Focolare Movement

God became a child

Dec 12, 2017

“Jesus is the greatest gift of all”: with this spirit, thousands of children throughout the world remind us that “Jesus has been dislodged,” and invite us to make him once again the focus of Christmas.

https://vimeo.com/246979396

A child recounts: “I only knew about Santa Claus, but nobody has ever told me the real story of Christmas, the birth of Jesus!» Another child said, «Oh yes, people have forgotten, but we can remind them about it! Still another added «All the other kids in the world have already started!These are the gen4 boys and girls “who love everybody the way Jesus does and want to show everyone that He is the greatest gift of all!” They learnt this from Chiara Lubich, founder of the Focolare Movement, who had urged them to “Let Jesus be born in your midst with your love, so that it will always be Christmas! […] We can offer Jesus in our midst to the whole world, and bring this love and joy to the streets, schools, and to the big and small… everywhere!” Years ago at Christmas, while walking through the streets of Zurich, Switzerland, Chiara had seen the shop windows adorned with lights and toys, and snow on the trees, Santa Claus… and had asked herself: But where is Jesus? He was not there. And so she wrote: «This wealthy world has taken Christmas for itself, but has dislodged Jesus.» “What does it mean to ”dislodge?”» A child asked. It means that Jesus has no place to go to, like when he was born and there was no room for him anywhere.» It was then that Chiara told us “So we must welcome him, and celebrate his coming! We, gen4 around the world, wish to do this and invite everyone to do the same.” Then came the idea of making a statue of Baby Jesus and nativity scenes to offer to those who do not know or do not remember that at Christmas, Jesus is more important than buying gifts. “We want to remember that Christmas is the feast of Jesus. And we tell people: do you want to bring him home with you? Some answer no, some keep walking on and do not even stop, but others stop and so we give these little statues of Jesus, or the nativity scenes we have made. We do this in the main squares of the big cities and in the shopping centers; we even give it to our mayors and go to the homes for the aged. We attract attention with our stands and concerts, and organise Christmas parties for many children. It is like a wave of happiness that overwhelms us all with happiness and brings the “celebrated Guest” back as the focus of Christmas.”

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Subscribe to Newsletter

Thought of the day

Related post

The Pre-Assembly Process

The Pre-Assembly Process

The ‘Pre-Assembly Process’ is currently underway in preparation for the General Assembly of the Focolare Movement, which will begin on the 1st of March 2026 in Castel Gandolfo (Italy) with the participation of representatives chosen from different geographical areas, branches and movements; the members by right (those who are part of the current government, the General Council and Zone Delegates in the geographical areas), and those invited by the President.

Being close to one another beyond distances

Being close to one another beyond distances

A friendship that links the two hemispheres and shows how goodness can set in motion a virtuous circle capable of reaching unexpected recipients and making them happy.

“One humanity, one planet: synodal leadership”

“One humanity, one planet: synodal leadership”

From 26 January to 1 February 2026, Rome will welcome 100 young political leaders for the conclusion of the first year of the “One Humanity, One Planet: Synodal Leadership” programme. The challenge is to explore a different style of governance starting from the paradigm of fraternity.