Day 13

As I mentioned yesterday, Chapter 5 of our book looks at the two Sundays prior to the Nativity of Christ, known as the Sunday of the Holy Forefathers, the Patriarchs and the Sunday of the Holy Fathers, respectively. These two Sundays recall the saints of the Old Testament and the ancestors of Jesus Christ. We can see the importance of these great men and women in the Tropar of the Holy Fathers:

 

 

First and foremost we see the mention of faith. The Holy Forefathers, all those saints who came before Christ, lived completely by faith. Theirs was a faith that there would come a Messiah, one who would free them and offer them eternal life. It is through this faith that they are justified, that is, they become Saints.

 

Secondly, we see that through their powerful faith, Jesus Christ was able to establish a Church and make a commitment to it. This is the church in which we worship today, in which each and every Orthodox Christian worships in. 

 

Thirdly, it is through their lineage that the Mother of God descends. And it is through her, as we have talked about these last few days, that the Messiah that they so longed for, is conceived and salvation becomes possible. 

 

These honored saints lived with the longing of the coming of the incarnate Son of God, the Messiah. They held hope for this revelation and lived constantly in this longing. As Archimandrite Vassilios points out, we are blessed to live in this age that these holy men and women longed for. Yet we too, live with longing, the longing of Christ's return. 

 

Tomorrow we will take a look at one of the saints commemorated here that represents this longing and faith that the Holy Forefathers and Holy Fathers lived in and which we also live in.

 

Until then, let us remember the words of St. Paul that "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen."