Leave-taking of the Feast of the Entrance of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple; Our Holy Father and Priest-Martyr Clement, Pope of Rome (101); Peter, Bishop of Alexandria (312)
1 Timothy 6:17-21; Luke 18:31-34
Nativity Fast.
Read Luke 18:31-34
Glory to Jesus Christ! Glory forever!
The St. Philip’s Fast is given to us as a gift in order to aid us in our spiritual preparation in the celebration of the feast of the Nativity of our Lord. A beautiful way to do this preparation is to immerse ourselves in the Old Testament prophecies which point to the Lord’s coming and mighty works of salvation. The Lord in today’s Gospel emphasizes that He did this willingly and with full knowledge. He is the only person to be born in order to die. We were created in order to live, but because of sin, personal and ancestral, our original purpose became unattainable. On the other hand, the Lord is born to die so that we might have life. Even at his birth we already see symbols pointing to that very purpose: the cave points to the tomb, the rejection of the people point to the chanting of the crowd for the release of Barabbas, the persecution by King Herod points to the future hatred and suffering he will endure, the gift of myrrh from the Magi points to the anointing oil for his death, and the swaddling clothes point to the burial cloth.
By saying, “Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written of the Son of man by the prophets will be accomplished.” Jesus is pointing to what was foretold by Isaiah of the Suffering Servant: “Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed.” (Is 53:4-5). Again, “I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting.” (Is 50:6). He also says, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.” (Is 53:7). Again, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” (Is 53:6). There are many more prophecies pointing to the Coming one, who by his birth and death will open up the portals of eternal life to those who have lost it.