Sunday of the Holy Forefathers
In anticipation of feast days, the Church gives us days to prepare by teaching us about certain topics. In the case of the Nativity of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, the two Sundays prior to the Nativity are dedicated to the Holy Fathers (and Mothers!) - the Forefathers and the Fathers.
The Forefathers mentioned are those seen of the Old Testament - Adam, Abel, Seth, Noah, Enoch and Abraham, Melchizedek and Job, Isaac and the faithful Jacob; as well as the daughters of old: Hannah, Judith, Deborah, Huldah, Jaël and Esther, Sarah, Miriam the sister of Moses, Rachel, Rebecca and Ruth the exceedingly wise among many, many others. It is understood that these individuals prefigured Christ, foreseeing Christ in their lives.
Abel, who was murdered by his brother Cain, is a prefiguration of Christ, who was also murdered by men.
Melchizedek the priest is the prefiguration of Christ the High Priest.
Enoch and Elijah, who were taken up to heaven, prefigure Christ Who was also taken up to heaven.
Noah, whose family alone survived the Flood, is a prefiguration of the baptism of purification given to us by Christ.
Job the long-suffering prefigures the longsuffering of Christ.
Abraham, who was asked to sacrifice his son Isaac, prefigures the sacrifice that God the Father made with His Son.
Jacob prefigures Christ, for he saw the ladder that connects earth to heaven, enabling heaven to come down to earth and earth to rise up to heaven.
Joseph, who was betrayed by his twelve brothers, prefigures Christ who was betrayed by His disciples.
Moses, the leader of his people, who was given the great revelation of the Ten Commandments, unsurpassed until Christ gave us the Beatitudes, prefigures Christ, for Moses saw the burning bush unconsumed, which is the Virgin's womb, which was unconsumed by the fire of Christ.
Joshua, whose name is the same as Christ's, that is Jesus, the Saviour, prefigures Jesus the Deliverer of His people.
David, related by blood to Christ, saw Christ in the Psalms which he wrote down.
Solomon expressed the Wisdom of God in his Books of Wisdom.
The Prophet Daniel saw the Holy Trinity through the Three Holy Youths in the furnace of Babylon.
The Prophet Isaiah saw Christ the suffering Servant.
The Prophet Jonah prefigures the three-day burial of Christ through his three-day stay in the belly of the whale.
“This Christmas, let us be like the Holy Forefathers and Foremothers whom we celebrate this day. They sought to bring others to God, and we can do the same. With a simple loving word, with a phone call to someone we have ignored, with an invitation that is overdue. Even as we continue to protect ourselves and others in this time of pandemic, we can still reach out and spread the message of God’s inclusive and embracing love in the world, in the little world that each of us inhabits daily.
May the Lord Who is Coming to be Born in Bethlehem of Judea grant unto us a blessed Feast of His Holy Nativity, and grant unto us a safe, prosperous and healthy New Year. Amen.” (His Eminence Archbishop Elpidophoros)