The Nativity of the Lord
Continued from page four

Dec 24:  Paramony of the Nativity
On Christmas eve we fast and pray in anticipation of this joyful event of our Salvation. The Royal Hours begin the day, a service of Readings and Troparia about the Nativity. We then serve the Vespers and Liturgy of St. Basil the Great, and conclude the day with Great Compline and Matins, the Vigil of the Nativity.

Dec 25:  The Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord God and Saviour, Jesus Christ
The Lord has chosen to save us in a way which restores our priestly role in creation, preserving our dignity and making us co-workers in the divinization of the cosmos. The Lord does not disdain the world that He has created, but raises it to wonders unhoped-for. Let us praise Him in the words of the Tropar: "Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, has shone to the world the light of wisdom, for by it, those who worshiped the stars were taught by a star to adore Thee, the Sun of Righteousness, and to know Thee, the Orient from on high. O Lord, Glory to Thee!"