The Meeting of the Lord

Forty days after His birth, the infant Christ is brought to the Temple, where the elder Simeon and the prophetess Anna recognize Him as the promised Savior — the Old Covenant meeting its fulfillment in person.

Overview

  • Following the Law of Moses, the Virgin Mary and Joseph bring the forty-day-old Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord (Luke 2.22-38; cf. Leviticus 12).
  • There the righteous elder Simeon, promised he would not die before seeing the Christ, takes the child in his arms and blesses God, and the aged prophetess Anna gives thanks — the Old Covenant, in its most faithful representatives, receiving its own Lord.
  • Celebrated on February 2 (forty days after the Nativity), the feast is called the Meeting (Greek Hypapante) because in it the Old and New Covenants meet: the Lawgiver is carried into His Temple in fulfillment of the Law.

Summary

The Meeting of the Lord (Luke 2.22-38) recounts how, in obedience to the Law, the Holy Family brought the infant Christ to the Temple on the fortieth day. The Spirit-led elder Simeon receives Him and sings the words the Church prays every evening — "Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation… a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel" — and then foretells to Mary that "a sword will pierce through your own soul." The prophetess Anna, who "didn't depart from the temple," likewise gives thanks and speaks of Him to all awaiting redemption. The feast's theme is fulfillment and recognition: the One who gave the Law is himself carried into His own house as a child, and the long expectation of Israel is answered in person. It also fulfills Malachi's word that "the Lord… will suddenly come to his temple" (Malachi 3.1). Cross-link Theotokos, Fulfillment of The Law, The Nativity of Christ.

Sources

[^1]: Luke 2.22-38 (WEB) — the presentation in the Temple, Simeon's canticle and prophecy, and Anna the prophetess. [^2]: Leviticus 12 (Brenton) — the law of purification after childbirth and presentation of the firstborn that the feast fulfills. [^3]: Malachi 3.1 (Brenton) — "the Lord… shall suddenly come to his temple.".