It is recorded what delight Saint Francis had in presiding before the first crib at Greccio: he would love to preach wearing alb, vested in dalmatic and stole. The crib or presepio was one of his many gifts to the Christian dispensation.
Francis was ordained as a deacon but never considered himself worthy of the ordained priesthood. He was particularly attentive to how the altar vessels were to be cleaned, polished and prepared to receive the Son of God, and the linen was clean, crisp and lovingly laid on the Body of Christ as if he was present at Calvary. There is a literalness about Francis in how all that was sacramental was to be kissed by God, and he would hold that the King of all time and places needed to be prepared as if eternity depended upon it. His attention to the very word of Scripture and its feeding of everyday life would not allow for idle discussion or divisive interpretation. Both spoke of the closeness and immediacy of God.
