On the evening of the 21st of December 2020, St John the Baptist Parish in Croydon Park hosted its regular ‘monthly enlightenment’ with special guest from St Michaels Kirrawee and Vice-Chair of ACOY NSW Christine Mikhail. Christine discussed one of the upcoming major feasts of the Church, the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, which we celebrate annually on the 25th of December.
Christine touched on the importance of the feast to each and every one of us in our everyday lives. She began to discuss the way in which we in the world today have made the feast of the Nativity and the weeks preceding, a season focused on consumerism, filled with multiple work functions and events and with a heavy emphasis on the exchange of materialistic gifts, with less of an emphasis on Christ as we approach the feast. We don’t take the opportunity to prepare ourselves for Jesus to be born in us.
Christine asked for us to consider what we could offer Christ, challenging those in attendance to approach the upcoming feast in a way we may not be used to. Using St Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, as an example, Christine asked for people to use their talents to give back without any expectations, whether it be through charity, almsgiving or just donating our time. Christine reminded us that the Church has prescribed a 40-day fasting period in the lead up to the Nativity to help assist us prepare. At the end of the 40 days, we shouldn’t just celebrate the birth of Jesus, in a sense we acknowledge the rebirth of Jesus in our hearts each year.
Thank you, Christine, for this wonderful presentation and opening up the minds of those in attendance, helping us approach the feast by keeping Christ at it centre.
Christ is Born, glorify Him!
