Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. Gospel history and traditions

Easter, Christmas, Trinity, Palm Sunday - perhaps everyone knows these church holidays. And on February 15, Orthodox Christians celebrate the Great Meeting. On this day, they remember the events described in the Gospel of Luke - the meeting of the baby Jesus with the elder Simeon in the Jerusalem Temple on the fortieth day after Christmas.

When is Candlemas celebrated?

Candlemas always falls on February 15th. And it never moves, unlike many church holidays. The meeting took place 40 days after the Nativity of Christ. If Candlemas falls on the Monday of the first week of Lent, which happens very rarely, the festive service is moved to the previous day - February 14.

What does the word "meeting" mean?

Meeting is translated from Church Slavonic as “meeting.” This holiday describes a meeting that took place on the fortieth day after the Nativity of Christ. Mary and Joseph arrived from Bethlehem to the capital of Israel, Jerusalem. With the forty-day-old Infant of God in their arms, they stepped onto the threshold of the Temple to offer the legally established thanksgiving sacrifice to God for their firstborn. After the ceremony was completed, they already wanted to leave the temple. But then an ancient old man, who was considered the oldest man in Jerusalem, named Simeon, approached them.

Why did Mary and Joseph arrive at the temple with the forty-day-old Infant of God?

At that time, with the birth of a child in a family, the Jews had two traditions. After giving birth, a woman could not appear in the Jerusalem Temple for forty days if she gave birth to a boy. If a daughter was born into the family, then 80 days should have passed. Once the period has expired, the mother must bring a cleansing sacrifice to the temple. It included a burnt offering - a one-year-old lamb and a sacrifice for the remission of sins - a dove. If the family was poor, then instead of a lamb they could bring a dove.

In addition, if a boy was born in a family, then the mother and father came to the temple on the fortieth day with the newborn for a rite of dedication to God. This was not just a tradition, but the law of Moses: the Jews established it in memory of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt - liberation from four centuries of slavery.

Even though Jesus was born from the virgin birth, the family decided to make a sacrifice out of respect for Jewish law. Two doves became the cleansing sacrifice of Mary and Joseph - the family was not rich.

Who is Simeon the God-Receiver?

According to legend, at the time of his meeting with Christ, Simeon was more than 300 years old. He was a respected man, one of 72 scholars tasked with translating the Holy Scriptures from Hebrew to Greek. It was no coincidence that the elder ended up in the temple - he was brought by the Holy Spirit. Once upon a time, Simeon was translating the book of the prophet Isaiah and saw the mysterious words: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son.” The scientist doubted that a virgin, that is, a virgin, could give birth, and decided to correct “Virgo” to “Wife” (woman). But an Angel appeared to him and forbade him to do this. He also said that Simeon would not die until he was personally convinced that the prophecy was true.

On the day when Mary and Joseph came to the temple with a baby in their arms, the prophecy was fulfilled. Simeon took into his arms the baby born of the Virgin. The old man could die peacefully.

Bishop Theophan the Recluse wrote: “In the person of Simeon, the entire Old Testament, unredeemed humanity, passes into eternity in peace, giving way to Christianity...” The memory of this gospel story is heard every day in Orthodox services. This is the Song of Simeon the God-Receiver, or in other words, “Now you let go.”

Who is Anna the Prophetess?

On the day of the Presentation, another meeting took place in the Jerusalem Temple. An 84-year-old widow, “the daughter of Phanuel,” approached the Mother of God. The townspeople called her Anna the Prophetess for her inspired speeches about God. She lived and worked at the temple for many years, as the Evangelist Luke writes, “serving God day and night with fasting and prayer” (Luke 2:37 – 38).

Anna the prophetess bowed to the newborn Christ and left the temple, bringing the news to the townspeople about the coming of the Messiah, the deliverer of Israel. And the Holy Family returned to Nazareth, since they fulfilled everything prescribed by the law of Moses.

The meaning of the Feast of the Presentation

Meeting is a meeting with the Lord. The prophetess Anna and Elder Simeon left their names in the Holy Scriptures because they gave us an example of how to accept the Lord with a pure and open heart. Meeting is not just a great holiday and a day from distant New Testament history. Perhaps every person at least once in his life finds himself in the house of God - in the temple. And there his personal Meeting takes place - a meeting with Christ.

Customs and traditions for Candlemas

The custom of blessing church candles on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord came to the Orthodox Church from Catholics. This happened in 1646. Metropolitan of Kiev Saint Peter (Mogila) compiled and published his missal. The author described in detail the Catholic rite of religious processions with lit lamps. On these days, the pagan Celts celebrated Imbolc, the Romans celebrated Lupercalia (a festival associated with the shepherd cult), and the Slavs celebrated Gromnitsa. It is interesting that in Poland, after the adoption of Christianity, the Presentation began to be called the feast of the Gromnica Mother of God. This is an echo of the myths about the thunder god and his wife. People believed that Sretensky candles could protect a house from lightning and fire.

On this day they began to celebrate the meeting of winter with spring. This is where the sayings came from: “On Candlemas, winter met spring,” “On Candlemas, the sun turned to summer, winter turned to frost.” After the holiday, the peasants began many “spring” tasks: they drove the cattle out of the barn into the paddock, prepared seeds for sowing, and whitewashed fruit trees.

What the weather would be like in the spring was determined by this day. It was believed that if it was cold on Candlemas, then spring would be cold. If there is a thaw, then expect a warm spring.

What does the word “meeting” mean and why is this holiday considered one of the main ones among the Orthodox?

When is Candlemas celebrated?

What does the word "meeting" mean?

Why did Mary and Joseph arrive at the temple with the forty-day-old Infant of God?

Who is Simeon the God-Receiver?

On the day when Mary and Joseph came to the temple with a baby in their arms, the prophecy was fulfilled. Simeon took into his arms the baby born of the Virgin. The old man could die peacefully.

Who is Anna the Prophetess?

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The meaning of the Feast of the Presentation

Customs and traditions for Candlemas

On this day they began to celebrate the meeting of winter with spring. This is where the sayings came from: “On Candlemas, winter met spring,” “On Candlemas, the sun turned to summer, winter turned to frost.” After the holiday, the peasants began many “spring” tasks: they drove the cattle out of the barn into the corral, prepared seeds for sowing, and whitewashed fruit trees.

What the weather would be like in the spring was determined by this day. It was believed that if it was cold on Candlemas, then spring would be cold. If there is a thaw, then expect a warm spring.

Troparion, Kontakion, Prayer and Majesty

THE MEETING OF THE LORD

Troparion for the Presentation of the Lord, tone 1

Rejoice, Blessed Virgin Mary, / from You the Sun of Truth, Christ our God, has risen, / enlightening those in darkness. / Rejoice, you too, the elder righteous, / received into the arms of the Liberator of our souls, / / yes who promises us resurrection.

Kontakion for the Presentation of the Lord, tone 1

You sanctified the womb of the Maiden with Your Nativity/ and blessed the hand of Simeon,/ as it was fitting, having foreshadowed,/ and now you have saved us, O Christ God,/ but pacify your life in battles// and strengthen the people, and Who has loved you, the only one who loves mankind.

THOUGHTS OF ST. Theophan the Recluse

Candlemas.(Jude. 1 :1–10 ; OK. 22 :39–42, 45, 23 :1 )

At the meeting of the Lord, one is surrounded, on the one hand, by righteousness, which expects salvation not in itself - Simeon, and a strict life in fasting and prayer, enlivened by faith - Anna; on the other hand, essential, comprehensive and unshakable purity - the Virgin Mother of God, and humble, silent submission and devotion to the will of God - Joseph the Betrothed. Transfer all these spiritual moods into your heart and you will meet the Lord who is not brought, but Himself coming to you, you will accept Him into the arms of your heart, and you will sing a song that will pass through the heavens and rejoice all the angels and saints.

(Jude. 1 :11–25 ; OK. 23 :1–34, 44–56 )

The grief is announced by St. Apostle Jude to those who behave seductively in society, become fat at feasts without fear, foam with their shame, walk in their own lusts, speak with pride and separate themselves from the unity of the faith. Woe! For behold, the Lord is coming with everyone and will convict all the wicked of all the deeds that their wickedness has done.

PARABLE OF THE DAY

“Where is this hope you kept?”

They told about one gardener that he worked and used all his labor for alms, and left for himself only what was necessary. But the thought inspired him: collect some money for yourself, so that when you get old or fall into illness, you will not suffer extreme need. And while collecting, he filled the pot with money. He happened to get sick - his leg began to rot, and he spent money on doctors without receiving any benefit. Finally, one experienced doctor comes and tells him: “If you don’t cut off your leg, your whole body will rot,” and he decided to cut off his leg. At night, having come to his senses and repenting of what he had done, he said with a sigh: “Remember, Lord, my former deeds, which I did, working in my garden and delivering what the brothers needed!” When he had said this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and said:

– Where is the money that you collected, and where is this hope that you kept?

He said:

- I have sinned, Lord, forgive me! From now on I won't do anything like that.

Then an angel touched his foot, and he was immediately healed, and, getting up in the morning, he went into the field to work.

The doctor, according to the agreement, comes with a tool to cut off his leg, and they tell him: “He went to the field to work in the morning.” Then the doctor, amazed, went to the field where he was working, and, seeing him digging the ground, glorified God, who had granted healing to the gardener.

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Description of the holiday

Feast of the Presentation of the Lord It is celebrated on February 15 (New Art.) and has 1 day of pre-celebration and 1-7 days of post-celebration.

Meeting Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin)
Presentation V. Lossky
Meeting N. Popov
Bishop Veniamin Milov
Bible Encyclopedia
Deacon Andrey Kuraev
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh
Archpriest Seraphim Slobodskoy
Marina Mikhailova
Meeting of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ Feast service
I.I. Turkin

The Legend of the Presentation of the Lord

According to the saint

After forty days had passed after the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and after the completion of the days of legal purification, the Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin Mother, together with Saint Joseph the betrothed, came from Bethlehem to Jerusalem to the temple of God, bringing the forty-day-old infant Christ to fulfill the law of Moses. According to this law, it was necessary, firstly, to be cleansed upon birth by offering an appropriate sacrifice to God and through priestly prayer, and, secondly, it was necessary to place the firstborn baby before the Lord and make a ransom for him at the established price (). This was commanded by the Lord in the Old Testament to Moses, in whose books about the law of purification of the mother it is written as follows: “If a woman conceives and gives birth to a male child, she will be unclean for seven days; on the eighth day his foreskin will be circumcised: and thirty She must sit for three days, cleansing herself from her blood, must not touch anything sacred, and must not come to the sanctuary until the days of her purification are completed. At the end of the days of her purification, she must offer a one-year-old lamb for a burnt offering and a young dove or turtle dove for a burnt offering. "But if she is not able to offer a lamb, then let her take two turtle doves or two young doves, one for a burnt offering and the other for a sin offering, and the priest will cleanse her, and she will be clean."

And about the dedication of the first-born males to God, the law says this: “Sanctify to Me every firstborn (male) firstborn who opens the womb.”(). And another time: "Give Me the firstborn of your sons" (). This was required for that great good deed of God in Egypt, when the Lord, beating the Egyptian firstborn, spared the Israelites (). Therefore, the Israelites brought their firstborn babies to the temple, dedicating them to God, as a due tribute established by the law. And again they bought them back from God at a set price, which was called “redemption silver,” and was given to the Levites who served at the temple of the Lord, as it is written about in the fourth book of Moses (). The established ransom price consisted of five sacred shekels of church weight, and each sacred shekel contained twenty pennies. Fulfilling this law of the Lord, the Mother of God now came to the temple with the Lawgiver. She came to be cleansed, although she did not require cleansing, as undefiled, unglamorous, incorruptible, most pure. For She who conceived without a husband and lust, and gave birth without illness or violation of Her virginal purity, did not have the defilement characteristic of women who give birth according to the natural law: for who gave birth to the Source of purity, how could impurity touch it? Christ was born from Her, like fruit from a tree; and just as a tree, after the birth of its fruit, is not damaged or desecrated, so the Virgin, after the birth of Christ, the blessed fruit, remained intact and undefiled. Christ came from Her, just as a ray of sunlight passes through glass or crystal. The sun's ray passing through glass or crystal does not break or spoil it, but illuminates it even more. Christ, the Sun of Truth, did not damage the virginity of His Mother. And the door of natural birth, sealed with purity and protected by virginity, was not desecrated by the usual bleeding for women, but, having passed supernaturally, he further aggravated its purity, sanctifying it with his origin, and enlightening it with the Divine light of grace. There was absolutely no need for any purification for the One who gave birth without corruption of God the Word. But in order not to break the law, but to fulfill it, she came to cleanse herself, completely pure and without any blemish. At the same time, filled with humility, She was not proud of Her imperishable purity, but came, as if unclean, to stand together with unclean women before the doors of the temple of the Lord - and demand cleansing, not disdaining the unclean and sinful. She also made a sacrifice, but not like the rich, who brought a blameless one-year-old lamb, but like the poor, who brought two turtle doves, or two chicks of pigeons, in everything showing humility and love for poverty, and avoiding the pride of the rich. For from the gold brought by the Magi (), She took a little, and distributed it to the poor and wretched, keeping for Herself only the most necessary things for the road to Egypt. Having bought the two birds mentioned above, She offered them, according to the law, for sacrifice, and with them She offered Her firstborn Child. "They brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him before the Lord"() - says the Evangelist Luke, that is, to return the things of God to God, for in the law of the Lord it is written that every male child who opens a lie must be dedicated to the Lord (). Holding Her Newborn in Her arms, the Holy Virgin Mary knelt before the Lord and with deep reverence, like a precious gift, lifted up and handed over the Child to God, saying:

Behold, Your Son, the Eternal Father, Whom You sent to be incarnate from me for the salvation of the human race! You gave birth to Him before the ages without a Mother, and by Your good pleasure, when I was full of years, I gave birth to Him without a husband; This is the firstborn fruit of my womb, conceived in me by the Holy Spirit, and ineffable, as You alone know, came from me: He is my Firstborn, before all Yours, co-essential with You and co-originating, the firstborn befitting You alone, for He came from You, without departing from Your Divinity. Receive the Firstborn, with whom You created the ages (), and with whom You commanded the light to shine together: receive Your Word incarnate from me, with whom You established the heavens, founded the earth, gathered the waters into a union: receive from me Your Son, Whom I offer You for this great thing, that you may arrange for Him and Me as You please, and that you may redeem the human race with His flesh and blood received from Me.

Having uttered these words, She gave Her precious Child into the hands of the bishop, as God’s vicegerent, as if giving Him to God Himself. After this, She redeemed Him, as required by the law, at the established price - five sacred shekels, the number of which seemed to foreshadow the five sacred plagues on the body of Christ, which He accepted on the cross, by which the whole world was redeemed from the legal oath and from working with the enemy.

At the very time when the Mother of God brought the baby Jesus to fulfill the custom prescribed by law over Him, Elder Simeon, a righteous and pious man, came to the temple, guided by the Holy Spirit, awaiting the joy of Israel that would come with the coming of the Messiah. He knew that the expected Messiah was already approaching, for the scepter had passed from Judas to Herod, and the prophecy of the forefather Patriarch Jacob was being fulfilled, who predicted that the prince would not become scarce from Judas until the expectation of the nations, Christ the Lord, came (). In the same way, the seventy weeks of Daniel ended, after which, according to prophecy, there should be the coming of the Messiah. At the same time, Saint Simeon himself was promised by the Holy Spirit not to see death until he saw Christ the Lord. Simeon, looking at the Most Pure Virgin and the Child who was in Her arms, saw the grace of God surrounding the Mother and Child, and, having learned from the Holy Spirit that this was the expected Messiah, he hastily approached and, receiving Him with indescribable joy and reverent fear, gave God great thanks. He, gray-haired, like a swan before his death, sang a prophetic song: “Now do You let Your servant go, O Master, according to Your word, in peace.”

“I did not have,” he seemed to say, “peace in my thoughts, all the days waiting for You, and all the days I remained in sadness until You came: now, having seen You, I received the Gift, and, freed from sadness, I am leaving here with joyful news to my fathers: I will announce Your coming into the world to the forefathers Adam and Abraham, Moses and David, Isaiah and the other holy fathers and prophets, I will bring unspeakable joy to them who are hitherto in sorrow; let me go to them, so that , having left sorrow, they rejoiced in You, their Savior. Let me Thy servant, after many years of labor, rest in the bosom of Abraham: my eyes have already seen Your Salvation prepared for all people, my eyes have seen the Light prepared for the dispersal of darkness, for enlightenment nations, for the revelation of unknown Divine Mysteries to them, - the Light that shone for the glorification of Your people Israel, Which You promised through the prophet Isaiah, saying: "I will give salvation to Zion, My glory to Israel" ().

Joseph and the Most Pure Virgin, hearing everything that Simeon said about the Child, were surprised; Moreover, they saw that Simeon speaks to the Child, not as to a baby, but as to the “Ancient of Days,” and when praying he turns to Him not as a person, but as to God, who has the power of life and death and can immediately release the old man to another life, or keep it in the present. Simeon turned to them with a blessing, praising and magnifying the immaculate Mother, who gave birth to God and man into the world, and pleasing the imaginary father of Saint Joseph, who was honored to be a minister of such a sacrament. Then, turning to Mary, His Mother, and not to Joseph - for he saw the husbandless Mother in Her with his eyes - Simeon said:

This will serve for the fall and rebellion of many in Israel: for the fall of those who do not want to believe His words, for the rebellion of those who will lovingly accept His holy preaching - for the fall of the scribes and Pharisees, blinded by malice, for the rebellion of simple fishermen and people unwise. He will choose the unwise, but he will put to shame the wise of this age - for the fall of the Old Testament Jewish council, and for the rise of the grace-filled Church of God. This will serve as a banner for wrangling, for great discord will occur among people because of Him: some will call Him good, others will say that He deceives people; and they will lay Him down, according to the word of the prophet Jeremiah, "like a target for arrows"(); hanging on the tree of the cross, wounding him with arrows, nails and spears. At that time, husbandless Mother,” the elder continued, “the weapon of sadness and heartache will pass through your soul, when you see your Son nailed to the cross, when you, with great pain in your heart and sobs, will see off from this world the One whom you gave birth to. without illness.

Here in the temple was Anna the prophetess, daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Assir. She was a widow, already very old - she was eighty-four years old; - She only lived with her husband for seven years and, having become a widow, led a God-pleasing life, not leaving the temple, but serving God day and night in fasting and prayer. Arriving at that hour in the temple, Anna prophesied a lot about the Child brought to the temple of the Lord, to all those awaiting deliverance in Jerusalem. Hearing and seeing all this, the scribes and Pharisees became inflamed in their hearts, and were indignant at Simeon and Anna for their testimonies about the Youth. They did not keep silent, but they informed King Herod about everything that happened and was said in the temple. He immediately sent soldiers with orders to find the Divine Infant Christ the Lord and kill Him; but they no longer found Him: according to the command given to Joseph in a dream, He was found in Egypt. Saint Joseph and the Most Pure Mother of God, having fulfilled everything required by law in the temple, did not return to Bethlehem, but went to Galilee, to their city of Nazareth, and from there they quickly disappeared into Egypt (). The youth grew and became strengthened in spirit, filled with wisdom, and the grace of God abided on Him ().

The celebration of the Presentation of the Lord was established during the reign of Justinian; earlier, although the Presentation of the Lord was remembered in the Church, it was not solemnly celebrated. The pious king Justinian established the celebration of this holiday as the Lord's and the Theotokos, along with other great holidays. The impetus for the establishment of this holiday were special circumstances. During the reign of Justinian in Byzantium and its environs, for three months, starting from the last days of October, there was a strong pestilence, so that at first five thousand people died a day, and then ten thousand; the bodies of even rich and high-ranking people remained without burial, because the servants and slaves all died out and there was no one to bury the masters themselves. And in Antioch, the pestilence, for the sins of the people, was joined by another execution of God - a terrible earthquake, from which all the large houses and tall buildings and temples fell, and many people died under their walls; Among the dead was Euphrasius, Bishop of Antioch, who was crushed to death when the temple fell. In this terrible and disastrous time, there was a revelation to one pious person that a solemn celebration of the Presentation of the Lord would be established, as well as other great feasts of the Lord and the Theotokos. And so, at the arrival of the day of the Presentation of the Lord, February the second, when they began to celebrate with an all-night vigil and procession with crosses, the deadly plague, pestilence and earthquake immediately stopped, by the mercy of God and through the prayers of the Most Pure Mother of God. To her and to the God who was born of her, may there be honor, glory, worship and thanksgiving forever. Amen.

Sermon by Archpriest Rodion Putyatin. Teaching on the Day of the Presentation of the Lord.

Sermon of Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky). Sermon on the Day of the Presentation of the Lord.

Sermon by Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh. Candlemas.

Sermon by Archimandrite Iannuarius (Ivliev). Presentation of the Lord, Hebrews 7:7-17.

Meeting of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Meeting of our Lord Jesus Christ- one of the twelve permanent holidays; celebrated on the fortieth day after Christmas, February 2/15. In the West, this holiday is better known as the Purification of the Blessed Virgin. The Slavic word “sretenie” means “meeting”. This event in gospel history marks the meeting of the Old and New Testaments. Like most holidays of Palestinian origin, the holiday of the Bringing of Christ to the Temple dates back to the ancient times of Christianity...

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Theophan the Recluse: Sermon on the Presentation of the Lord

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh on the Presentation

Archbishop Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky). Word on the Day of the Presentation of the Lord

Poems by Joseph Brodsky about the Presentation

What does the word "Candlemas" mean?

The most common question that can be heard about Candlemas is: “Okay, today is Candlemas. And what is it?"

The Presentation of the Lord is one of the Twelfth Feasts of the Christian Church, that is, the main holidays of the church year. This is a permanent holiday; in the Russian Orthodox Church it is celebrated on February 15.

Translated from Church Slavonic “sretenie” means “meeting”. Candlemas Day is the point in time where the Old and New Testaments met. The ancient world and Christianity. This happened thanks to a man who is given a very special place in the Gospel. But first things first.

Purification sacrifice from the Most Pure Virgin

On February 15, we remember the events described in the Gospel of Luke. The meeting took place 40 days after the Nativity of Christ.

The Jews of that time had two traditions associated with the birth of a child in the family.

Firstly, after giving birth, a woman could not appear in the Jerusalem Temple for forty days (and if a girl was born, then all eighty). As soon as the period expired, the mother had to bring a cleansing sacrifice to the Temple. It included a burnt offering - a one-year-old lamb, and a sacrifice for the remission of sins - a dove. If the family was poor, instead of a lamb they also brought a dove, which resulted in “two turtle doves or two pigeon chicks.”

Secondly, if the first-born in the family was a boy, the parents came to the Temple with the newborn on the fortieth day - for a rite of dedication to God. This was not just a tradition, but the law of Moses: the Jews established it in memory of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt - liberation from four centuries of slavery.

And so, Mary and Joseph arrived from Bethlehem to the capital of Israel, Jerusalem. With the forty-day-old Infant of God in their arms, they stepped onto the threshold of the Temple. The family did not live richly, so two doves became the purifying sacrifice of the Mother of God. The Blessed Virgin decided to make a sacrifice out of humility and respect before Jewish law, despite the fact that Jesus was born as a result of the immaculate conception.

Meeting in the Jerusalem Temple

After the ceremony, the Holy Family was already heading towards the exit from the Temple, but then an ancient old man, perhaps the oldest man in Jerusalem, approached them. His name was Simeon. Translated from Hebrew, “šim’on” means “hearing.” The righteous man took the Child in his arms and joyfully exclaimed: “ Now do You let Your servant go, O Master, according to Your word, in peace, for mine eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel." (OK 2 :29-32).

According to legend, at the time of his meeting with Christ, Simeon was more than 300 years old. He was a respected man, one of seventy-two scholars tasked with translating the Holy Scriptures from Hebrew into Greek. The translation of the Septuagint was made at the request of the Egyptian king Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-247 BC).

It was no coincidence that the elder found himself in the Temple this Saturday - the Holy Spirit brought him. Many years ago, Simeon was translating the book of the prophet Isaiah and saw the mysterious words: “ Behold the Virgin in her womb will receive and give birth to a Son" How can a virgin, that is, a virgin, give birth? The scientist doubted and wanted to correct “Virgo” to “Wife” (woman). But an Angel appeared to him and not only forbade him to change the word, but said that Simeon would not die until he was personally convinced that the prophecy was true. Evangelist Luke writes about this: “ He was a righteous and pious man, looking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. He was predicted by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he saw Christ the Lord" (OK 2 :25-26).

And now, the day has come. What the scientist had been waiting for all his unbearably long life came true. Simeon took into his arms the Child born of the Virgin, which means that the Angel’s prophecy was fulfilled. The old man could die peacefully. " Now You are releasing Your servant, O Master...“The Church named him Simeon the God-Receiver and glorified him as a saint.

“A weapon will pierce your very soul”

Having received the Child from the hands of the Most Pure Virgin, Elder Simeon addressed her with the words: “Behold, because of Him the people will argue: some will be saved, while others will perish. And the weapon will pierce your very soul- may the thoughts of many hearts be revealed" (OK 2 :34-35).

Disputes among the people are the persecutions that were prepared for the Savior. Opening thoughts - God's judgment. What kind of weapon will pierce the heart of the Virgin Mary? This was a prophecy of the Crucifixion that awaited her Son. After all, the nails and spear from which the Savior died passed through her mother’s heart with unbearable pain. There is an icon of the Mother of God - a vivid illustration of this prophecy. It's called "Softening Evil Hearts." Icon painters depict the Mother of God standing on a cloud with seven swords stuck in her heart.

Anna the prophetess

On the day of the Presentation, another meeting took place in the Jerusalem Temple. An 84-year-old widow, “the daughter of Phanuel,” approached the Mother of God. The townspeople called her Anna the Prophetess for her inspired speeches about God. She lived and worked at the Temple for many years, as Evangelist Luke writes, “ serving God day and night with fasting and prayer" (OK 2 :37 – 38).

Anna the prophetess bowed to the newborn Christ and left the Temple, bringing the news to the townspeople about the coming of the Messiah, the deliverer of Israel. And the Holy Family returned to Nazareth, since they fulfilled everything prescribed by the law of Moses.

The meaning of the Feast of the Presentation

Archpriest Igor Fomin, rector of the Alexander Nevsky Church at MGIMO,cleric of the Cathedral of the Icon of the Kazan Mother of God on Red Square.

Meeting is a meeting with the Lord. Elder Simeon and Prophetess Anna left their names in the Holy Scriptures because they gave us an example of how to accept the Lord with a pure and open heart.

After meeting Christ, Simeon went to the forefathers to await the Resurrection of Christ. And, imagine, death became a great happiness for him! The righteous old man lived a long life - according to legend, he was more than three hundred years old. Many will say “lucky” because they dream of living forever. But read the stories of centenarians who have exceeded the age allotted to man by God - one hundred and twenty years. I remember one TV story: an ancient old woman was brought out to the journalists by her great-great-great-granddaughter, who was also far from young. The bent grandmother was straightened up and asked: “Television has come to you here. What can you say?" And she answered: “Why was the Lord angry with me? Why doesn’t He take me?” So Simeon waited for deliverance from the burden of a long life. And, having received the Divine Infant from the hands of the Virgin Mary, he rejoiced.

“Now you are releasing your servant,” says Simeon. Now that he has seen the Savior with his own eyes, the Lord releases him from the corruptible world - to the Heavenly world. So we, once we have met God, must understand: the time of sin, weakness and self-will has passed. It's time for bliss!

It is no coincidence that the Presentation occurs with the forty-day-old Infant. He is small and defenseless, but at the same time he is great and full of triumphant joy. This is how a person who has come to know Christ should be—a newborn Christian. Full of jubilation.

Meeting is not just a day from distant New Testament history. At least once in his life, any person finds himself in the house of God - in the temple. And there each person experiences his personal Meeting - a meeting with Christ. How to understand whether a Meeting has occurred in your life? It’s very simple - ask yourself: am I joyful? have I changed? how much love is in my heart? Let's meet the Lord, let's see Him with our hearts!

Song of Simeon the God-Receiver

The Song of Simeon the God-Receiver, or “Now you let go...” are the words of Simeon the God-Receiver from the Gospel of Luke.

This prayer is mentioned for the first time in the Apostolic Constitutions. In the Russian Orthodox Church, the words of Simeon the God-Receiver are read during the service or sung at the end of Vespers. They are also said in Prayers of Thanksgiving for Holy Communion.

Text:

Church Slavonic:

Now do You let Your servant go, O Master, according to Your word, in peace;

for my eyes have seen Your salvation,

which you have prepared in the presence of all people,

light for the revelation of tongues, and the glory of Your people Israel.

Russian:

Now do You let Your servant go, O Master, according to Your word, in peace,

for mine eyes have seen Your salvation,

which You have prepared before all nations,

light for the enlightenment of the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel.

History of the celebration

The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord is one of the most ancient in the Christian Church. The first Sretensky sermons were delivered to the people in the 4th-5th centuries - for example, Saints Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa and John Chrysostom.

The oldest and at the same time historically reliable evidence of the celebration of the Presentation in the Christian East is the “Pilgrimage to the Holy Places.” It was written by the pilgrim Etheria (Sylvia) at the end of the 4th century. She writes: “On this day there is a procession to Anastasis, and everyone marches, and everything is done in order with the greatest triumph, as if on Easter. All the presbyters preach, and then the bishop... After this, having sent everything in the usual order, they perform the Liturgy.”

The holiday became national for Byzantium in the 6th century. Following this, the tradition of the solemn celebration of the Presentation spread throughout the Christian world.

Divine service of the Presentation

The Presentation of the Lord has an invariable place in the church calendar. February 15 (February 2, old style). If Candlemas falls on the Monday of the first week of Lent, which happens very rarely, the festive service is moved to the previous day - February 14.

Meeting is a feast of the Lord, that is, dedicated to Jesus Christ. But in the first centuries of Christianity, the Mother of God was honored on this day. Therefore, those who say that this is the feast of the Mother of God will be partly right.

Meeting is close to the holidays in honor of the Mother of God and according to the structure of the service. In the troparion of the holiday, in the prokeimnas at Matins and Liturgy and other hymns, appeals to the Mother of God occupy a central place.

Interestingly, the duality of the Presentation influenced the color of the vestments of the clergy at the festive service. They can be white - as on the Lord's holidays, and blue - as on the Mother of God. In church tradition, white color symbolizes Divine light. Blue - the purity and purity of the Virgin Mary.

The custom of blessing candles

The custom of blessing church candles on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord came to the Orthodox Church from Catholics. This happened in 1646, when Metropolitan of Kiev Saint Peter (Mogila) compiled and published his missal. In it, the author described in detail the Catholic rite of religious processions with lit lamps. With the help of such a torchlight procession, the Roman Church tried to distract its flock from pagan holidays associated with the veneration of fire. On these days, the pagan Celts celebrated Imbolc, the Romans celebrated Lupercalia (a festival associated with the shepherd cult), and the Slavs celebrated Gromnitsa. It is interesting that in Poland, after the adoption of Christianity, the Presentation began to be called the feast of the Gromnica Mother of God. This is an echo of the myths about the thunder god and his wife - people believed that Sretensky candles could protect a house from lightning and fire.

The Orthodox Church treated the Sretensky candles in a special way - not magically, but reverently. They were kept all year and lit during home prayer.

Folk traditions of Meeting

In the folk traditions of celebrating the Presentation, church and pagan traditions are mixed. Some of these customs are completely unchristian, but even they say something important about this day - it was very joyful for people.

A simple calendar analogy was found for the meeting of the Holy Family with Elder Simeon. On this day, the common people began to celebrate the meeting of winter and spring. Hence many sayings: “at Candlemas, winter met spring,” “at Candlemas, the sun turned to summer, winter turned to frost.”

The last winter frosts and the first spring thaws were called Sretensky. After the holiday, the peasants began many “spring” activities. They drove the cattle out of the barn and into the corral, prepared the seeds for sowing, and whitewashed the fruit trees. And of course, in addition to housework, festivities were held in the villages.

1. Many settlements in Russia and abroad are named in honor of the Presentation. The largest is the city of Sretensk, the regional center of the Chita region.

2. In the USA and Canada, the famous national holiday - Groundhog Day - is dedicated to the holiday of Candlemas, which is celebrated there on February 2.

3. The Presentation of the Lord is also the Day of Orthodox Youth in some countries. The idea of this holiday belongs to the World Orthodox Youth Movement - “Syndesmos”. In 1992, with the blessing of all heads of local Orthodox Churches, Syndesmos approved February 15 as Orthodox Youth Day.

Icons of the Presentation

The iconography of the Presentation is an illustration of the narrative of the Evangelist Luke. The Virgin Mary hands the Divine Child into the arms of Elder Simeon - this is the main plot of the icons and frescoes of the holiday. Joseph the Betrothed is depicted behind the back of the Mother of God; he carries two pigeons in his hands or in a cage. Behind righteous Simeon they write Anna the prophetess.

The oldest image of the Presentation can be found in one of the mosaics of the triumphal arch in the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome. The mosaic was created in the first half of the 5th century. On it we see the Mother of God walking with the Child in her arms towards Saint Simeon - accompanied by angels.

The most ancient depictions of the events of Candlemas in Rus' are two frescoes from the 12th century. The first is in the St. Cyril Church in Kyiv. The second is in the Church of the Savior on Nereditsa in Novgorod. It is interesting that in the fresco of the Cyril Church the Child does not sit, but lies in the arms of the Mother of God.

An unusual version of the iconography of the Presentation can be found in medieval Georgian art. On these icons there is no image of an altar; instead there is a burning candle, a symbol of sacrifice to God.

The icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Softening Evil Hearts” is associated with the event of the Presentation; it is also called “Simeon’s Prophecy.” The iconographic plot reminds us of the words of Simeon the God-Receiver addressed to the Virgin Mary: “ And the weapon will pierce your very soul.”.

By the way, this image is very similar to the “Seven Arrow” icon of the Mother of God. But there is one difference. The arrows piercing the heart of the Mother of God are located on the “Softening of Evil Hearts” icon, three on the right and left, one on the bottom. The “Seven Arrows” icon has four arrows on one side and three on the other.

Quotes:

Theophan the Recluse. Word for the Presentation of the Lord

“...We are all called not to only mentally imagine this bliss, but to actually taste it, because we are all called to have and carry the Lord within ourselves and to disappear in Him with all the strength of our spirit. And so, when we reach this state, then our bliss will not be lower than the bliss of those who participated in the Meeting of the Lord...”

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh on the Presentation

“...Together with Him, the Mother is, as it were, sacrificed. Simeon the God-Receiver says to Her: But a weapon will pass through your heart, and You you will go through torment and suffering... And the years pass, and Christ hangs on the cross, dying, and the Mother of God stands at the cross silently, resignedly, with full faith, full hope, with complete love, giving Him to death, just as She brought Him to the temple as a living sacrifice to the living God.

Many mothers over the centuries have experienced the horror of their son dying; many mothers have had weapons pass through their hearts. She can understand everyone, She embraces everyone with Her love, She can reveal to everyone in the silent sacrament of communication the depths of this sacrifice.

Let those who are dying a terrible and painful death remember Christ crucified and give their lives as the Son of God, who became the son of man, gave it: without anger, resignedly, lovingly, for the salvation of not only those who were close to Him, but and those who were His enemies, with the last words, drawing them out of destruction: Father, forgive them, they do not know what they are doing!

And mothers whose sons, whose children die an evil death - oh, their Mother of God can teach them how to give to deeds, to suffering and to death of those whom they love most on earth and in eternity...

Therefore, let us all reverently worship the Mother of God in Her suffering on the cross, in Her crucified love, in Her endless sacrifice, and in Christ the Savior, Who is brought to the temple today, and whose sacrifice will be accomplished on Calvary. The Old Testament is ending, a new life of love for life and death has begun, and we belong to this life.”

Archbishop Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky). Word on the Day of the Presentation of the Lord

« In the world, in the deep spiritual world, Saint Simeon the God-Receiver passed into eternity after a 300-year life in anticipation of the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isain: “Behold, the Virgin will receive and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Emmanuel, as it is said, “God with us.”

Why do you constantly hear this prayer now? Why is it, like no other, repeated at every vespers?

Then, in order for them to remember the hour of death, so that they remember that you too must die in such deep peace as Saint Simeon the God-Receiver died...

. ..If you want the words of the prayer of Simeon the God-Receiver to be fulfilled on you, if you want to have boldness in the hour of death, repeat his prayer and say: “Now you are releasing Your servant, Master, according to Your word in peace,” - if you want this, then go following Christ, taking His yoke upon yourself, learning from Him, for He is meek and lowly in heart.”

1953

Poetry:

Candlemas. Joseph Brodsky

Anna Akhmatova

When She first brought into the church
Child, were inside from among
people who were there all the time
Saint Simeon and the prophetess Anna.

And the old man took the Child from his hands
Maria; and three people around
The babies stood like an unsteady frame,
that morning, lost in the darkness of the temple.

That temple surrounded them like a frozen forest.
From the eyes of people and from the eyes of heaven
the peaks were hidden, having managed to spread out,
that morning Mary, the prophetess, the elder.

And only on the crown of the head with a random ray
the light fell on the Baby; but He doesn't mean anything
I still didn’t know and was snoring sleepily,
resting in Simeon's strong arms.

And it was told to this old man,
that he will see mortal darkness
not before the Lord sees the Son.
It's finished. And the elder said: “Today,

keeping the word once spoken,
You are in peace, Lord, letting me go,
then my eyes saw it
Child: He is Your continuation and light

source for idols of honoring tribes,
and the glory of Israel is in Him.” - Simeon
fell silent. Silence surrounded them all.
Only the echo of those words, touching the rafters,

was spinning some time later
above their heads, rustling slightly
under the arches of the temple, like some kind of bird,
that is able to fly up, but not able to come down.

And it was strange for them. There was silence
no less strange than speech. Confused
Maria was silent. “What words…”
And the elder said, turning to Mary:

“Lying now on Your shoulders
the fall of some, the rise of others,
a subject of controversy and a cause for discord.
And with the same weapon, Maria, with which

His flesh will be tormented, Yours
the soul will be wounded. This wound
will let you see what is hidden deeply
in the hearts of people, like a kind of eye.”

He finished and moved towards the exit. Following
Maria, stooping, and with the weight of years
the bent Anna looked on silently.
He walked, decreasing in importance and in body

for these two women under the shadow of the columns.
Almost urging them on with their glances, he
walked silently through this empty temple
to the vaguely white doorway.

And the gait was as firm as an old man’s.
Only the voice of the prophetess from behind when
rang out, he paused his step a little:
but there they were not calling out to him, but to God

The prophetess has already begun to praise.
And the door was approaching. Clothes and forehead
the wind has already touched, and stubbornly in the ears
the noise of life burst in outside the temple walls.

He was going to die. And not in the street noise
He opened the door with his hands and stepped out,
but into the deaf and dumb domains of death.
He walked through a space devoid of firmament,

he heard that time had lost its sound.
And the image of the Child with radiance around
fluffy crown of the death path
Simeon's soul carried before it

like some kind of lamp into that black darkness,
in which no one has hitherto
I didn’t have a chance to light my way.
The lamp shone and the path widened.

On the screensaver is a fragment of the fresco of the Presentation of the Lord. Pskov. Spaso-Preobrazhensky Mirozhsky Monastery; XII century

Double-sided tablet icon from the second quarter of the 15th century. Sergiev Posad Museum Reserve (Sacristy)

On this day, the Church remembers the events described in the Gospel of Luke - the meeting with the elder Simeon of the baby Jesus in the Jerusalem temple on the fortieth day after Christmas.

The Presentation of the Lord is one of the twelve, that is, the main holidays of the church year. This is an everlasting holiday - it is always celebrated on February 15th.

What does the word "meeting" mean?

In Church Slavonic, “sretenie” means “meeting.” The holiday was established in memory of the meeting described in the Gospel of Luke, which took place on the fortieth day after the Nativity of Christ. On that day, the Virgin Mary and the righteous Joseph the Betrothed brought the baby Jesus to the Temple of Jerusalem to make the legally established thanksgiving sacrifice to God for the firstborn.

What kind of sacrifice had to be made after the baby was born?

According to the Old Testament law, a woman who gave birth to a boy was forbidden to enter the temple for 40 days (and if a girl was born, then all 80). She also had to bring a thanksgiving and cleansing sacrifice to the Lord: a one-year-old lamb for thanksgiving, and a dove for the remission of sins. If the family was poor, a dove was sacrificed instead of a lamb, and the result was “two turtle doves or two dove chicks.”

In addition, if the first-born in the family was a boy, on the fortieth day the parents came with the newborn to the temple for a rite of dedication to God. It was not just a tradition, but the Mosaic Law, established in memory of the exodus of the Jews from Egypt - liberation from four centuries of slavery.

The Blessed Virgin Mary did not need to be purified because Jesus was born from the virgin birth. However, out of humility and in order to fulfill the law, she came to the temple. Two doves became the purifying sacrifice of the Mother of God, since the family was poor.

Who is Simeon the God-Receiver?

According to legend, when the Virgin Mary crossed the threshold of the temple with a baby in her arms, an ancient elder came out to meet her.

His name was Simeon. In Hebrew, Simeon means “hearing.”

Tradition says that Simeon lived 360 years. He was one of the 72 scribes who, in the 3rd century BC. At the behest of the Egyptian king Ptolemy II, the Bible was translated from Hebrew into Greek.

When Simeon was translating the book of the prophet Isaiah, he saw the words: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son” and wanted to correct “Virgin” (virgin) to “Wife” (woman). However, an Angel appeared to him and forbade him to change his word, promising that Simeon would not die until he was convinced of the fulfillment of the prophecy. This is stated in the Gospel of Luke: “He was a righteous and pious man, looking forward to the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It was foretold to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death until he saw Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:25-26).

On the day of the Presentation, what the elder had been waiting for all his long life was fulfilled. The prophecy has come true. The old man could now die peacefully. The righteous man took the baby in his arms and exclaimed: “Now, O Master, you are sending Your servant away in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all nations, a light to enlighten the Gentiles and the glory of Your people Israel” (Luke 2:29-32). The church named him Simeon the God-Receiver and glorified him as a saint.

In the 6th century, his relics were transferred to Constantinople. In 1200, the tomb of Saint Simeon was seen by a Russian pilgrim - Saint Anthony, the future Archbishop of Novgorod.

Bishop Theophan the Recluse wrote: “In the person of Simeon, the entire Old Testament, unredeemed humanity, passes into eternity in peace, giving way to Christianity...” In remembrance of this evangelical event, the Song of Simeon the Receiver of God is heard every day in Orthodox worship: “Now you let go.”

Who is Anna the Prophetess?

On the day of the Presentation, another meeting took place in the Jerusalem Temple. In the temple, an 84-year-old widow, “daughter of Phanuel,” approached the Mother of God. The townspeople called her Anna the Prophetess for her inspired speeches about God. She lived and worked at the temple for many years, “serving God day and night with fasting and prayer” (Luke 2:37 - 38).

Anna the prophetess bowed to the newborn Christ and left the temple, bringing the news to the townspeople about the coming of the Messiah, the deliverer of Israel. “And at that time she came up and glorified the Lord and prophesied about Him to all who were waiting for deliverance in Jerusalem” (Luke 2:36-38).

How did they begin to celebrate the Presentation of the Lord?

The Presentation of the Lord is one of the most ancient holidays of the Christian Church and completes the cycle of Christmas holidays. The holiday has been known in the East since the 4th century, in the West - since the 5th century. The earliest evidence of the celebration of the Presentation in the Christian East dates back to the end of the 4th century. At that time, the Meeting in Jerusalem was not yet an independent holiday, but was called “the fortieth day from the Epiphany.” The texts of the sermons that were delivered on this day by Saints Cyril of Jerusalem, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom and other famous hierarchs have been preserved. But until the 6th century, this holiday was not celebrated so solemnly.

Under Emperor Justinian (527-565), in 544, Antioch was struck by a pestilence that killed several thousand people every day. During these days, one of the Christians was given instructions to celebrate the Presentation of the Lord more solemnly. The disasters truly ceased when an all-night vigil and religious procession were held on the day of the Presentation. Therefore, the Church in 544 established the solemn celebration of the Presentation of the Lord.

Since the 5th century, the names of the holiday have taken root: “Feast of the Meeting” (Candlemas) and “Feast of Purification.” In the East it is still called Candlemas, and in the West it was called the “Feast of Purification” until 1970, when a new name was introduced: “Feast of the Sacrifice of the Lord.”

In the Roman Catholic Church, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary, dedicated to the memory of the bringing of the baby Jesus into the temple and the purification rite performed by his mother on the fortieth day after the birth of her first child, is called Chandeleur, i.e. lamp. Lamp, feast of the Mother of God Gromnichnaya (feast of the Fiery Mary, Gromniyya) - that’s what Catholics call it.

Our Liturgical Charter - Typikon says nothing about the consecration of candles (and water) on the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. The old missals do not contain anything like this. Only after 1946 did the rite of blessing candles for the Presentation of the Lord begin to be printed in breviaries, and this was associated with the transition from the union of the population of the regions of Western Ukraine. The custom of consecrating church candles on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord was transferred to the Orthodox Church from Catholics in the 17th century, when Metropolitan Peter Mogila edited the “Trebnik for the Little Russian dioceses.” For editing, in particular, the Roman missal was used, which described in detail the order of processions with lit lamps. In our country, the Latin Sretensky rite never took root, but the rite, thanks to Peter Mogila, remained (neither the Greeks nor the Old Believers have any trace of it). Therefore, in many dioceses of the Russian Church, candles are blessed either after the prayer behind the pulpit (like the rite of the Great Blessing of Water, which is “inserted” into the liturgy), or after the liturgy at a prayer service. And there are places where there is no custom of blessing candles. The “magical” attitude towards Sretensky candles is a relic of the pagan ritual of honoring fire, associated with the cult of Perun, and called “gromnitsa”.

What does the “Softening Evil Hearts” icon mean?

Associated with the event of the Presentation of the Lord is an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, which is called “The Softening of Evil Hearts” or “Simeon’s Prophecy.” It symbolically depicts the prophecy of Saint Simeon the God-Receiver, pronounced by him in the Jerusalem Temple on the Day of the Presentation of the Lord: “A weapon will pierce your own soul” (Luke 2:35).

The Mother of God is depicted standing on a cloud with seven swords piercing her heart: three on the right and left and one at the bottom. There are also half-length images of the Virgin Mary. The number seven signifies the fullness of grief, sadness and heartache experienced by the Mother of God in her earthly life. Sometimes the image is replenished with the image of the deceased Infant of God on the knees of the Mother of God.

What signs exist for Candlemas?

In Rus', this holiday was used to determine the start of spring field work. According to folk signs, Candlemas is the border between winter and spring, as evidenced by popular sayings: “Candlemas - winter meets spring and summer,” “Sun for summer, winter for frost.”

By the weather on the feast of the Presentation, peasants judged the coming spring and summer, the weather and the harvest. They judged spring like this: “What is the weather on Candlemas, so will spring.” It was believed that if there was a thaw on Candlemas, spring would be early and warm; if it was a cold day, expect a cold spring. Snow falling on this day means a long and rainy spring. If snow blows across the road on Meeting Day, spring is late and cold. “On Candlemas morning, snow is the harvest of early grain; if at noon - medium; if it’s late in the evening.” “On the Meeting of Drops - the wheat harvest.” “At Candlemas, the wind brings about the fertility of fruit trees.”

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