Homily on Saints Symeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

 By Archimandrite George Kapsanis,
Former Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos

The feast of the Reception has a great meaning. It is a Messianic feast. The Messiah, whom the people of Israel were waiting for, begins to appear - while still an infant of course - at the forefront of history and in the heart of Judaism, which was the Temple of Solomon - where all the hopes of Israel were, where the eyes of the pious Israelites were fixed. From all over the universe, wherever the Jews were, their eyes were always turned to the Temple of Solomon.

Homily on the Reception of the Lord (and How to Attain the Blessing of the Reception of the Lord) - by St. Theophan the Recluse

By St. Theophan the Recluse

(Delivered on February 2, 1861)

What a touching picture the Reception of the Lord presents us! The aged elder Symeon holding the infant God in his arms, on both sides of him is Joseph the Righteous and the Most Holy Virgin Theotokos; not far away - Anna the Prophetess, an eighty-four-year-old woman of fasting and prayer. All eyes are fixed on the Savior. In it they disappear with attention, and from it they drink the spiritual sweetness that nourishes their souls. You can judge how great was the blessing of these souls!

Second Homily for the Day of the Reception of the Lord (Archpriest Rodion Putyatin)

By Archpriest Rodion Putyatin

"Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation"  (Luke 2:29-30).

The holy righteous Symeon, as he saw the Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ, became calm, although he immediately remembered that he would die soon after this, because it was so predicted to him by the Holy Spirit. Seeing the Savior before him, he was not afraid to see his own death. "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation ...." Christian listeners! When we remember that we will have to die sometime without fail, a lot of things disturb us, trouble us, frighten us, terrify us; but if at the same time we remember our Savior, then we can easily calm ourselves in everything.

Homily One on the Feast of the Reception of the Lord (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered on February 2/15, 1952)

"Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle will pass from the law until everything is fulfilled" (Matthew 5:17-18).

These words of our Lord Jesus Christ are probably perplexing to many of you.

How does the Lord say that not a single iota, not a single tittle will pass away in the law, until everything will be fulfilled?

Isn't much abolished by the Lord Jesus Himself in the Old Testament law given through Moses?

Have the customs, the fulfillment of those precepts of the law, which were effective in ancient times, been preserved even among the Jews?

This great feast of the Reception of the Lord gives me a reason to explain these words of Christ and remove your confusion and bewilderment.

First Homily for the Day of the Reception of the Lord (Archpriest Rodion Putyatin)

 By Archpriest Rodion Putyatin

When King Ptolemy, the founder of the glorious library of Alexandria, set out to translate the books of the Old Testament from Hebrew into Greek, then seventy-two wise men were chosen from the Israelites, who thoroughly knew the Hebrew and Greek languages.

Among these seventy-two wise Israelites was one Symeon, a righteous and pious man (Luke 2:25). Translating the book of the Prophet Isaiah and dwelling on his well-known prophecy: "Behold, the Virgin in the womb will conceive and give birth to a Son" (Is. 7:14), he doubted this and, after thinking a little, took a knife and wanted to scrape out this verse as unworthy of probability. But suddenly an Angel appeared before him and, holding his hand, said: "Believe what is written; you will see with your own eyes the fulfillment of this incomprehensible prophecy." Symeon left it as it was and from that time began to expect the fulfillment of the words of the Prophet Isaiah and, thus, he waited.

Reflection on the Feast of the Reception of the Lord (St. Theophan the Recluse)

 

 By St. Theophan the Recluse

At this reception the Lord is surrounded on the one side by Symeon — righteousness which awaits salvation, but not in righteousness itself -, and Anna — a life of strict fasting and prayer, made alive by faith -; and on the other side by substantial, comprehensive and steadfast purity — the Virgin Mother of God -, and by humble, silent submission and devotion to the will of God — Joseph the Betrothed. Transfer all of these spiritual attitudes to your heart and you will receive the Lord; not carried to you, but coming to you Himself. You will take Him into the embrace of your heart, and you will sing a hymn which will pass throughout the heavens and gladden all the angels and saints. 

 

Monastery of Saint Symeon the God-Receiver in Katamonas of Jerusalem (which includes the location of his house and tomb)

Katamon is a Jewish neighborhood in south-central Jerusalem. The official Hebrew name, Gonen, is mainly used in municipal publications. Katamon is derived from the Greek κατὰ τῷ μοναστηρίῳ ("by the monastery"). The neighborhood is built next to an old Greek Orthodox monastery, believed from around the twelfth century to be built over the home and the tomb of Saint Symeon the God-Receiver, who lived to an old age in order to see and hold in his arms the Messiah forty days after His birth, as recorded in the Gospel of Luke. 

 

The Greek Orthodox call it the "Monastery of Saint Symeon of Katamonas" or just "Katamonas Monastery" and believe that it is built over the house and tomb of Saint Symeon, with an inscription in a cave on the grounds interpreted to indicate that it was the tomb of Symeon's priestly forefathers. In 1890 the Greek Orthodox Patriarch Nikodemos I of Jerusalem built his summer house near the monastery (since the 1960s the building serves as a disabled care center).

 

The neighborhood was established in the early 1900s, shortly before World War I as a wealthy, predominantly Christian Arab neighborhood. The Greek Orthodox Christians at that time were not very church oriented and only attended church on major feast days. During the 1947–48 Civil War the monastery was used as a primary location in the battle, and the local population fled the neighborhood and it was soon repopulated by Jewish refugees.

History of the Feast of the Reception of the Lord in the Temple

 

 “Let us celebrate the feast [of the Reception] in a solemn way, 

illuminating the mystery of the day with lights.”

-St. Cyril of Alexandria

The Church of Jerusalem is the Mother Church of all Christians, since the liturgical year had its beginning there and the liturgical services of the Christians were formulated there. The Christian Community of Jerusalem commemorated the main events of the life of Christ with liturgical celebrations in their historic settings. These solemn festivities, however, were greatly enhanced by the participation of pilgrims who began to throng the Holy Places after the Constantinian Peace of 313. The festive celebration of the Reception of our Lord in the Temple, as described by the Evangelist Luke, had its beginning in Jerusalem in the fourth century.

Homily on the Reception of the Lord (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

 

 By Archimandrite George Kapsanis
Former Abbot of Gregoriou Monastery on Mount Athos

(Delivered in the Trapeza of the Monastery in 1991)

The Mosaic Law, which commanded that every firstborn male infant be offered in the Temple of Solomon on the fortieth day after his birth, was intended to prepare the people of Israel, just like the other provisions of the Law, for the coming of the Messiah. For that unique firstborn Son of the Virgin, who would be completely dedicated to God, that is, the Messiah. So this commandment had a messianic character. And with similar commandments the people of Israel were kept aware of the inadequacy of the Law for the salvation of men and the expectation of the coming Messiah, who would fulfill the Law and bring the fullness of salvation and eternal life to the people.

The Reception of the Lord as the Feast of Freedom (George Mantzarides)

By Prof. George Mantzarides

In one of the hymns at the Vespers of the Reception of the Lord, the words ‘Now, Lord, let your servant depart in peace’ which were addressed to God by the righteous Symeon when he took Christ into his arms, are rendered as ‘Now I am released, for I have seen my savior’[1]. In the person of the infant he was holding, Symeon saw his peace and release.

The feeling of peace is the sense of God’s proximity. Peace brings people closer to God and to each other. This is clear from the etymology of the word which goes back, through Latin, to a Primitive Indo-European root, 'pag', meaning ‘to bind together’, as in the related word ‘pact’. In particular, God-given peace, the peace of Christ was given to the disciples as a parting gift, at the completion of Christ’s incarnate ministry, through his words: ‘I give you my peace’[2].

The Theotokos as the Mystical Tongs

By John Sanidopoulos

A common issue in time of epidemics is whether or not to change the way Orthodox Christians receive Holy Communion, which is done with a common spoon. This spoon, however, is not called a spoon by Orthodox Christians, but it is referred to as Holy Tongs, because it holds Christ the burning coal, who is consumed as a burning fire. This is based on the vision of the Prophet Isaiah (6:6-7):

Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquities are taken away and your sins have been purified.”

In the liturgical texts of the Orthodox Church, based on the writings of Saint Ephraim the Syrian, Saint Romanos the Melodist, and Saint Methodios of Olympus, the vision of the Prophet Isaiah was interpreted as a prefiguration of the Reception of Christ in the Temple. The burning coal which cleansed the prophet of his sins was Christ, "who takes away the sins of the world" (Jn. 1:29), while the tongs which held the coal represented Mary the Mother of God.

A Sign Which Shall Be Gainsaid: The Reception of the Lord

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.

Reception of Christ: Epistle and Gospel Reading

Reception of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ

February 2

Matins Gospel Reading

Gospel According to Luke 2:25-32

English

At that time, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Symeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel."

The Theology of the Reception of Christ

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos

Forty days after His birth in the flesh, Christ was presented at the Temple in accordance with legal convention. And because there in the Temple He was received by persons moved by the Spirit, and especially because Symeon took Him into his arms, this feast is also called a Reception ('Hypapante' in Greek).

The Church appointed this great feast of the Lord and the Mother of God to be celebrated on the 2nd of February, because it is the fortieth day after the 25th of December, when the Nativity of Christ in the flesh is celebrated. In this way the year is divided by the turning points in the Divine Economy and blesses them. At the same time it makes it possible for man to be initiated into the great mystery of the Incarnation of the Son and Logos/Word of God.

Saints Symeon and Anna Resource Page

Sts. Symeon and Anna (Feast Day - February 3)

Verses

To Symeon

The old man proclaimed to the dead, that he beheld as man,

God the Word, Who had come even to such a point.

To Anna

Carried from the earth, was the daughter of Phanuel,

For on it, she saw God as a child.

Synaxarion of Saints Symeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess

Saint Symeon the God-Receiver as a Model for our Lives 

 

February: Day 3: Teaching 1: Saint Symeon the God-Receiver and the Prophetess Anna

 

Saints Symeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church 

Oration on Symeon and Anna and the Reception of Christ in the Temple (St. Methodios of Olympus)

Homily on Saints Symeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess (Archimandrite George Kapsanis)

Righteous Symeon the God-Receiver  

Who Really Was St. Symeon the God-Receiver?

A Miracle of St. Nicholas and St. Symeon the God-Receiver

 

Monastery of Saint Symeon the God-Receiver in Katamonas of Jerusalem (which includes the location of his house and tomb) 

 

Part of the Relics of St. Symeon the God-Receiver Given to Jerusalem Patriarchate from Croatia 

 

Holy Prophetess Anna, Daughter of Phanuel 

 

Holy Prophetess Anna as a Model for our Lives 

 

Reception of Christ Resource Page

The Oldest Written Account of the Celebration of the Reception of Christ at the Temple

The oldest written account of the solemn celebration of the Feast of the Reception of our Lord dates back to the fourth century and is the work of a Spanish Nun, Egeria, who kept a diary of her pilgrimage to the Holy Land toward the end of that century (380's). In it she writes:

"The fortieth day after the Epiphany* is undoubtedly celebrated here** with the very highest honor, for on that day there is a procession,*** in which all take part, in the Anastasis,**** and all things are done in their order with the greatest joy, just as at Easter. All the priests, and after them the bishop, preach, always taking for their subject that part of the Gospel where Joseph and Mary brought the Lord into the Temple on the fortieth day, and Symeon and Anna the prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, saw Him, treating of the words which they spake when they saw the Lord, and of that offering which His parents made. And when everything that is customary has been done in order, the eucharist is celebrated, and the dismissal takes place." (Egeria, Diary of a Pilgrimage, ch. 26)

Oration on Symeon and Anna and the Reception of Christ in the Temple (St. Methodios of Olympus)

Oration on Symeon and Anna and the Reception of Christ in the Temple

By St. Methodios, Bishop of Olympus (+ 312)

Although I have before, as briefly as possible, in my dialogue on chastity, sufficiently laid the foundations as it were, for a discourse on virginity, yet today the season has brought forward the entire subject of the glory of virginity, and its incorruptible crown, for the delightful consideration of the Church's foster-children. For today the council chamber of the divine oracles is opened wide, and the signs prefiguring this glorious day, with its effect and issues, are by the sacred preachers read over to the assembled Church. Today the accomplishment of that ancient and true counsel is, in fact and deed, gloriously manifested to the world. Today, without any covering, and with unveiled face, we see, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, and the majesty of the divine ark itself. Today, the most holy assembly, bearing upon its shoulders the heavenly joy that was for generations expected, imparts it to the race of man.

Holy Prophetess Anna, Daughter of Phanuel

Holy Prophetess Anna (Feast Day - February 3 and August 28)

Verses

Carried from the earth, was the daughter of Phanuel,
For on it, she saw God as a child.

In the Synaxarion of Constantinople (Feb. 3)* we read:

The Prophetess Anna was the daughter of Phanuel,** and came from the tribe of Asher, one of the twelve Patriarchs and sons of Jacob. Having dwelt with a husband for seven years, and become widowed due to his death, from that time she remained in the Temple where she dwelt the rest of her life in prayer and fasting. Because she unceasingly was found to do God-pleasing works, the blessed one was made worthy to see our Lord Jesus Christ, when He was offered to the Temple as a forty day old infant, by His All-Holy Mother and the righteous Joseph. She thanked and glorified God, and openly prophesied concerning Christ to all those who were found in the Temple, saying these words: "This Child is He Who has authority, and established heaven and earth. This Child is the Christ, regarding Whom all of the prophets proclaimed beforehand."***

Synaxarion of Saints Symeon the God-Receiver and Anna the Prophetess

Sts. Symeon the God-receiver and Anna the Prophetess (Feast Day - February 3)

Verses

To Symeon

The old man proclaimed to the dead, that he beheld as man,

God the Word, Who had come even to such a point.

To Anna

Carried from the earth, was the daughter of Phanuel,

For on it, she saw God as a child.

On the third Symeon was released from the bonds of life.

Homily on the Reception of Christ in the Temple (St. Cyril of Alexandria)

By St. Cyril of Alexandria

(Commentary on Luke, Sermon 4)

The Prophet Isaiah says, "Beautiful are the feet of them that bring good tidings of good." And what could there be so sweet to learn as that God has saved the world by the mediation of the Son, in that He was made like unto us? For it is written, "that there is one God, and one Mediator of God and men, the man Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself a ransom for us." For of His own accord He descended to our poverty, that He might make us rich by our gaining what is His. Behold Him therefore as one in our estate presented unto the Father, and obedient to the shadows of the law, offering sacrifice moreover according to what was customary, true though it be that these things were done by the instrumentality of His mother according to the flesh. Was He then unrecognized by all at Jerusalem, and known to none dwelling there? How could this be the case? For God the Father had before proclaimed by the holy prophets, that in due season the Son would be manifested to save them that were lost, and to give light to them that were in darkness. By one too of the holy prophets He said, "My righteousness approaches quickly, and My mercy to be revealed, and My salvation shall burn as a torch." But the mercy and righteousness is Christ, for through Him have we obtained mercy and righteousness, having washed away our filthy vileness by faith that is in Him. And that which a torch going before them is to those in night and darkness, this has Christ become for those who are in mental gloom and darkness, implanting in them the divine light. For this reason also the blessed prophets prayed to be made partakers of His great grace, saying, "Show us Your mercy, O Lord, and grant us Your salvation."