The Encounter of Our Lord with Simeon and Anna
The Feast of the Encounter of our Lord is celebrated forty days after
Christmas. The event which the Church commemorates on this feast is described in
the Gospel of St. Luke (2:22-28). From the words of this Gospel and of the
Liturgical texts pertaining to the feast, we can identify a threefold character
in it; the purification of Mary, the dedication of Jesus as the first-born son,
and the meeting with Simeon and the prophetess, Anna.
According to the Mosaic Law, a mother who had given birth to a boy was
considered unclean for seven days, and for thirty three days was excluded from
public worship. When the appointed forty days were past, she was expected to
offer a sacrifice for her purification. Here, in the Gospel of St. Luke, is
described the sacrifice offered by Mary, two young pigeons. Mary, since she was
not bound to this law, being the chaste spouse of the Holy Spirit, was yet
still inspired by the Holy Spirit to comply with the law in fulfilling the will
of God.
Secondly, the prescription of the Mosaic Law ordained that every first-born son
was considered to belong to the Lord. This son was to be brought back to the
temple as an
offering to God. Jesus was presented in the temple according to the command of
God saying, “Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord” (Lk.
2:23). The Mother of God brought our Lord to the temple to fulfill the command
of the Word of God, her
own child Jesus.
Simeon was an old man who lived in Jerusalem and longed to see the Messiah. He
went to the Temple at the time that Mary and Joseph brought Jesus. Mary welcomed
him
through the guidance of the Holy Spirit who assured Simeon that he would see the
Christ. The canticle, “Now you can dismiss your servant, 0 Lord, according to
your word in peace, because my eyes have seen your salvation..”, sung at our
Vespers service, reechoes the word of Simeon about the truth of life. The
prophetess, Anna, was there in the temple to meet our Lord and she was not
disappointed.
This feast was celebrated by the Church of Jerusalem in the early years of the
Church and spread to the entire Church. Celebrated on different days of the
year, finally it was
transferred to the second of February, the present date of the feast. On this
day candles were carried in procession. Later it became a custom to have the
candles blessed on this day beginning in the eleventh century. Candles are
significant as a symbol of Christ who is the light of the world. The candle is
given to us at our Baptism with the words, “Receive the Light of Faith.” We are
to carry that faith throughout our lifetime and shine forth with the light of
Christ in us to all People
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