By F. Andrew Wolf, Jr., Crisis Magazine - ’Tis the season, indeed—one of hope and anticipation—Advent is upon us. And much like the West, Eastern Churches remember Christ’s birth through prayer and opening oneself to the work of the Holy Spirit... Although referred to as Advent (Latin: “coming, arrival”) in the West, among Eastern Catholics, the season is known as the Nativity Fast... To be fair, the term Advent, actually, does not well accommodate the Eastern rites. The latter do not share all the themes of Latin Advent, and it retains a vigorous fasting component which may be observed voluntarily, partially, or totally.