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The Nativity Fast began on November 15th and lasts through December 24th.
“…The meaning of this [Nativity Feast is the incarnation and birth of God, the Savior of the world. When we think about the meaning of God’s incarnation and the coming of Jesus Christ into the world, we should think of how Jesus can become incarnate in our lives and be born in our hearts. Jesus can only dwell in a heart that is open to Him, that desires to be with Him, to listen to Him, speak with Him and obey Him. Not only is this a basic understanding of prayer, but without prayer no heart can reach this state of openness and desire for God. Everything in the Christian life begins with prayer.
May our month of December serve as a true period of preparation for the Feast of our Lord’s Nativity. My prayer is that God would inspire us to use the great gift of prayer as the centerpiece of this preparation: prayer as both a ceaseless state of remembrance of God and as a morning and evening routine of prayers, reflection and spiritual study.”
Adult/Family:
“During this [coming season], while we as Orthodox Christians are preparing for the feast of the Nativity, trying to slow down and center ourselves on the meaning of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, the rest of society is speeding up….. these activities are well-intended, but all together they can create a stressful, overwhelming and very busy atmosphere.
We can easily let this feeling of being overwhelmed with so many important activities tempt us to believe that we don’t have time for things like our prayer rule, almsgiving, spiritual reading, worship and reflection alone or with family. Although every one of these Christian habits is essential, I want to specifically focus on the prayer rule. Another way to refer to a prayer rule is a daily “quiet time spent in a routine of prayer, reflection and spiritual study…”
Read the entire article here.
Preschool/Elementary:
The Nativity Fast has started. It is a time of preparation. The word ‘preparation’ means to get ready. What are we getting ready for? To celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ! You can read the story about his birth to learn what happened at that time. Your family may even have a set of Nativity figures to display during this season and you can talk about who the figures are and what they are doing. Another way we can prepare ourselves for this is to pray more. Below is a prayer you can print out and pray with your family as we await the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
From Daily Meditations and Prayer for the Christmas Advent Fast and Epiphany, by Presbytera Emily Harakas and Fr. Anthony Coniaris
Middle School/High School:
We are being reminded by the wisest among us in the Orthodox Church to pray and repent during these times of hardship and uncertainty. May the restrictions of this season be a blessing that gives us time to increase our prayer and acquire the peace of God. Read the entire article about prayer during the Nativity fast season here.
A Message from Maria Spanos
I am passionate about our Orthodox Christian faith and seek to help others learn as much as they can about it. My purpose here is to share online resources that help strengthen our relationship with Christ and bind us closer to His Church. I believe they are invaluable in learning about our precious Orthodox Tradition, and are a great aid for teaching family members, friends and others about Orthodoxy. ~Maria
Two of my favorite quotes:
“A true Christian behaves in this life so that it may be a preparation for the future one and not only a life here below. In his actions, he does not think what will be said of him here but of what will be said there in heaven; he represents to himself that he is always in the presence of God, of the angels and all the saints, and remembers that someday they will bear witness of his thoughts, words, and deeds.” — Saint John of Kronstadt
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“Of all the holy works, the education of children is the most holy.”
— St. Theophan the Recluse
