Praying Before the Nativity Scene

A place of prayer at home

For many families, the nativity scene is their prayer corner at home. It goes up at the start of Advent, the family gathers around it on Christmas Eve, and they come back to it every day until Epiphany. Pope Francis put it simply in his letter on the nativity scene: it “is like a living Gospel.” You don’t need fancy words. Just look, tell the story, and let the scene speak for itself.

What follows isn’t a set ritual. These are simple ideas, drawn from the Church’s own prayers, that each family can adapt. For the meaning of the nativity scene itself, see what the Church says about the nativity.

Blessing the family nativity

Blessing the nativity scene means thanking God for what it shows and asking him to watch over the home where it stands. There are two ways to do it, and you can do both.

• At your parish. A priest or deacon can bless the family nativity, or just the figure of the Baby Jesus. Many parishes offer this during Advent, often on the Third Sunday, modeled on the blessing of the Bambinelli in Rome: you bring your Baby Jesus to Mass, it’s blessed, and you place it in the manger on Christmas night.
• At home. The blessing prayer for the nativity scene can also be said by a member of the family. The U.S. bishops include a “Blessing of a Christmas Manger or Nativity Scene” in their book Catholic Household Blessings and Prayers, and many dioceses post it online during Advent.

It always follows the same simple order and takes just a few minutes:

1. Gather in front of the nativity scene and make the Sign of the Cross.
2. Read the account of Jesus’s birth, Luke 2:1–14 (see the Gospel accounts of the Nativity).
3. Take a moment of silence, then let everyone say what they notice in the nativity scene.
4. Say the blessing prayer, from your parish or in your own words.
5. Sing a Christmas carol, and offer each other a sign of peace.

Christmas Eve: welcoming the Child

This is the moment everyone waits for. All through Advent the manger has been empty, and tonight Baby Jesus is laid in it, traditionally by the youngest in the family. Some families do it before leaving for Christmas Eve Mass or Midnight Mass, others when they get home.

• Turn off the lights and light a candle near the nativity.
• Read Luke’s account, from the departure from Nazareth to the angels’ song.
• The youngest places the Child in the manger while everyone sings “Silent Night” or “O Come, All Ye Faithful.”
• End with a very simple prayer: Jesus, we’ve been waiting for you. Welcome to our home. Teach us to welcome you as Mary and Joseph did, and to recognize you in those who knock at our door.

For the other key dates, from Advent to Candlemas, see when to put up the nativity.

Each day of the Christmas season

Between Christmas and Epiphany, the nativity can be a few minutes of prayer together each day. A simple idea: each evening, look at one figure and pray for the people it brings to mind.

Mary

For mothers, and for those expecting a child. You can pray the Hail Mary together.

Joseph

For fathers, and for everyone who quietly protects others.

The shepherds

For people who work at night, and for ordinary people, since the shepherds were the first to come.

The angel

For peace on earth, taking up his song: “Glory to God in the highest.”

The Wise Men

For those who are seeking God, near or far, and for those who have had to leave their country.

The village figures

For neighbors, shopkeepers, and everyone we pass every day without really noticing.

If you pray the Rosary, the Nativity is the third Joyful Mystery, and the nativity scene is the perfect picture to pray with.

With children

Children often pray better with their hands than with words. Letting them move a figure a little closer each day of Advent, asking them who came to see Jesus, letting them place Baby Jesus on Christmas Eve: that’s already prayer. For more ideas by age, see explaining the nativity to kids.

Before a nativity scene in church

During the Christmas season, many churches keep their nativity scene open to visitors. Stopping by for a few minutes as a family is a lovely way to pray away from home: come in quietly, look at the scene, read a few verses, light a candle. For beautiful nativity scenes to visit, see where to see nativity scenes in the United States and in shrines.

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