By Metropolitan Nikodemos (Vallindras) of Patras
"And Symeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, 'Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be gainsaid.'" (Lk. 2:34)
With great emotion, Symeon the righteous holds the divine infant in his arms. His heart is inundated with joy. His gaze is fixed upon the heavens and his lips move devoutly, in the fervent prayer which has risen to his mouth at that blessed moment: “Now let your servant depart, Master....” This thrice-blessed elder then turns to the Panagia, to tell her words of great moment. With the air of a prophet illumined by the Spirit of God revealing the will of the Most High, he says, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be gainsaid." Truly prophetic words, which the Panagia hears, not merely with emotion but with awe. Since they foretell dire and distressing events, continuing as they do with confirmation that “a sword will pierce through your own soul also,” that is, that your own maternal heart will have a two-edged sword thrust into it. These final words of the prophecy refer to the Lord’s Passion, when His mother’s heart would be torn. The earlier prophetic words, however, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be gainsaid” had and have their application in every era.
