A successful children’s initiative A few years ago Focolare founder Chiara Lubich (1920-2008) went sightseeing in a large city during Christmas time and was saddened to see the store fronts illuminated and full of wrapped gifts, stars, deer, dwarfs, fairies and Santa Claus. She said, “This rich world stole the beauty of Christmas and sent Jesus away … If I were born again, I would do a lot to change this. I’d make the most beautiful Christmas cards. I’d make special little figures of Baby Jesus … to remind everyone that Christmas is the Feast of Jesus’ birth!”
In response to that the children of the Focolare said, “What if we make them?”
Last year again children all over the world brought thousands of Baby Jesus to market places, shopping centres and public squares. They did it in Mexico, the U.S., Canada, Hungary, Japan and many African countries. They even brought Baby Jesus to Nazareth, in front of the Basilica of the Annunciation.
It wasn’t always easy! At times it was cold; then there was rain and even snow; at times nobody looked at them, but they didn’t give up! In Vancouver, not everyone was happy with their presence in front of the Sky Train, a public transit terminal. They, however, kept on offering Baby Jesus figures to passers-by with a smile, saying, “All we want to do is to love!”
Children from San Antonio, Texas were invited to present the Baby Jesus project at Guadalupe Radio, and they had a great time speaking with the reporter.
Here are some of the questions he asked and their answers.
Tell us about your project
We make little Baby Jesus with plaster and then sell them so that everyone sees the real meaning of Christmas. We donate all the money to the poor.
Do you like doing this?
Yes, because we make them with love. We are very proud to do this. The light in our hearts spreads when we do this.
What is this light like?
We think of it as a flame. The more love we have, the bigger the flame of love gets in our heart.
So people really like this, right?
Oh yes! When we go to churches, everybody buys one. It’s harder on the streets. When we sold at the Riverwalk it was not so easy, and in downtown Houston, too. But they brought Baby Jesus to Rockefeller Plaza in New York where the big Christmas tree is and a LOT of people who saw our project were happy!
But when people walk away, do you get discouraged?
Well, we make a pact beforehand to love each person even if they don’t buy. We keep smiling, and we try to love them anyway because Baby Jesus brought love.
And it was Chiara who started all this? Tell me about Chiara.
She really loved Jesus. Her friends saw she loved him and they wanted to love him too, so they got together. They were in the middle of a war, so they hid from the bombs and read the Gospel together and then they did what Jesus said, they began to love everybody.
How did they love everyone?
They took care of the sick and brought food to people and gave away their gloves and they loved each other.
Then what happened?
When they loved each other, then Jesus was with them because he said, “Where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst.” So they really had Christmas all year long.
And you do this too?
Well, we do. We try. And when we don’t, we start over. We know when we love we make Jesus happy. So we try to make him happy always doing many acts of kindness.
By Christine Kelly
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