As we journey through the Nativity Fast, the days grow physically shorter and the nights longer. Yet, the Church, in her wisdom, calls us to do something paradoxical. As the world darkens, we are commanded to become brighter.
St. Paul’s exhortation to the Ephesians strikes at the very heart of our Lenten preparation: “For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” How do we prepare our hearts to receive the Christ Child? The scriptures today offer us two vital paths: the path of Wakefulness and the path of Gratitude.
Redeeming the Time
St. Paul warns us to "redeem the time, because the days are evil." In our modern context, the days are not just evil; they are distracting. The rush of commercialism, the noise of news cycles, and the anxiety of daily life act as a spiritual sedative. We fall asleep to the reality of God.
To prepare for Nativity is to fight against this spiritual slumber. St. Paul cries out, “Awake, you who sleep, Arise from the dead, And Christ will give you light.” Living an Orthodox life daily means refusing to sleepwalk through our existence. It means examining what is "acceptable to the Lord" rather than what is acceptable to the culture.
Instead of being "drunk with wine" (or entertainment, or scrolling), St. Paul tells us to be filled with the Spirit, "speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs." This is a call to bring the Liturgy into our homes. During this Fast, let the Jesus Prayer be the melody in your heart. Replace a half-hour of media with the Paraklesis or the Psalms. This is how we walk as children of light.
The Eucharist of the One
If Ephesians tells us how to walk, the Gospel of the Ten Lepers tells us where to walk.
We read of ten men healed of a chaotic, isolating disease. All ten obeyed the law; all ten went to the priests; all ten received the miracle. But only one, a Samaritan, an outsider, turned back. “And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.”
The word for "giving thanks" here is connected to Eucharist. We are often like the nine. We accept God's daily mercies, such as our breath, our food, our families, and even the Sacraments, and we continue on our way, absorbed in our routine. We consume the gift but ignore the Giver.
The one who returned realized that the Healer was greater than the healing. He didn't just want a cure; he wanted communion with Christ. He fell at Jesus' feet, much like the posture the Shepherds and Magi will soon take at the cave in Bethlehem.
The Nativity of the Heart
These two passages give us a roadmap for the remainder of the Fast. First, wake up. Like the Ephesians, expose the darkness in your life to the light of Confession. Do not hide your struggles; bring them to the Light, for "whatever makes manifest is light." Second, turn back. Like the Samaritan, stop in your tracks. deeply cultivate a "Glory to God for all things" mindset.
The Feast is approaching. Let us not be found sleeping in the darkness of distraction, nor walking away with the nine in ingratitude. Instead, let us redeem the time, singing in our hearts, making our way back to the feet of the Savior.
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