Bambinelli Explanation & Blessing, Gaudete Sunday 11AM Mass, Dec 17, 2023
At this time we’re going to have the Bambinelli Blessing of your Christ Child figurines, but first a few words to put this ritual into context. You know, at Christmas-time we’ve sort of been programmed by our culture to expect joy in unrealistic ways such as can be found on greeting cards or in Hallmark movies. These storybook scenarios project a Christmas of perfect presents, that are all perfectly wrapped and artfully placed underneath the perfectly decorated Christmas tree. Then everyone gathers as a perfect family, to eat a perfectly cooked meal, while enjoying perfect conversation shared by all in perfect harmony. But the problem is that kind of joy simply doesn’t exist. It’s a joy based totally on fiction.
However, there is a joy that can be ours no matter what we are going through in life as today’s Scriptures illustrate for us. For example, when Isaiah spoke his upbeat prophecy the people of Israel were being crushed by an oppressive government and threatened with economic disaster. And when St. Paul was writing about rejoicing, he was on the run for his life having narrowly escaped an angry mob that was bent on killing him. And when the Blessed Mother was singing out her joyful praise to God that we repeated in our responsorial this morning, she was facing the heart-wrenching task of informing her fiance and her parents that she was pregnant, which would also bring social shunning in her village once the gossip spread.
And so we bless the Bambinelli on Gaudete Sunday precisely because that Child in a manger brings us a joy that is fact and not fiction. The Baby is the manger is tangible proof of God’s love for us and so we can rejoice even though we may not feel like it and even if life around us doesn’t encourage it. We can rejoice because that Baby in a manger is Emmanuel, which means God-is-with-us, God-has-become-one-of-us and there is nothing, absolutely nothing that can take that joy away from us.! This is the authentic holiday cheer of Christmas that we all need and are eager to possess. This is why we rejoice and bless Him on Gaudete Sunday.
And now that we understand why, let’s bless the Bambinelli. Please hold up your Christ Child figurines while I give the blessing.
BAMBINELLI BLESSING
God our Father, You loved the world so much that You sent Your only Son as Savior to call each one of us back to You. We ask You to bless + and sanctify these images of the Christ Child that they might become for us a sign of His Presence and a Cause of Joy in our homes.
May the sight of this Holy Child in the manger, wherever it may be placed, open the hearts of those who look upon Him to believe in the great love You have shown for by sending Jesus as Emmanuel, God-with-us. Who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, forever and ever.
Amen.
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