Meeting of our Lord Feast Day, Feb. 15th

“Tell the Israelites: when a woman has conceived and gives birth to a boy, she shall be unclean for seven days, with the same uncleanness as at her menstrual period. On the eighth day, the flesh of the boy’s foreskin shall be circumcised, and then she shall spend thirty-three days more in becoming purified of her blood; she shall not touch anything sacred nor enter the sanctuary till the days of her purification are fulfilled. If she gives birth to a girl, for fourteen days she shall be as unclean as at her menstruation, after which she shall spend sixty-six days in becoming purified of her blood. When the days of her purification for a son or for a daughter are fulfilled, she shall bring to the priest at the entrance of the meeting tent a yearling lamb for a holocaust and a pigeon or a turtledove for a sin offering. The priest shall offer them up before the Lord to make atonement for her, and thus she will be clean again after her flow of blood. Such is the law for the woman who gives birth to a boy or a girl child” (Leviticus 12:2-7).

Even though neither the one nor the other was necessary, nevertheless the Lawgiver did not, in anyway, want to transgress His own Law whom He had given through Moses, His servant and

prophet. At that time, the high-priest Zaccharias, the father of John the Forerunner [Precursor], was on duty in the Temple[“serving as a priest before God in the order of his division” St. Luke 1:8]. Zaccharias placed the Virgin, not in the temple area reserved for women but rather in the area reserved for virgins. On this occasion, two unusual persons appeared in the Temple: the Elder Simeon and Anna, the daughter of Phanuel. The righteous Simeon took the Messiah in his arms and said: “Now, Master, You may let Your servant go in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation” (St. Luke 2: 29-30).

Simeon also spoke the following words about the Christ-child: “Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel” (St. Luke 2:34). Then Anna, who from her youth served God in the Temple by fasting and prayers, recognized the Messiah and glorified God and proclaimed to the inhabitants of Jerusalem about the coming of the long-awaited One. The Pharisees present in the Temple, who having seen and heard all, became angry with Zacharias because he placed the Virgin Mary in the area reserved for virgins and reported this to King Herod. Convinced that this is the new king about whom the Magi from the east spoke, Herod immediately sent his soldiers to kill Jesus. In the meantime the

Holy Family had already left the city and set out for Egypt under the guidance of an angel of God. The Feast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple was celebrated from earliest times but the solemn celebration of this day was established in the year 544 A.D. during the reign of Emperor Justinian.

Сретење Господње

У четрдесети дан по Рождеству донесе Пресвета Дева свог божанског Сина у храм јерусалимски да Га, сходно закону, посвети Богу и себе очисти (Левит 12, 2-7; Исход 12, 2). Иако ни једно ни друго није било потребно, ипак Законодавац није хтео никако да се огреши о Свој Закон, који је Он био дао кроз Свога слугу и пророка Мојсеја. У то време држао је чреду у храму првосвештеник Захарија, отац Јована Претече. Он стави Дјеву Марију не на место за жене, него на место за девојке у храму.

Том приликом појаве се у храму две чудне личности: старац Симеон и Ана, кћи Фануилова. Праведни старац узе на руке своје Месију и рече: “Сад отпушташ у миру слугу својега, Господе, по ријечи својој…” Још рече Симеон за Христа Младенца: “Гле, овај лежи да многе обори и подигне у Израиљу, и да буде знак против кога ће се говорити” (Лк 2, 29 и 34). Ана пак која од младости служаше Богу у храму постом и молитвама, и сама познаде Месију, па прослави Бога и објави Јерусалимљанима о доласку Дугочеканога.

А фарисеји, присутни у храму, који видеше и чуше све, расрдише се на Захарију што стави Деву Марију на место за девојке, доставише то цару Ироду. Уверен да је то Нови Цар, о коме су му звездари с Истока говорили, Ирод брзо посла да убију Исуса. Но у међувремену божанска породица беше већ измакла из града и упутила се у Мисир, по упутству ангела Божјег. Дан Сретења празнован је од самог почетка, но торжествено празновање овога дана установљено је нарочито 544. године у време цара Јустинијана.