In the thirteenth century, Francis...
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In the thirteenth century, Francis of Assisi regained the experience and energy of
Christian hope. His famous prayer begins, "Make me an instrument of thy peace; where
there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope." Hope. He prayed as a Christian to bring hope to others.
Francis of Assisi exhibited hope because he believed that God's new, hopeful activity
began with Christmas.
Francis is credited with creating the first Nativity scene. In 1223, he set up in a church a life-sized scene of Jesus' birth, with animals, hay, and trough, and lit the place with candles. Simple, even crude, but a fascinating focus upon hope within this world.
The candles Saint Francis lit proclaimed that because of Jesus we have hope on the darkest night, in the darkest season of the year, even as we confess the darkness of our hearts.
Francis is credited with creating the first Nativity scene. In 1223, he set up in a church a life-sized scene of Jesus' birth, with animals, hay, and trough, and lit the place with candles. Simple, even crude, but a fascinating focus upon hope within this world.
The candles Saint Francis lit proclaimed that because of Jesus we have hope on the darkest night, in the darkest season of the year, even as we confess the darkness of our hearts.
