An Evening Of Prayer In A Special Place

As Christians, we are invited to pray constantly and, as pilgrims, we have had many opportunities to pray in different holy places. St. Paul's exhortation to “pray continually” (1 Thes 5:17) rings ever more true for us here in this sacred place.

​We had the opportunity to meet the Franciscan friars who are in charge of the Church of the Nativity.  The Franciscan Order has been in the Holy Land since the mid-1200´s. Because they share the church with Armenian and Orthodox Christians, they have specific times in which they can celebrate Mass or have prayer services at the Grotto. The Franciscans have been very kind to our class and they shared with us one of the allotted times in which they are permitted to use the Grotto and gave us an opportunity to pray. 

The Site of the Birth of Christ

We had a Holy Hour in the Grotto where Christ was born. Where the “Word was made flesh”. Reflecting on the magnificent event that happened right there, I can’t stop thinking that we have really found the center. Being at the place were Christ, our Savior, was born connects me to the origins of my faith and vocation. Through our years in seminary formation we can get involved in many deep philosophical and theological explanations or devotional practices, but having a moment of prayer one-on-one with Jesus at the place where He was born puts everything in the right perspective. It’s like someone who is thirsty and finds the font of water where he or she will not thirst again. As the shepherds were invited by the angels to adore the incarnate Son of God, we had the same invitation, not by the angels, but by the Franciscans.

Just like the humble shepherds who came to the Grotto were sinners, we too are sinners invited to have private time with the One who has called us. We were there as people who Jesus has called without titles or honors, but rather as disciples of the Master who listen to Him with attention. What a magnificent opportunity to have the chance to spend some quiet moments in prayer without others coming in and out of the Grotto.  Our time there was peaceful and still, full of silent adoration in the flicker of the lamps that adorn the spot where Jesus was born. After we concluded our prayer and left the church, all of us noticed the beautiful nighttime sky, the shining moon, and a brilliant canopy of stars.  I couldn’t stop thinking that the sky must have looked somewhat similar on that night in which Jesus was born and entered this world. I reflected on how small we are and how humble is the One born in this poor cave, recognizing that all what we do is not for our own good but for the One who gave His life for our sins. It is not about us, but about the mission that He has entrusted to us.