February 2, 2011
February 2nd, 2011
Today is the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple. I love this feast day. In our tradition, it is placed as a Second Class Feast rather than a First Class. Christmas and Easter being First Class ones.
In some corners of the liturgical world this means that the season of Christmas has ended. Candles are blessed on this day to symbolize the Christ the Light is taken out to the world. Seasonally, the daylight is noticeably longer. The Presentation is the fulcrum as the light of day becomes longer the shadow of the Cross becomes prominent. A new way to look at the season of the Epiphany. In the Eastern Church this Feast is a big deal. It is not called The Presentation but “The Meeting” or “The Encounter.” In many ways this day’s observance is an encounter.
The Song of Simeon is read from the Gospel of Luke 2:29-32 appointed for today.
“Lord, you now have set your servant free to go in peace as you have promised; For these eyes of mine have seen the Savior whom you have prepared for all the world to see….” This song is prayed during the end of the day at Evening Prayer and Compline. It is also prayed at the Burial of the Dead and when a Church is closed. Recently, I was at a meeting where a woman whose church was closed spoke about the impact of hearing the Song of Simeon. “It’s been many years,she said but those words are still with me.”
In the Message the Song is translated as: ” God, you can now release your servant, release me in peace as you have promised. With my own eyes I have seen your salvation.” In the original translation from the Greek the words connote the release of a slave.
Perhaps Simeon is singing about his own experience of being release from slavery. Many have come to interpret his words as being release from old age and die but slavery takes many expressions. For example, the oppressions of daily living, attachments to people, places and things. Now release comes to live. Release to be free to live life in a new way. Release to be at peace with oneself. All this has come as a result of what he experienced in the temple in an encounter with Jesus.
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