Christmas
is not the time of year that attracts most tourists to Italy. But I personally
would love to visit during the Christmas season (or
anytime for that matter).
And one of
the things I'd really love to see are the many presepi
that are always on display in Italy around this year.
A presepe
(or also presepio) is a nativity scene recreating the birth of Christ. It
includes shepherds, Mary, Joseph, Wise Men and of course a manger (in which
Baby Jesus often is placed in until Christmas Eve).
I hear
it's fairly common place for these presepi to
be displayed throughout Italy both in homes and public places; and they are
often very elaborate, sometimes even life-size.
I love the
idea of this because here in America, it sometimes seems there's a strong
movement to exclude Christ from Christmas, and such obvious references to Him
like a nativity scene aren't always welcome.
I would
love to be in a place where the baby Jesus can at least be acknowledged in more
places.
But alas,
I hear that even in Italy, though not as far along as the U.S., there are also
those pushing to remove the beloved presepi from schools and public places
during the Christmas season.
As we
prepare to enter a new year and we prepare for our Journey through the Italian
New Testament, during this year; let us continually pray that people will still find a place in
their hearts for Christ at Christmas time and always, both in Italy as well as
America and all throughout the world.
Buon Natale a tutti
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