With great perturbation – but also inner joy, we begin the pre-Christmas (Advent) Fast – a time when we have the opportunity to once again open ourselves more to God, to prepare as best we can for the upcoming meeting with the new-born Saviour.
We are painfully aware how much this year’s Christmas Fast and the Christmas that follows are marked by an ongoing pandemic that has marked us deeply.

It is very difficult today to predict how this pandemic will develop, so we live from day to day and month after month. However, we believe that the joy of the holiday will not be eclipsed by the external factors of the pandemic, which can not separate us from the Faith or traditions both of Advent fasting and the Christmas holidays themselves.

The coronavirus pandemic has particularly affected the Church as a community whose important task is to create one family and to gather in prayer, especially for the Holy Liturgy. Due to the necessary quarantine restrictions we will not be able to celebrate our community “kutia” meal; the priest will not be able to visit the faithful to bless our homes; nor can we gather for coffee after the service.

At this difficult time, I would like to direct your thoughts to the very essence of Christmas. During this long waiting period, many of the events described in the Old Testament occurred. There was a time of blessed freedom, but there was also a time of much thought and great longing for that which was lost, when the people of Israel fell into slavery. It was a time of falling, of turning away from God, and it was a time of returning to God. Therefore, the events of the days long passed of the Old Testament provide rich material from which we must learn that we must be obedient to Divine truth. We need, more than ever today, to see things thus so as not to lose hope, as well as to analyze what is happening in our society.
The words of the Gospel about being alert go to the heart of the problem of preparation. When we hear about the need for “sensitivity”, about the need to be vigilant, we must realize that these words refer to our readiness to meet the Newborn. “Watch therefore—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep” (Mk 13: 35-36). We must be ready always and every minute so that we can respond to the call: “Watch” – “We are ready”.

In light of the biblical texts, Advent fasting is a period of “great awakening.” Isaiah, who seems to want to awaken God, exclaims, “Oh, that you would break through the heavens and come down.” The psalmist does the same: “Awaken your strength and come to bring us salvation”. We know that God will not sleep through the cries of His people, but will come to our aid by answering our prayers when they are based on faith and trust.
God does not skimp on grace for man, but we ourselves, through spiritual hibernation, may not accept it. We may, alas, sleep through this blessed time. Therefore as the community of the Church, we may not stop offering our prayers, because Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given you.”
Thank you to all the volunteers who are working hard to keep our church open. Thank you for the prayers we offer every Sunday for an end to the pandemic and for the victims and for those who have departed from us to eternity.

We all probably realize that in many cases prayer is the only form of help we can give to each other. Therefore, I also ask you to continue to pray, surrounding each other with it. We pray for the medical staff, because they are closest to the patients and, having direct contact with them, risk their health and lives.

The Christmas Fast we are beginning prepares us to meet the Savior Who is coming into the world. The prophet calls him Emmanuel, that is, “God with us.” He wants to be in the midst of us, and as we seek and meet with Him, we deepen our relationship with God, and in this we are sustained by the Church of Christ.

The Church is here to do this, to guide people to God and bring them to a blessed eternity. The task of Priests and community leaders is to constantly seek new ways to achieve this goal of Christ’s.
For the growth of the Parish is achieved where there is love for Christ, where there is an interest in participating in the liturgical life of the church. The growth of the parish is accomplished by the ministry, as Metropolitan Ilarion (Ohienko) wrote: “To serve God – serve the people” – service to one’s neighbor (diakonia).

May our Merciful Lord help us to through this Advent Fast and greet the newborn Son of God.