On the 40th
day after the nativity of Christ, Mary the Mother of God and Joseph brought the
Divine Infant to the Temple in order to consecrate Him to God, for it was what
had to be done with all the firstborns according to the Law of Moses, bearing
in mind what the Lord had made for Israel in the land of Egypt. “Consecrate to Me all the firstborn,
whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel, both of man and beast; it
is Mine” (Exodus 13:2).
Virgin Mary and Joseph followed the Law. They brought Jesus to the Temple as well as their sacrifice – two little pigeons. And as the Gospel of Luke says, there was a pious
elder living in Jerusalem, to whom God once revealed that he would not die
until he saw Christ of the Lord. Simeon was his name. And so, on inspiration
from the Holy Spirit, Simeon came to the Temple and met there Virgin Mary with
the Child on Her hands. At that moment, the elder understood that the Infant
was the Savior of the world promised to him – Christ, the king of Israel.
Simeon took the Child in his arms and pronounced the words that are well-known all
over the Christian world, and that are used in the Church services up to now:
“Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in
peace, according to Your word; For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You
have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to
the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel” (2:29-32).
Then the elder
addressed to the Blessed Virgin herself: “Behold,
this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a
sign which will be spoken against (yes, a sword will pierce through your own
soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35).
Thus, already on the
40th day it was revealed to the Mother of God about the
greatest destiny of her Son, about His great mission in Israel, as well as
about the sorrows She would face in Her earthly life: She would face grief and pain, and She would suffer much while standing near the Cross of
Her Son, Who would take the sin of the world.
How great is God’s
mercy to the humankind! Incomprehensible and eternal God incarnated and became
an Infant in order to live through the life we all live and to fill it with love
and sense. Since that moment we know that the old times are over and the new times begin for us.
Just like Pious Simeon, we, still old but already partially renewed in the
Sacrament of the Water and Spirit, are looking with hope at the humble and
beautiful face of Christ. Now, every time we are going to partake of Christ's Supper in His Kingdom, we accept and keep inside ourselves the Messiah,
the Son of God, the innocent Lamb, Who takes all our sins from us. Let us
remember about this great honor, about the miracle of our meeting with God and
let us be the sons of light so that we can testify about the true Light,
enlightening any human being coming to this world.
The word of St.
Theophan the Recluse:
What a tender scene the Meeting of the Lord shows us!
The venerable elder Simeon, holding the infant God in his hands, on either side
of him are the righteous Joseph and the Most Holy Mother of God. Not far away
is the Prophetess Anna, an eighty-year-old faster and woman of prayer. Their
eyes are all directed toward the Savior. Their attention is absorbed by Him and
they drink in spiritual sweetness from Him, which feeds their souls. You can
judge for yourself how blessed was the state of these souls!
However, brethren, we are called not only to think
about this blessedness, but also to taste it in reality, for all are called to
have and carry the Lord in themselves, and to disappear in Him with all the
powers of their spirit. When we have reached that state, then our blessedness
will be no lower than that of those who participated in the Meeting of the
Lord. They were blessed who saw it; we shall be blessed who have not seen, but
believed.
Reflections in
the Church tradition:
Troparion —
Tone 1
Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, full of grace! From you
shone the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God. Enlightening those who sat in
darkness! Rejoice, and be glad, O righteous elder; You accepted in your arms
the Redeemer of our souls, Who grants us the Resurrection.
End of Part V
To be continued…
CONVERSATION