The period of the forty-day fast before Christmas, the preparation of our brothers and sisters being readied for holy baptism, the baptisms before the feast of Christmas and Theophany, the sacred Services of the Royal Hours for Christmas and Theophany, the participation of the faithful in the Sacrament of Holy Confession, the festive sermons and homillies, the rehearsals of our choirs for the ecclesiastical hymns of the Twelve Days, as well as the preparation of the common agape meals, the baking of Christmas sweets, and the Vasilopita—all became an opportunity for spiritual uplifting and joy for young and old alike.
The Sacred Services for all the feasts of the Twelve Days, including those of the old calendar, were held to meet the liturgical needs of our Slav-speaking brothers and sisters; this may have added toil to the clergy, but it filled everyone’s heart with spiritual exultation.
Let us wish to our newly illumined brothers and sisters to live until their last breath united with the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ; for the catechumens, to get prepared with zeal for the great day of their entry into the Kingdom of God through their baptism; and to all the faithful of our Church in Korea and Japan, that their life may be a continuous theophany.