Today is the first day of the "Forefeast", a term which describes our own preparation for that which is to come within the Feast of our Lord's Nativity.
The Gospel of Saint Luke records, "Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!" And so, Joseph and Mary would have made the journey to Bethlehem from Nazareth. The distance traveled would have been about 80 miles, a journey that a normal person could make in about 4 days. But the Virgin was ready to deliver her Child. We do not know how long the journey took - perhaps a week. What we do know is, on THIS day (5 days before the birth of our Lord), they were in the process of making a very rugged journey.
As were the Magi.
And even the heavens shared in the preparation, for the Star assumed its designated place to be a guide. And the angels of heaven lay in wait to proclaim the glad tidings to those who were simple enough and vigilant enough to hear their message.
It seems as if the world was preparing for the coming of its Creator. And within the hymnology of the Feast, and especially of the day, we hear exactly that concept:
"Bethlehem, be prepared, Eden is open to all. Ephratha, be made ready, for in the cave the Tree of Life has blossomed forth from the Virgin. For her womb has been shown to be a spiritual Paradise, in which is the Divine Plant, from which having eaten, we will live, and not die as did Adam. Christ is born to raise the image that had fallen."
And from this preparation, what response did the world give?
The Magi offered that which was most precious to them. The shepherds offered all that they could, which was worship of the One whose birth they heard the angels proclaim. Again, within the hymns of the Church we find the wonder of creation and its own offerings to God in response to His coming in the flesh:
"What shall we present to You, O Christ, for Your coming to earth for us men? Each of Your creatures brings You an offering of thanks. The angels offer their singing. The heavens offer a star. The wise men offer their treasures. The shepherds offer their worship. The earth offers a cave, and the desert offers a manger. But we offer You the Virgin mother. O Eternal God, have mercy on us!"
Within these next four days, we have much to prepare. Our homes will fill with loved ones. Our kitchens will fill with the aromas of food we've not shared over a 40 day fast. Our minds will fill with things too earthly, being concerned over assuring that all will "go according to plan." These are not 'bad' things.
But let our hearts most especially fill with the best of things - the joy of knowing that we will be among those who offer praise and thanks to God for His gift of salvation to us. And to make that preparation of our hearts, we need only a very few things. We need true repentance, recognizing our need for God's forgiveness. And we need the firm knowledge, from the depths of our being, that Christ the Lord is come, in His love for us.
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