Day 22 · The Nativity Fast
Good News to the Poor
““The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken hearted, to proclaim release to the captives, recovering of sight to the blind, to deliver those who are crushed, and to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.””Luke 4:18-19
Reflection
Today, December 6, the Church remembers St Nicholas, a fourth-century bishop of Myra, loved across the Christian world for his care for the poor and his quiet, secret generosity. His feast falls in the Fast, and it fits. In his first sermon at Nazareth, Jesus read from Isaiah that the Spirit had anointed him to bring good news to the poor and release to the captives. Fasting and almsgiving have always gone together in the Church: what we save by eating simply can be given to someone in need.
A prayer
Lord Jesus, you came to bring good news to the poor. Through the prayers of your holy hierarch Nicholas, make me generous and quick to help, without needing to be seen. Let my fasting become someone else's feast. Amen.
Carry this with you
Choose one person or cause to give to quietly during this Fast.