Forefeast Archives - Saint Sophia

Thirty-Fifth Day of Christmas Advent: THE FOREFEAST OF THE NATIVITY

12/19/2014

Become Like Children “Whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it.” (Mark 10:15) EVERY YEAR AS CHRISTMAS APPROACHES, we hear a great deal of speculation about the meaning of Christmas in a society that is persistently trying to shake off it Christian identity. During such a debate about the meaning of Christmas, one comment in particular struck me: “Christmas is a feast for children.” Although

Twelfth Day of Christmas Advent: Prepare the Way of the Lord!

11/26/2014

Our hymns are “the voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord’” (Is. 40:3). Just as St. John the Baptist prepared the way for Christ by calling the people of Israel to repentance (Matt. 3:1-2) so too does the Church prepare us for the Nativity by exhorting us to “bear fruits worthy of repentance” (Matt. 3:8). Repentance begins with humility, contrition, tears, and confession, but it does not end there.

Eleventh Day of Christmas Advent: Let Us Prepare!

11/25/2014

The Church’s command to Bethlehem to prepare and be glad extends also to us. We are invited to go back in time to Judea. This is of course a poetic way of encouraging us to rejoice and marvel-as fervently, as intimately, and as tangibly as hun1anly possible-in the wonder of the Incarnation and of our salvation: Let us celebrate the forefeast of the Nativity of Christ, O people, and raising our minds, let us go

Fifth Day of Christmas Advent: Beginning of Advent and the Forefeast

11/19/2014

BEGINNING OF ADVENT AND THE FOREFEAST Prepare the way of the Lord; make straight the paths of our God. (Isaiah 40:3) EVERY GREAT FEAST of the Orthodox Church is preceded by a period of preparation. One of the longest and richest periods is Advent. But what does it mean to prepare? For many, the preparation for Christmas is hectic— shopping for presents, making decorations, mailing cards, attending Christmas parties, and so forth. But in the

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Thirty-Fifth Day of Christmas Advent: THE FOREFEAST OF THE NATIVITY

Twelfth Day of Christmas Advent: Prepare the Way of the Lord!

Eleventh Day of Christmas Advent: Let Us Prepare!

Fifth Day of Christmas Advent: Beginning of Advent and the Forefeast

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