2022 Nativity Fast Prayer Challenge: Forty Days - Forty Prayers
The Challenge
This year, just like last seven years, during the Nativity season, Metropolitan Gregory has offered a challenge to all of the clergy and faithful and especially the youth and young adults of the Diocese to strengthen their spiritual lives.
And the challenge is:
To pray specifically for special intentions within our Diocese, parishes, families, and local communities. Our 2022 Nativity Fast Prayer Challenge is entitled “FORTY DAYS—FORTY PRAYERS.” Forty prayer intentions—one for each day—are included with the prayer. A similar prayer will be offered at each Divine Liturgy during the Nativity Fast. The text of these prayers are included below.
Each household should have sufficient copies so that each young person that can read has one by their bed to use nightly and those who are too young to read may say this prayer together with their parents before they go to bed. Of course all adults should join the challenge as well so that all together our prayers will reach our Lord’s ears.
A Message From Metropolitan Gregory
Protocol No. 20/2022
Glory to Jesus Christ!
Dear Beloved Clergy and Laity of our God-Protected Diocese,
Glory to Jesus Christ!
We now embark on our annual journey to Bethlehem. The Church, as a wise and loving mother, knows that we need preparation in order to reap the spiritual fruits of celebrating Our Lord’s theophany—the “manifestation of God” in His Incarnation, Birth, and Baptism. Yet, while we often sing “let us lay aside all earthly cares” in the Cherubic Hymn of the Divine Liturgy, it seems that our earthly cares increase exponentially during these last two months of the year. To balance this, I urge you to not let this holy season of the Nativity Fast pass by unnoticed. During these next forty days, let us all increase our efforts in attending the divine services; in fasting to the best of our ability; in reading the Holy Scriptures; in charity and almsgiving; in repentance and the Sacrament of Holy Confession; in receiving the Holy Eucharist; and in heartfelt daily prayer.
To help in this last spiritual activity, I have reached out to you for the past seven years with the challenge of offering a special daily prayer during the Nativity Fast. So many people (including many from outside our Diocese) accepted the challenge. Every night, Our Savior looked down upon a variety of people at prayer: parents with their wiggly children; college students in their dorm rooms; elderly men and women in nursing homes; those traveling in their hotels—just to name a few. On Sundays, this special prayer was raised before the altars of our Diocesan churches. Clergy and laity, young and old, men and women were all united in prayer for peace in the days leading up to the birth of the Prince of Peace.
The recently canonized Saint Sophrony of Essex (+1993) once said, “We shall love other
Resources
Archpastoral Letter for the Nativity Fast 2022 PDF Format
Prayer Sheet - Home Use
Prayer For Special Intentions - Evening Prayers (New Calendar Version) PDF Format
Prayer For Special Intentions- Evening Prayers (New Calendar Version) JPG Format
Prayer For Special Intentions - Evening Prayers (Old Calendar Version) PDF Format
Prayer For Special Intentions- Evening Prayers (Old Calendar Version) JPG Format
Divine Liturgy Petition
Special Petition - Litany of Fervent Supplication (New Calendar Version) PDF Format
Special Petition - Litany of Fervent Supplication (Old Calendar Version) PDF Format
Spread The Peace and Love of The Nativity
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Help equip the Saints of our Diocese for missionary and charitable works to be done in the name of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. Join Metropolitan Gregory during the Nativity Fast in supporting the ACRY Stewardship Campaign. Learn More Here!