Thank you for sharing this! I have never heard the legend of La Befana. I love learning the ways different cultures engage the Christmas story. Iām really enjoying reflecting on Epiphany with others here.
That was a lovely story of La Befana, it was the first time i learned of it. The child-like wonder of Christianity, and that the Christian must be like little children, that is something that has been of much thought to me; it is one of the themes of the fiction manuscript i've been working on. For Christ, curiously, i realized i never wondered of Him in relation childlike, as i thought of Him more as the Shepherd that will take care of us sheep and give the children blessing and rest; as the Child, yes, when He was a Child, also there is that He is the Son of God, and so when reading your question about how Jesus embodied the call to childlikeness, the first thought that came to mind was how He obeyed and trusted the Father, and the prayer in the garden of Gethsemane.
Absolutely! Christ being a model for our own holiness, He shows us how to be children of God the Father as the one true Son. Obedience and trust is a perfect example of that. Iām also very intrigued by your mentioning of a manuscript youāre working on!
I hadn't mentioned the manuscript? Oh, i thought i did somewhere, but, yes, amongst other things, the story i've been working has themes of childlike innocence, love, obedience, and faith (prayerfully thoughtful and true) in Christ, with thought of the church and Christians of centuries. Of course, i know, as anyone who knows children knows, how much mischief and naughtiness a child may be fond, yet there is still this remarkable wonder and trust within them. I remember you writing in one of these that you would be working more on your fiction, and are working on getting your first published in the next few years (me, too); if you don't mind, what is story that you've been working on?
That sounds great! Yes, I havenāt talked about my own fiction projects very much, but I have a couple novels in the works (one in the editing stage, another in draft). They are both (attempts at) Christian fantasy following reluctant protagonists who are forced to face the things they would rather be complicit to and to actually live up to the faiths they claim to profess. Denial of the self, trust in God, and complete submission to Him are major themes, played out on a fantasy world (because fantasy has my heart). Very much works in progress
Those are such lovely themes, and i pray all the very best for your works and attempts. When you said reluctant, is it like Bilbo or Scrooge in a way, or some other kind of reluctance? Fantasy is so lovely, one of my favorites (almost all my attempts wind up somewhere in that spectrum, even when i decide i shall try something else, but then, in a way, fiction is fantasy).
Thank you, and the same to you! I would say reluctant not so much to their call to being a hero but to what that call demands of them and them wanting to control the terms of their āheroismā, if that makes senseā¦. But yes, fantasy always has a way of sneaking into my work, ha!
I really appreciated how you centered the feast on manifestation ā not just a story we remember, but something that touches how we live now. The way you described the wise men seeing Christ and offering simple gifts made the whole event feel less like history and more like an invitation to pay attention to where God shows up in our own days
I love this Emilia. In Cuba (where Iām from) we also celebrate this day, though to us, itās the three wise men who bring us three little gifts. For me, Christmas isnāt officially over until this day has passed, and it holds more spiritual significance for me than Christmas Day does, which to me feels more of about celebrating unity between family and friends than Jesusā birth.
Reflecting upon it, being brought gifts by the wise men makes me feel connected to Jesus in adoption, because we too are receiving gifts. Itās not about performance or consumerism (like Santa can feel) but about being welcomed, accepted, and embraced into the family of God. Itās about recognizing the weight and glory of Jesus like the wise men did.
Thank you so much for writing this because honestly, I hadnāt given much thought to how I feel about these traditions until now. And I see myself more mindfully celebrating and honoring Jesus on this day going forwardš«¶š»
For starters, thank you. This topic isnāt discussed enough. For whatever reason, weāve stopped celebrating the season of Christmas past December 25th, and this completely shortchanges the scope of the nativity. Extending the celebration and giving by each feast day itās rightful turn is crucial if the West and Christian families want to preserve their faith tradition.
Thank you for sharing this! I have never heard the legend of La Befana. I love learning the ways different cultures engage the Christmas story. Iām really enjoying reflecting on Epiphany with others here.
Thank you for reading! Iām so glad you enjoyed š
That was a lovely story of La Befana, it was the first time i learned of it. The child-like wonder of Christianity, and that the Christian must be like little children, that is something that has been of much thought to me; it is one of the themes of the fiction manuscript i've been working on. For Christ, curiously, i realized i never wondered of Him in relation childlike, as i thought of Him more as the Shepherd that will take care of us sheep and give the children blessing and rest; as the Child, yes, when He was a Child, also there is that He is the Son of God, and so when reading your question about how Jesus embodied the call to childlikeness, the first thought that came to mind was how He obeyed and trusted the Father, and the prayer in the garden of Gethsemane.
Absolutely! Christ being a model for our own holiness, He shows us how to be children of God the Father as the one true Son. Obedience and trust is a perfect example of that. Iām also very intrigued by your mentioning of a manuscript youāre working on!
Yes, you said it wonderfully!
I hadn't mentioned the manuscript? Oh, i thought i did somewhere, but, yes, amongst other things, the story i've been working has themes of childlike innocence, love, obedience, and faith (prayerfully thoughtful and true) in Christ, with thought of the church and Christians of centuries. Of course, i know, as anyone who knows children knows, how much mischief and naughtiness a child may be fond, yet there is still this remarkable wonder and trust within them. I remember you writing in one of these that you would be working more on your fiction, and are working on getting your first published in the next few years (me, too); if you don't mind, what is story that you've been working on?
That sounds great! Yes, I havenāt talked about my own fiction projects very much, but I have a couple novels in the works (one in the editing stage, another in draft). They are both (attempts at) Christian fantasy following reluctant protagonists who are forced to face the things they would rather be complicit to and to actually live up to the faiths they claim to profess. Denial of the self, trust in God, and complete submission to Him are major themes, played out on a fantasy world (because fantasy has my heart). Very much works in progress
Those are such lovely themes, and i pray all the very best for your works and attempts. When you said reluctant, is it like Bilbo or Scrooge in a way, or some other kind of reluctance? Fantasy is so lovely, one of my favorites (almost all my attempts wind up somewhere in that spectrum, even when i decide i shall try something else, but then, in a way, fiction is fantasy).
Thank you, and the same to you! I would say reluctant not so much to their call to being a hero but to what that call demands of them and them wanting to control the terms of their āheroismā, if that makes senseā¦. But yes, fantasy always has a way of sneaking into my work, ha!
Oh, that reluctant, yes, it makes sense. And yes, fantasy has its mischief.
I donāt know how I missed this earlier, but Iām thankful to be reading it now. Such a thoughtful and well-crafted piece.
Thank you Mandy! Iām happy you enjoyed it
I really appreciated how you centered the feast on manifestation ā not just a story we remember, but something that touches how we live now. The way you described the wise men seeing Christ and offering simple gifts made the whole event feel less like history and more like an invitation to pay attention to where God shows up in our own days
Thank you so much! I am so glad you found that helpful.
I love this Emilia. In Cuba (where Iām from) we also celebrate this day, though to us, itās the three wise men who bring us three little gifts. For me, Christmas isnāt officially over until this day has passed, and it holds more spiritual significance for me than Christmas Day does, which to me feels more of about celebrating unity between family and friends than Jesusā birth.
Reflecting upon it, being brought gifts by the wise men makes me feel connected to Jesus in adoption, because we too are receiving gifts. Itās not about performance or consumerism (like Santa can feel) but about being welcomed, accepted, and embraced into the family of God. Itās about recognizing the weight and glory of Jesus like the wise men did.
Thank you so much for writing this because honestly, I hadnāt given much thought to how I feel about these traditions until now. And I see myself more mindfully celebrating and honoring Jesus on this day going forwardš«¶š»
Oh wow, I love that. That is such a beautiful tradition! Thank you so much
For starters, thank you. This topic isnāt discussed enough. For whatever reason, weāve stopped celebrating the season of Christmas past December 25th, and this completely shortchanges the scope of the nativity. Extending the celebration and giving by each feast day itās rightful turn is crucial if the West and Christian families want to preserve their faith tradition.
Well done!
100% agree. Iām glad you enjoyed!
I'm so appreciative for your sharing La Befana with me. Such a wonderful tradition that builds on our faith!
Iām glad you enjoyed!