Several Eastern churches around the world are preparing for the birth of the divine Savior by organizing evenings of prayers, hymns, meditations, and adoration of the Holy Eucharist as part of spiritually preparing their faithful for the glorious Christmas season.
In this context, St. Joseph Cathedral of the Chaldean Diocese of Erbil, Iraq, began its preparations yesterday with a Christmas carol evening performed by the youth choirs of the diocese’s parishes. The children’s voices rang out with Christmas carols in Arabic and Syriac.
The evening concluded with a procession of believers and deacons towards the nativity cave, led by Bishop Bashar Matti Warda of the diocese, accompanied by two children carrying the baby Jesus to place in the nativity scene and light it up, marking the start of Christmas preparations, in the presence of a large crowd of believers.
Father Savio Handola, pastor of the cathedral, praised the enthusiasm of the choir members, their readiness, and their beautiful singing. He considered choosing children to perform the Christmas carols a wonderful opportunity for these young ones to bring the joy and peace of Christmas to their homes. He added, "These children's carols herald Christmas, akin to the angels' hymn. Their resounding voices, embodying the purity of their hearts as they sing in welcome of the nativity baby, remind us that the birth of the Lord always brings peace on earth and joy to all people.
Similarly, St. Thomas the Apostle Cathedral for the Syriac Catholics in Michigan, USA, held a Christmas evening featuring hymns, spiritual meditations, and adoration of the Holy Eucharist, as part of its efforts to create a sustainable "spiritual revival" among its faithful.
Father Muntaser Haddad, the cathedral's pastor, emphasized that the true role of the church is more spiritual and salvific than social. He added, "We strive to highlight this through organizing activities aimed at spiritually revitalizing our faithful and helping them to live the period of anticipation for Christ's coming in a spiritually effective way, far from the social routine that empties it of its true meaning.
Father Bashar Basel, the church's pastor, pointed out that Christmas preparations began early, coinciding with the celebration of the Annunciation and the start of the liturgical Christmas season, to enable the faithful to live and meditate on this period.
He explained the importance of believers participating in evenings of hymns and meditation as they "provide a spiritual space to listen silently to God's voice and meditate on it in faith, discovering God's message to us, akin to our mother Mary, learning from her to say: Let it be according to your word, becoming signs of joy and hope to those around us and living our true Christianity."