It hardly seems fair. The stores have been full of Christmas items since the back to school sales began. All the preparation that goes into the commercial Christmas should certainly be outdone by the religious celebration of it, should it not? Is it right that we decorate our homes, trees, offices, street corners and dog houses, yet neglect to prepare our inner selves for Christ’s coming? Can we clean, bake, shop, wrap, craft, eat, eat and eat for the holiday and never stop to think about what we should do for the Baby Jesus for His birthday? What a shame. We are not challenged to think this way...well...not until now perhaps.
On November 15, we of the Byzantine rite will begin a season akin to the advent of the west, called Philip's fast. It is a fast that continues from the day after the feast of St. Philip until Christmas Eve, when the faithful are asked to spiritually prepare for the coming of the Savior. After the Ascension, St. Philip, it is said, traveled to Syria with his sister, Miriamne and the apostle Bartholomew. There, in the city of Heliopolis, there was a pagan temple where many people who came there to worship a certain serpent-god were bitten by venomous snakes. In Jesus name, the three healed many of those who were bitten, including the wife of the city magistrate, saving their lives and converting them to Christ. Upon hearing of the conversion of his wife, the magistrate ordered them to be crucified. As they hung upon their crosses, a terrible earthquake befell the city. At first, Philip rejoiced at the misfortune of his persecutors to have provoked the wrath of God. At once, an angel appeared to him, telling him of God's displeasure with his attitude. Because he had rejoiced, he would not be allowed to enter paradise for forty days after his imminent death. Grief stricken, Philip began to entreat God for the safety of the people of the city and the earthquake stopped. Then he turned to his sister and to Bartholomew and related to them what he had seen and heard from the angel. He begged them to spread the word among his brother disciples to pray and fast for his soul for forty days after his impending death. Seeing how the earthquake halted at St. Philip's words, the magistrate ordered the three to be taken down from their crosses at once. Miriamne and Bartholomew were set free, but Philip was found to have already died. Once they were set free, Bartholomew baptized all present who were converted after witnessing the miraculous events, then he and Miriamne buried the body of the Apostle Philip, and fled to Armenia where they continued to preach.
Many contend that the forty day fast attributed to St.Philip may have nothing to do with the feast of the Nativity. Nevertheless, it does take place forty days before this great feast and many eastern Christians use it to prepare themselves for its celebration. We can do this by fasting from meat and dairy, from sweets, from whatever we chose to be most meaningful to us, or we can prepare in other ways. My family has been preparing for the Christmas season during Phillip's fast by setting up a Jesse Tree.
On November 15, we actually put up the tree, itself, reading about the genealogy of Christ, and considering our own family tree. The next day we learn of the fall of the angels and add lights to our tree, (this has always drawn the attention of my neighbors who, when they see the lights in the window so early, think that I’ve either gone completely insane, or that my children rule my roost...hmmm) and an empty manger which is awaiting the addition of the baby Jesus. On each successive evening, we read a story from the Old Testament, usually in chronological order, foretelling the coming of the Savior. For example, we may read the creation story from Genesis, and then after the story, we make ornaments for our tree, depicting various parts of the story...and so the children’s favorite part begins. For the Genesis story, we made clay “earth's” like the one God made in seven days.
We have made angels, apples, snakes,
clay Adams & Eves, popcorn towers of Babel, Noah’s arks from milk cartons,
cardboard Samsons with reeealy long yarn hair, bracelets from aluminum foil for Esther, wheat bundles for Ruth, slingshots from branches and rubber bands for David, and many, many more. These ornaments have become treasures as the children grow and we add to the tree every year. This activity has not only been a source of fun and education for our family, but one of comfort as well. Our family has come to understand better that the same God Who designed history for the coming of His Son, has designed the future, OUR future. We need not fear, He is in control.
On the eve of St. Philip's feast day, we remember the pesky snakes that were the cause of his martyrdom, and bake a batch of St. Philip's Snakes to eat for a treat, in anticipation of the fast which will begin the next day!
St. Philip's Snakes
3 eggs. 1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sugar. 1-1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup butter. 1/4 cup milk
1Tbsp baking powder. 4 cups flour
Cream butter and sugar together. Add eggs and vanilla. Add baking powder and flour along with the milk and mix gently just until a soft dough forms. Take a golf ball size piece of the dough and roll it between your palms to make a rope. Coil the rope to form the shape of a snake ( my children often tie the rope into a knot), and place it on a greased baking sheet. Press one end of the coil with your thumb and flatten to make the head of the snake. Repeat until all of your snakes are made. If you wish, you can press 2 currants, or chocolate chips onto the head for eyes and use a bit of dough, or a strip of marachino cherry for his tongue. (Cutting a "fork" into the tongue makes our little serpents look very realistic, and so fun).
Bake these at 350 degrees for about 12-15 minutes. When completely cooled, you can choose to glaze them with green-tinted powdered sugar glaze, or drizzle them with melted chocolate to look like the real thing.
Lets eat these snakes up soon, before they can cause any trouble!
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