Why Do We Fast the Nativity Fast
Main Idea
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that fasting is a means of spiritual preparation to receive God’s blessings, and the Nativity Fast is a special preparation to receive the greatest grace, which is the Divine Incarnation. Every divine gift requires the preparation of the heart and mind through prayer, fasting, and repentance.
Fasting as Preparation for Divine Grace
The Church teaches us to receive feasts and holy sacraments with fasting, because fasting purifies the heart and makes it ready for blessing. Just as we prepare for Communion and Baptism through fasting, we prepare for the Nativity of Christ through a fast worthy of the greatness of the event.
Preparation in God’s Divine Economy
His Holiness explains that God Himself always works through preparation. He prepared for the Incarnation through prophecies and symbols in the Old Testament, prepared for the Crucifixion and Resurrection, and prepared humanity to accept salvation. Likewise, He calls us to walk in the same path.
Preparation as a Way of Life
Fasting is not merely abstaining from food, but a continuous training in readiness:
preparation for prayer, for the sacraments, for trials, for service, and even for meeting the Lord. The spiritual person is one who is ready at all times, with a pure heart and a mind focused on God.
Spiritual Message
The Nativity Fast teaches us that grace is not received lightly, but through deep preparation. Whoever lives a life of constant readiness experiences the true joy of the Nativity and enjoys the blessings of the Divine Incarnation.
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