Our Venerable Father Spiridon the Wonderworker, Bishop of Tremithus (337-61)
Ephesians 1:16-23; Luke 12:32-40
Nativity Fast.
Read Ephesians 1:16-23
At the beginning of the Divine Liturgy, as the deacon incenses the altar, he quietly prays this prayer: “You were bodily in the tomb, in Hades with Your soul as God; in paradise with the thief, enthroned with the Father and the Holy Spirit. O Christ, You fill all things but are contained by none.”
This short beautiful prayer reveals what we confess as Christians about time and space as it relates to God. Christ was never separated from the Father and the Holy Spirit while He wrought that great work of our salvation as the God-Man. Through His coming and through His salvific act on the Cross He has made all things new; His Resurrection has changed everything; He fills all things. He fills our lives through our being part of His mystical body, the Church.
In all times we must rejoice that Our Lord has saved us; that He is in control; that we have nothing to fear. So, brothers and sisters, let us heed the Holy Apostle Paul and joyfully receive the “spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him” that gives us the eyes of faith. Then we can see that He truly “fills all in all” including our joys, sorrows, sufferings, hopes, and that He makes all things new through His Resurrection. As we prepare to celebrate Our Lord’s Nativity this Christmas let us remember that He who lies as a helpless child in that manger is the One who has died for us and saves us through His Resurrection.