Blessing of the Crèche / Bendición del pesebre
As the weeks of Advent pass and the celebration of the Nativity draws near, the crèche begins to appear in homes and churches. St. Francis of Assisi usually gets credit for introducing the idea of the crèche—in his case with living figures—in 1223 after he visited the traditional birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem. The crèche should have a place of honor in the home where all can easily see it and reflect on its meaning and where it is not diminished by other decorations. You may wish to invite not only members of your household but also extended family, friends, or neighbors to take part in this blessing.
Ideally, the crèche is in place at least a few days before Christmas. The image of the infant Jesus is absent until the blessing; his absence and the empty manger waiting to receive him symbolize the anticipation that is the focus of this season—anticipation of the birth of Jesus in a manger in Bethlehem, anticipation of his arrival anew in our hearts on Christmas morning, and anticipation of the coming of Jesus in glory on the last day. Reserve the figure of Jesus near the crèche but out of sight.
Agree in advance on a leader of the blessing prayers, a reader for the Scripture passage and another for the closing prayer, and members of the gathering who will place the figures in the crèche. Although the text of the Scripture reading is included in this section, it is preferable that the word of God be read from a Bible or New Testament. If appropriate, you might wish to choose the youngest family member to place the infant in the crèche. As many family members as possible should participate. Have a small amount of holy water and a sprig of evergreen available for this service, and choose a family member to sprinkle the crèche during the final blessing. If holy water is not available, you may use ordinary water.
Prepare a recorded Christmas carol such as “Silent Night” or “O, Little Town of Bethlehem” for the family to sing along with to close this devotion.
The blessing
Everyone in the household gathers around the crèche.
Leader:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
Everyone makes the sign of the cross.
Leader:
Lord Jesus, you were born in a humble stable in an obscure town, but even from there you gave light to the world—to the poor and the powerful, the simple and the wise, the near and the far.
Members of the gathering place in the crèche the figures of Mary and Joseph, the shepherds, and the animals. You may wish to reserve the figures of the magi for the blessing on Epiphany. The figure of the infant Jesus will be placed in the crèche later in this service.
Leader:
Lord Jesus, our family is eager to see you in this stable where you will make your Holy Family complete. We are grateful that God came into the world in a family whose members cared for each other as we care for each other in our home. We know well the story of your birth, and yet as we listen to it again, it seems forever new.
Reader: A reading from the holy Gospel according to Luke.
All: Glory to you, O Lord.
“In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:1-7).
Reader: The Gospel of the Lord.
All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
A designated family member says the following prayer as another family member retrieves the image of the infant and places it in the crèche:
Reader:
Dear Lord Jesus, there will always be a place for you in our homes, because there will always be a place for you in our hearts. We adore you as the innocent child born in Bethlehem, and we worship you as the Savior who lived and died and rose again to save us all. We commit ourselves again to love each other and our neighbor as you love us. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.
A member of the gathering sprinkles holy water on the crèche as all make the sign of the cross.
A Christmas carol is played and the family sings together.
Adapted from RENEW International’s Advent Awakenings, a four-session faith-sharing experience, including reflections, prayers, action responses, and song suggestions, plus seasonal devotions that families can use at home to enrich their Advent experience.
A medida que pasan las semanas de Adviento y se acerca la anhelada celebración de la Navidad, el pesebre o nacimiento comienza a aparecer en las casas y en las iglesias. A San Francisco de Asís suele atribuírsele la idea del pesebre –en su caso con gente de carne y hueso– en 1223, después de visitar el lugar de nacimiento de Jesús en Belén. El pesebre debe ocupar un lugar destacado en el hogar para que los familiares y las visitas puedan verlo fácilmente y reflexionar sobre su significado. Además, no tiene que ser opacado por otros adornos. Quizás puedes invitar no solo a miembros de la familia sino de la familia extendida, amigos o vecinos a participar en esta bendición.
Lo ideal es armar el pesebre al menos unos días antes de Navidad. La imagen del Niño Jesús está ausente durante la bendición; su ausencia y el pesebre vacío, a la espera de recibirlo, simbolizan la espera que caracteriza este tiempo, la anhelada espera del nacimiento de Jesús en un pesebre en Belén y la deseada espera de la venida de Jesús cubierto de gloria al fin de los tiempos.
Guarda la figura de Jesús cerca del pesebre pero fuera de la vista.
Organiza de antemano quién guiará las oraciones de bendición, quién será el lector del pasaje de la Sagrada Escritura, quién se encargará de la oración final y quiénes pondrán las figuras en el pesebre. En el momento indicado, puedes pedirle al miembro más joven de la familia que ponga al Niño en el pesebre.
Deben participar tantos miembros de la familia como sea posible. Ten a mano un poco de agua bendita para este rito y elige a un miembro de la familia para que rocíe el pesebre durante la bendición final. Si no tienes agua bendita, puedes usar agua común.
Prepara un villancico navideño grabado —como “Noche de Paz”, Flor y Canto, #324, 3.a edición– para que la familia cante al finalizar esta devoción.
La Bendición
Todos los presentes se reúnen alrededor del pesebre.
Guía: En el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo, y del Espíritu Santo.
Todos: Amén.
Guía:
Señor Jesús, tú naciste en un humilde establo en un pueblo desconocido, pero incluso allí diste luz al mundo: a los pobres y a los poderosos, a los ingenuos y a los sabios, a los que estaban cerca y a los que estaban lejos.
Los presentes ponen en el pesebre las figuras de María y José, los pastores y los animales. Puedes guardar las figuras de los magos para la bendición de la Epifanía. Más tarde se pondrá la figura del Niño Jesús en el pesebre.
Guía:
Señor Jesús, nuestra familia ansía verte en este establo, donde tu presencia completará la Sagrada Familia. Estamos agradecidos de que Dios vino al mundo en una familia cuyos miembros se amaban tanto como se ama nuestra familia. Aunque conocemos bien el relato de tu nacimiento, al escucharlo otra vez parece siempre nuevo.
Guía: Lectura del Santo Evangelio según San Lucas 2, 1-7
Todos: Gloria a ti Señor.
“Por aquel tiempo, el emperador Augusto ordenó que se hiciera un censo de todo el mundo. Este primer censo fue hecho siendo Quirino gobernador de Siria. Todos tenían que ir a inscribirse a su propio pueblo. Por esto, José salió del pueblo de Nazaret, de la región de Galilea, y se fue a Belén, en Judea, donde había nacido el rey David, porque José era descendiente de David. Fue allá a inscribirse, junto con María, su esposa, que se encontraba encinta. Y sucedió que mientras estaban en Belén, le llegó a María el tiempo de dar a luz. Y allí nació su hijo primogénito, y lo envolvió en pañales y lo acostó en el establo, porque no había alojamiento para ellos en el mesón”.
Guía: Palabra de Dios.
Todos: Gloria a ti, Señor Jesús.
Un miembro de la familia reza la siguiente oración mientras otro busca la imagen del Niño y la pone en el pesebre:
Querido Señor Jesús, siempre habrá lugar para ti en nuestro hogar, porque siempre habrá lugar para ti en nuestro corazón. Te adoramos como el Niño inocente que nació en Belén y te rendimos culto como el Salvador que vivió, murió y resucitó para salvar a la humanidad. Nos comprometemos a amarnos los unos a nosotros y al prójimo como tú nos amas.
En el nombre del Padre, y del Hijo, y del Espíritu Santo. Amén.
Uno de los presentes rocía agua bendita en el pesebre mientras los demás se santiguan.
La familia entera escucha y canta un villancico.
Adaptada de Reflexiones en Adviento de RENEW International. Este libro ofrece una reflexión basada en las lecturas dominicales, preguntas para compartir la fe, actividades para realizar durante la semana, así como explicaciones sencillas con el fin de darte a conocer más a fondo el significado del tiempo y de los símbolos del Adviento.
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