whenever he means to call him,

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 he called in his tender love,
the Babe from Bethlehem.
A certain virtuous and truthful knight,
Sir John of Greccio,
who had abandoned worldly military activity
out of love of Christ and had become
an intimate friend of the man of God,
claimed that he saw a beautiful little child
asleep in that manger
whom the blessed father Francis
embraced in both of his arms
and seemed to wake it from sleep.
Not only does the holiness of the witness
make credible the vision of the devout knight,
but also the truth it expresses proves its validity
and the subsequent miracles confirm it.
For Francis's example,
when considered by the world,
is capable of arousing the hearts
of those who are sluggish in the faith of Christ.
The hay from the crib was kept by the people
and miraculously cured sick animals
and drove away different kinds of pestilence.
Thus God glorified his servant in every way
and demonstrated the efficacy of his holy prayer
by the evident signs of wonderful miracles.

ENTRY OF THE BABY JESUS (Hark the Herald)

Leader: Let us rise as we welcome the Child Jesus.

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 HARK, THE HERALD ANGELS SING
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Peace on earth and mercy mild
God and sinners reconciled
Joyful, all ye nations rise
Join the triumph of the skies
With angelic hosts proclaim
Christ is born in Bethlehem
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King
Christ by highest Heav'n adored
Christ the everlasting Lord
Late in time behold Him come
Offspring of a Virgin's womb
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see
Hail the incarnate Deity
Pleased as man with man to dwell
Jesus, our Emmanuel
Hark! the herald angels sing
Glory to the newborn King

PRAYER OF BLESSING
The youngest friar holds the Child Jesus in a manger

Leader: God of every nation and people,

From the very beginning of creation
You have made manifest your love:
When our need for a Savior was great
You sent your Son to be born of the Virgin Mary.
To our lives he brings joy and peace,
Justice, mercy, and love.

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 Lord, bless all who look upon this manger;
May it remind us of the humble birth of Jesus,
And raise up our thoughts to him,
Who is God-with-us and Savior of all,
And who lives and reigns for ever and ever.
All: Amen.

REFLECTION
“The Meaning of Greccio and the Year of Ecumnenism
and Interreligious Dialogue” (The Communicator)

Reader 3: The last theme in the country's

nine-year “novena”
in preparation for the 5th centenary
of the coming of Christianity (1521-2021)
is Ecumenism and Inter-Religious Dialogue.
Since 2012, when we started this journey
of greater and concrete response
to the challenge of our faith
through the new evangelization,
we have focused on different sectors
and related themes.
The concept and reality of DIALOGUE
are found in the Incarnation,
dramatically presented to us at Christmas,
with the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
It is in fact the ultimate model
of what dialogue should be.
It is a dialogue between God and humanity.
However, since dialogue demands
that the two parties be on an equal basis,
on the same level,
the party that is “higher” must come down.

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God, being infinitely higher had to “come down”
to the level of humanity, his own creation!
to make the dialogue happen.
We have to take note, however,
that when we speak of dialogue
between God and us,
we are speaking of dialogue by analogy,
and not really in the real meaning of the word,
as that would never be possible,
because God will always be infinitely higher
and unreachable as far as man is concerned.
But the reality that we have through revelation
is already so wonderful in itself,
as expressed so graphically by St. Paul:
“Though his state (nature) was divine,
he did not cling to his equality with God,
but emptied himself
to assume the condition of a slave,
and being as all men are,
he was humbler yet,
even to accepting death,
death on a cross ..” (Phil. 2:5-11).
“To empty himself” - Greek kenosis –
Jesus did not (and could not)
abandon his divine nature;
but it entailed accepting the limitations
of a human existence that in fact ended
with the utter humiliation of death by crucifixion
(cf. kenosis in Collins &Farrugia, A Concise Dictionary of
Theology.)
That was how the dialogue was realized.
Having come down to our level,
God through Jesus was able to reveal to us

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things of God and us
and about how we are to be with each other.
For Francis Jesus in the manger
shows the level of the “emptying:
that Jesus made possible
not only through the poverty and simplicity
of the material conditions of his birth,
but even more deeply
through the state of total dependence
and helplessness as an infant.
It was an image that St. Francis in Greccio in 1223
wanted the brothers and the people present
to grasp, as he spoke on this
in his sermon that evening,
that he was so moved by the reality
of that mystery of God becoming a baby.
The baby born on Christmas
shows the helplessness,
the total dependence found
in the nature of infancy
= his openness to the uncertainty,
the poverty of either being cuddled,
loved and cared for, or being rejected,
abandoned and not “something” to waste time on.
It was not just the poor
and simple surroundings of his birth
that St. Francis of Assisi wanted to share
with the people of Greccio,
but the very reality of the “poverty”
of the God-made-man
in the unbelievable form of a helpless infant.
Coming as an infant
was less threatening for anybody,

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which, of course, Jesus was
until it was time for him to reveal
the truth about himself.
Indeed, God's ways are not our ways,
and this would bring us to reflect on our lives
and personal relationship with the Lord.
This awareness would deeply mark
the spirituality of St. Francis,
one that was a product not of study,
but of deep contemplation
of the mystery of the incarnation,
which he handed on
to the rest of the members of his brotherhood
and the Franciscan Movement
for all time to come.
This legacy of Francis would be absorbed
by the Christian tradition in its popular devotions
and practical living of the faith.
Dialogue with other faiths, both Christian and not,
could be understood in the context of Christmas
as A Dialogue with the Poor,
"poor" being understood
not in its common understanding
as referring generally to the economically poor,
but to all who are in some form of dependence,
which, in the end, all of us are,
since we are dependent on God for our health,
our well-being, our life,
and ultimately our salvation through his mercy.
The coming celebration of the 5th centenary
of the coming of Christianity
is both a celebration of gratitude
as well as a confession

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 of our “littleness” before God,
our need for his presence
and support through Jesus.
When the missionaries came in the 1500s,
they revealed to us Christ who was already
and always has been present among our people,
though veiled, and after 500 years,
it is perhaps necessary
to unveil that Christ some more,
and reveal him in the eyes of children
who are abandoned and abused,
and in the anguished faces
of our brothers and sisters, those of other faiths,
as well as our indigenous peoples,
who suffer injustice, discrimination,
poverty and neglect.
Taking off this “veil” that has kept Jesus Christ
still hidden for so many of us
would be one of the precious graces and blessings
of the Year of Ecumenism
and Interreligious Dialogue celebration.
So be it.
May the Lord give us peace
this Christmas and always.

BIDDING PRAYERS
Leader: In this 8th centenary of the encounter
of Francis and the sultan,
and as we usher in the Year of Ecumenism
and Interreligious Dialogue,
may the dialogue began at the incarnation
guide us in our efforts at unity.

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Reader 1: The response after each petition is:
May the Birth of Jesus unite us all.

1. For those who participate

in the works of ecumenism
and interreligious dialogue,
that they always treat dialogue with one another
with extraordinary kindness seeking the unity
that is found in the incarnation of Jesus Christ
and with a true openness to the giftedness
found in each other.
Let us pray to the Lord. (R.)

2. For the Jewish people.

May we recognize their goodness and fidelity
to the First Testament.
For all who acknowledge Abraham
as their father in faith.
May we always work to build relationships
of peace and understanding.
Let us pray to the Lord. (R.)

3. For all who bear the name of Christian.

May we always be people
who seek reconciliation and understanding,
knowing that Christ has reconciled
the world to himself.
Let us pray to the Lord. (R.)

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4. For all peoples of faith.
May we always uphold the dignity of women,
even when others condemn, and like Christ,
offer hospitality, to friend and stranger.
In times of suffering,
may we stand with our brothers and sisters
and act with them to overcome injustice.
For the indigenous peoples of our land.
May the Christian Churches
welcome them as brothers and sisters.
Let us pray to the Lord. (R.)

5. For openness to the truth of God.

May all who profess faith in Christ
receive the word of God with humility
and strive always to come
to a greater appreciation
of the truth of that word.
May we hear Christ’s prayer,
‘May they all be one, Father,
may they be one in us’
and strive to bring it to fulfillment.
Let us pray to the Lord. (R.)

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Leader: (The Book of Common Prayer)
O God the Abba of our Lord Jesus Christ,
our only Savior, the Prince of Peace:
give us grace seriously to lay to heart
the great dangers we are in
by our unhappy division;
take away all hatred and prejudice,
and whatever else may hinder us
from godly union and concord;
that, as there is but one Body and one Spirit,
one hope of our calling, one Lord, one Faith,
one Baptism, one God and Creator of us all,
so we may be all of one heart and of one soul,
united in one holy bond of truth and peace,
of faith and charity,
and may with one mind and mouth glorify you;
through Jesus Christ our Savior.
All: Amen.

Leader: And may God bless you:

the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.

VENERATION OF THE BABE IN THE MANGER

Leader: Let us come and venerate the Baby in the manger.

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 O COME, ALL YE FAITHFUL
O come, all ye faithfulJoyful and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye to Bethlehem
Come and behold Him
Born the King of Angels!
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord
Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation
Sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to Go
d. Glory in the highest
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
O come, let us adore Him
Christ the Lord!

ANG PASKO AY SUMAPIT

Ang Pasko ay sumapit tayo ay mangagsiawit
Ng magagandang himig
Dahil sa ang Diyos ay pag-ibig
Nang si Kristo'y isilang
May tatlong haring nagsidalaw
At ang bawat isa ay nasipaghandog
Ng tanging alay.

Bagong taon ay magbagong buhay

Nang lumigaya ang ating bayan
Tayo'y magsikap upang
Makamtan natin ang kasaganaan.

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Tayo'y mangagsiawit
Habang ang mundo’y tahimik
Ang araw ay sumapit
Ng sanggol na dulot ng langit
Tayo ay magmahalan
Ating sundin ang gintong aral
At magbuhat ngayon
Kahit hindi pasko ay magbigayan

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