“What Francis celebrates in Greccio,” Patton said, “is the Eucharist in a context that represents the scene of Bethlehem. This is Francis’ insight: The Son of God who became incarnate and was born in Bethlehem is the same who becomes small and offers himself to us daily through the Eucharist. What happens in Greccio is not so much the creation of the Nativity scene, as we understand it today, but the connection between the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God and the mystery of the Eucharist.”
St. Francis, who lived during the time of the Crusades, offered words of wisdom for how Christians should approach wars in our own times. The custos of the Holy Land summarized this advice as follows: “Francis never enters a conflict as a combatant. His words are not violent, his attitudes are not violent, and he explicitly refuses to carry weapons. He approaches the other, recognizing that the other is not an enemy but a person, a brother who shares the same origin and dignity before God.”
Patton continued: “I would also like to emphasize the importance, when looking at conflicts, of paying attention to the concrete suffering of people, not becoming ‘fans’ of one side or the other, as if there were two teams competing for a trophy. War is always a tragedy with many deaths and much suffering. In the face of this situation, we are called to have an attitude of ‘equi proximity,’ as Pope Francis calls it — an attitude of deep empathy: to feel the suffering of people on both sides. And to help each side feel the suffering of the other, and vice versa. Only this allows us to move from suffering that generates a thirst for revenge, resentment, and hatred, to suffering that can generate compassion, mercy, and even paths of reconciliation. This is not just something Franciscan, but something simply and profoundly Christian.”
At Christmas, the eyes of Christians worldwide turn toward the Grotto of Bethlehem and the Holy Land, the custos said.
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“Christians should not forget their roots! And they should not forget that here they have brothers and sisters who are currently facing great difficulties.”
Patton appealed to Christians worldwide to “be in communion with us through prayer, take an interest in what is happening in the Holy Land without becoming ‘fans’ of one side, and show concrete solidarity toward their brothers living in the Holy Land.”
As Franciscans, he said, “we will continue to take care of the Christians in the Holy Land in a tangible way, as we have done over the centuries — through schools, work, and also economic intervention in situations of need.”
Born and raised in Italy, Marinella Bandini has been a professional journalist since 2008. She works for several news agencies and online newspapers in the Catholic space. Currently based in Jerusalem, she collaborates with the Custody of the Holy Land.