The Nativity Fast, whose beginning we mark this day, encompasses forty days of preparation for the Nativity of the Savior. This fast is notably less intense than the fasts of Dormition and Lent, and it culminates in twelve days of feasting (December 25 through January 4 plus January 6), the longest fast-free period in the Church’s year. The fast is itself a time for asceticism, yes, but also of quiet and joyous anticipation: as the world grows darker for us in the Northern Hemisphere, Christ’s approach comes closer. Drawing on the ancient traditions of the universal Orthodox Church, East and West, it is salutary during this season not only to study the prophets who prepared the way for Christ’s First Coming, but also to meditate upon his Second Coming. Just as the Word once leapt down from heaven upon a midnight clear, so shall the Bridegroom come again at midnight—and blessed is he whom he shall find watching.
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