Appearing as a guest on the programme Under the Lens, broadcast on Saturday, 29 November 2025, on Radio Beseda of the Diocese of Bačka, Catechist Branislav Ilić, editor of the Kinonia portal of the Missionary Department of the Archdiocese of Belgrade–Karlovci, extended to the listeners of the official media outlet of the Diocese of Bačka his heartfelt wishes for a blessed beginning of the Nativity Fast.
“We now stand at the beginning of the Forty Days of the Nativity Fast. Our programme this week is attuned to the beginning of our spiritual journey towards the Feast of the Nativity of Christ. It is an opportunity to wish our brothers and sisters that they strive with true ascetic effort during these blessed days, that we all labour together to prepare the dwelling of our souls for the Divine Infant Christ. For the feast in which we celebrate the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ—the Logos who became man—let us arm ourselves with virtues, so that in a worthy manner we may, together with the angels, magnify and offer up the eternal hymn to our Lord with the words of the angelic doxology: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men.’ This angelic hymn directs us to behold the event that lies ahead—the Feast of the Lord’s manifestation. Thanks be to God, we have entered upon this spiritual path of fasting prayerfully and reconciled with one another. Fasting is the joy of the soul, and it is also an opportunity to bear witness to love towards one another, to rejoice in one another, and to support one another in our ascetic labours. We are called to offer attention to those who long for attention, to offer help to those who need help, to offer words of comfort to the sorrowful, and to be at all times and to all people those who, with hearts wide open, embrace every human being with Christ-like love. Love is the measure of our dignity, love is the foundation of our existence, and love is the root of the whole of our life. It is precisely in such love that we find meaning, for, in the words of Saint John the Apostle and Evangelist: ‘God is Love, and whoever abides in Love abides in God,’” said Catechist Branislav Ilić. Source: Kinonia Portal.
