Every year, on the weekend of Gaudete Sunday the local pastor, Fr. Denis Crosby displays in the Church his personal collection of cribs, all 600-700 of them!
It’s a special way to enter into the spirit of the religious meaning of the season, what it’s all about.
For Christians, world-wide, Christmas is far more than a cultural holiday marked by lights, gifts, and festive meals.
At its heart, Christmas celebrates the Incarnation, the belief that God entered human history in the person of Jesus Christ. This profound mystery is expressed most powerfully not through symbols of wealth or power, but through the humble images of a crib and a manger, where the Savior of the world was lived as a newborn child.
The Christian meaning of Christmas centres on the astonishing claim that God chose to become fully human while remaining fully divine.
According to Christian belief, Jesus was born to bring salvation, reconciliation, and hope to a broken world.
Rather than arriving as a king in a palace or a ruler surrounded by armies, Christ entered the world in vulnerability, dependent on a mother, wrapped in cloth, and placed in an animal’s feeding trough.
This choice reveals a core Christian truth: God meets humanity not from a distance, but from within human experience itself. The birth of Christ proclaims that no place is too lowly, and no life too insignificant, for God’s presence.
Bethlehem and the Crib
The Gospels place Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem, a small and unremarkable town. One of the cribs in Liscannor last week was carved out of loaf of bread. The label on the crib explained that the meaning of the place name Bethlehem is ‘House of Bread’.
More about that later.
The Gospel of Luke, tell us that Mary and Joseph found no room at the inn, forcing them to shelter where animals were kept. There, Mary gave birth and laid her child in a manger. The crib, often imagined today as a wooden cradle in a stable, symbolizes simplicity and poverty.
In Christian theology, it represents God’s deliberate rejection of worldly status and privilege. The Son of God begins life without comfort, security, or social standing. This challenges believers to rethink their understanding of greatness, success, and power. The crib also speaks of closeness.
A crib is a place where a child rests near those who love and protect them. Spiritually, Christians see this as a sign that God desires intimacy with humanity, not fear, but relationship.
The Manger: A Sign of Nourishment and Sacrifice
The manger, literally a feeding trough for animals, carries deep symbolic meaning. Early Christians reflected on the irony that the One Christians call the “Bread of Life” was laid in a place meant for food.
This detail connects Christ’s birth with his later teaching and ultimate sacrifice. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus’ life is portrayed as the fulfilment of God’s promises.
The manger foreshadows a life given for others, culminating in the Cross and, Christians believe, the Resurrection. From the beginning, Jesus is offered to the world, not guarded behind walls, but accessible to all.
The manger also reminds believers that God provides spiritual nourishment. Just as animals come to a manger to be fed, Christians believe humanity is invited to receive grace, forgiveness, and new life through Christ.
The Nativity Story and the Shepherds
One of the most touching elements of the Christmas story is the visit of the shepherds. Shepherds were among the poorest and most marginalized people in ancient society.
Yet, according to Luke’s account, angels announced the birth of Christ to them first. This detail reinforces a key Christian message: the good news of Christmas is for everyone, especially the humble and the overlooked.
The shepherds’ journey to the manger models faith and response. They hear, they believe, and they go to see. In doing so, they become the first witnesses to the mystery of God made flesh.
Christmas Today: Living the Meaning
For Christians today, the crib and manger are not merely decorative elements of the season. They are spiritual invitations. They call believers to humility, generosity, and compassion.
Just as God chose a path of simplicity and self-giving, Christians are encouraged to live with concern for the poor, the lonely, and the suffering.
The Christmas story also offers hope. In a world marked by conflict and uncertainty, the image of a child in a manger proclaims that God is present even in darkness. Light enters quietly, but its impact is eternal.
The Christian meaning of Christmas is found not in grandeur, but in grace. The crib and the manger tell a story of divine love expressed through humility, closeness, and sacrifice.
In the stillness of Bethlehem, Christians believe God changed the course of history, beginning not with a throne, but with a feeding trough, and offering the world a gift beyond measure.
May you joyfully live the meaning of this remarkable reality afresh this Christmas.
✠ Fintan Monahan, Bishop of Killaloe