BIJOY SAMUEL ABU DHABI

(Entry of our Lord Jesus Christ into the temple) The Church is remembering this day on, February 2nd. Today is the memory of St. Simon and St. Hanna. According to the Jewish law, Joseph and Mary observed the law by consecrating Jesus and presenting Him in the temple. The Law of Moses required mothers to present an offering 40 days after a son was born. Therefore, Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem to present this offering at the temple. There was an old man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. The Holy Spirit told Simeon, that he would not see death until he would see the Messiah. When Simeon saw Jesus, he blessed Him and said, “My eyes have seen Thy salvation”. Joseph and May were amazed. As it is explained in the bible, Simeon knew that the Messiah was coming and he waited and prayed for the day to arrive. Every time parents brought their children to the temple, he was filled with anticipation that possibly one of them was the child he was waiting for. Then Mary and Joseph arrived at the temple and Simeon, now an old man, took the child up into his arms and praised God saying: Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared for all peoples. Even though Jesus was only an infant, God was already at work in Jesus. (Readings: St. Luke 2: 22-40) BIBLE STUDY MAYALTHO ST. LUKE 2:22-40 (Evening, Morning, Holy Qurbana) 1. To follow the Law, Mary and Joseph presented Jesus to the Lord for a life service (First born to be presented to God in remembrance of the exile bondage experience) 2. We have been saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. So we have to submit ourselves before God. We are not of ours (1 Corinthians 6:19). 3. Because they were too poor to offer a lamb (Leviticus 12:8), they offered turtle doves or young pigeons for purification. 4. Two prophets (Simon and Anna) witnessed the presentation of Infant Jesus at the temple. The tradition is that when Simeon was copying the prophecy of Isaiah from the leather parchments, he was stuck with the information of virgin’s birth (the virgin shall conceive and bear a son: 7:14), laughed and stopped his work and then he had a revelation that he will see the child before he dies. He carried the child in his hands; we carry Him in us by receiving Holy Communion. 5. Church is the temple, house of God (1Timothy 3:15). The holiness of its members is the wealth of the Church. God’s presence in the Church show through worship and Godly people’s presence (Simon and Anna there).

6. Simon is a model for pleasing service to our Lord: righteous, dedicated, looking for the coming of the Messiah, and was directed by the Holy Spirit. He held Jesus in His hands. 7. Simeon’s great purpose for living had been fulfilled. 8. Simeon’s three prophecies: (1) Jesus will cause for the fall and rise of many (2) Jesus is a sign from God, and (3) Mary would be pierced with grief at the crucifixion of her son (Luke 2:35): Fear, sorrow, doubts of the unwedded pregnancy, no place to deliver, wandering with the child, afraid of the ruler, leaving the child in the temple, becoming widow, son leaving home at 30, threats from the Jewish leaders, trial scene, sight of son carrying the cross, crucifixion, death and burial - all these made her sword to pierce her heart.. 9. The spiritual attitudes of the people will be revealed through the acceptance or rejection of Christ. 10. The 84 year old Anna was a regular prayer attendant with prayers and fasting. 11. Anna who witnessed the presentation spread the news. 12. Jesus, like John (1:80), grew and became strong with divine strength. LEVITICUS 12:1-8; 19:30-37 1. Israel placed higher value on a son over a daughter. Uncleanliness for a son is 40 days, but 80 days for a daughter. 2. Burnt offering and Sin offering after the purification days for atonement. 3. If cannot afford a lamb, two turtle doves or two young pigeons to be offered. 4. Everybody shall keep the Sabbath. 5. Do not go after spiritism to choose darkness rather than light. 6. Honor the senior citizens: Proverbs 23:22; 1 Timothy 5:1; Lamentations 5:12. 7. Love strangers, not just only neighbors 8. Be honest in judgment and dealings 9. ‘I am the Lord’ ... used 13 times in this chapter. PROVERBS 6:20-24; 23:22-26 1. Observe a good father’s command 2. Follow the law of a loving mother. 3. These commandments and laws are those of God. ISAIAH 11:1-10 1. The promise of the Messiah.

2. The Messiah will be descendant of David, the stem of Jesse. 3. God’s spirit will rest upon Him 4. He will fear the Lord 5. He will judge the world with righteousness 6. The death and destruction will be defeated and arrogance and pomp will not be signs of leadership 7. The gentiles will seek Him. ACTS 24:10-23 1. Paul denies the accusation against him. 2. Paul affirms that most of his accusers shared the resurrection of the just and unjust. 3. Every Christian should have a clear conscience. 4. Paul brought a gift from the gentile Churches to the Christians at Jerusalem as an expression of thanks (1 Corinthians 16:1-4; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Romans 15:25-33). 5. Paul got liberty and friends got visitation privileges. EPHESIANS 3:13-21; 6:1-4 1. The truth will be realized in our lives. 2. The Holy Spirit cleanses and empowers the heart 3. The basic Christian growth: strengthened by the Spirit, have the indwelling Christ, and to be established in the love. 4. We have to be rooted like a tree and grounded in the love. 5. In Christian faith, we can grasp the magnitude of God’s love. 6. The fullness of this love passes our human knowledge: the fullness of the blessing Romans 15:29). 7. God’s power works in us with His blessings. 8. Children are ought to obey their parents (6:1-3). In 5:22, wives are told to be submissive. 9. Parents should not be unreasonably severe with children; instruct and correct them consistently to serve the Lord. Devotional thoughts of Mayaltho (Entry of our Lord into the temple) and Memory of St. Simon and St. Hanna. Reading: Gospel according to St. Luke 2:22-40. Read Verse 22: "they brought him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord." It is to be noted that in the Jewish custom, the mothers used to observe 40 days as the days of purification as soon as a baby was born to them. After 40 days the infant was carried to the Temple to present the new born to the Lord God. When they used to take the newborn babies, they had to take any of the animals like goats or oxen or birds like pigeons or so for sacrifice. The pre-Christian society had a precedence of offering the

first born baby to the service of God. The same system and customs are in our practice from the very beginning of Christianity in India. When a lady would give birth to a baby, she would wait for 40 days and would go to Church after 40 days only. And when she would go with the newborn, she would take candles/incense (Kunthirikkam) and oil for the lamps, as symbol of gratitude for the blessings from God. (We used to maintain the days of purification of our ladies, as the deliveries in the past were taking place in the houses, until past 40-50 years. In those days facilities and cleanliness as compared to the present days were not available or adequate too. Having the high standard of hygiene and cleanliness in the foreign lands, our ladies outside India do not wait for 40 days to go Church). We are also in the habit of dedicating our kids (as Adima) in the sense that they are submitted for the service of God and to release them from Adima, by paying some money to the Church, if those persons could not serve God for full time. (As the Jews offered their first born boys to God's services, we continue the system of submitting our infants to God and we do it generally in the intercession of saints of our choice). Now let us see Verse 24: "And to offer a sacrifice according that which is said in the law of the Lord, a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons" were taken. It is clear that the faithful used to offer differently according to their financial capacity. It is a fact that God would be pleased in the offering, whether it is costly or comparatively cheap. But it is mandatory for every faithful to offer something or the other to God. The Holy Church also expects the same sort of offering from her children and exhorts them to submit their offerings according to one's own ability. We believe that God will specially consider the sincere and whole-hearted offerings and will be pleased to reward the faithful substantially. Verse 25 introduces St. Simeon, a representative of thousands of faithful who had been waiting for Messiah. St. Simeon was engaged in copying the Holy Scriptures on the animal skins in his young age. It is said that when he was copying the book of Prophet Isaiah, he came across the portion where it is mentioned that a virgin would give birth to the Savior. He doubted and started serious thinking. And finally it was revealed to him by God Almighty that he would have death only after seeing the savior with his own eyes. So he spent the rest of his life in the expectation of the Saviour of mankind with prayer and mediation. We read in verse 30: "For my eyes have seen your salvation". It is believed that St. Simeon had seen Infant Jesus when he was 280 years old. So also we honour another old aged lady St. Hanna. She is honoured as the representative of the ladies who were in the expectation of our Lord. Our Holy Church honours St. Simeon and St. Hanna on 2nd Feb every year when we would commemorate the entry of Infant Jesus to the Jerusalem Temple. Moreover 2nd Feb is considered by the Holy Church as a day of the old aged. (To pray for all living old aged). The main message of the reading under consideration is that "waiting with preparation" is a must to receive our Lord God. In all the worships there is the need for the waiting and expectation. We must realize the need and act accordingly. Then only we could make use of the worships more meaningfully.

The Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, which falls on 2 February, celebrates an early episode in the life of Jesus. In the Eastern Orthodox Church and some Eastern Catholic Churches, it is one of the twelve Great Feasts, and is sometimes called Hypapante (lit., 'Meeting' in Greek). Other traditional names include Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, and the Meeting of the Lord. In some Western liturgical churches, Vespers (or Compline) on the Feast of the Presentation marks the end of the Epiphany season. In the Church of England, the Presentation of Christ in the Temple is a Principal Feast celebrated either on 2 February or on the Sunday between 28 January and 3 February. In the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church, the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple is the fourth Joyful Mystery of the Rosary The event is described in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:22–40). According to the gospel, Mary and Joseph took the baby Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days (inclusive) after his birth to complete Mary's ritual purification after childbirth, and to perform the redemption of the firstborn, in obedience to the Law of Moses (Leviticus 12, Exodus 13:12-15, etc.). Luke explicitly says that Joseph and Mary take the option provided for poor people (those who could not afford a lamb) (Leviticus 12:8), sacrificing "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons." Leviticus 12:1-4 indicates that this event should take place forty days after birth for a male child, hence the Presentation is celebrated forty days after Christmas. This ceremony is still practiced by Orthodox and Conservative Jews and is called a Pidyon HaBen. Upon bringing Jesus into the temple, they encountered Simeon the Righteous. The Gospel records that Simeon had been promised that "he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ" (Luke 2:26). Simeon prayed the prayer that would become known as the Nunc Dimittis, or Canticle of Simeon, which prophesied the redemption of the world by Jesus: Now you are releasing your servant, Master, according to your word, in peace; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples; a light for revelation to the nations, and the glory of your people Israel (Luke 2:29-32). Simeon then prophesied to Mary: "Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed" (Luke 2:34-35). The elderly prophetess Anna was also in the Temple, and offered prayers and praise to God for Jesus, and spoke to everyone there about Jesus and his role in the redemption of Israel (Luke 2:36-38). In addition to being known as the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, other traditional names include Candlemas, the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin, and the Meeting of the Lord.

In the Eastern Orthodox Church and Greek Catholic Churches (Eastern Catholic Churches which use the Byzantine rite), it is known as the "Feast of the Presentation of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple" or as "The Meeting of Our Lord, God and Saviour Jesus Christ". In the Roman Catholic Church, it is known as the "Presentation of the Lord" in the liturgical books first issued by Paul VI,[2] and as the "Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary" in earlier editions. In the churches of the Anglican Communion, it is known by various names, including: The Presentation of Our Lord Jesus Christ in The Temple (Candlemas) (Episcopal Church), The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, and The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Anglican Church of Canada), The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Candlemas) (Church of England), and The Presentation of Christ in the Temple (Anglican Church of Australia). It is known as the Presentation of Our Lord in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. In some Protestant churches, the feast is known as the Naming of Jesus (though historically he would have been named on the eighth day after the Nativity, when he was circumcised Candlemas occurs 40 days after Christmas. Traditionally the Western term "Candlemas" (or Candle Mass) referred to the practice whereby a priest on 2 February blessed beeswax candles for use throughout the year, some of which were distributed to the faithful for use in the home. In Poland the feast is called Święto Matki Bożej Gromnicznej (Święto, "Holiday" + Matka Boska, "Mother of God" + Gromnica, "Thunder"). This name refers to the candles that are blessed on this day, called gromnicy, since these candles are lit during (thunder) storms and placed in windows to ward off storms. Within the Roman Catholic Church, since the liturgical revisions of the Second Vatican Council, this feast has been referred to as the Feast of Presentation of the Lord, with references to candles and the purification of Mary de-emphasised in favor of the Prophecy of Simeon the Righteous. Pope John Paul II connected the feast day with the renewal of religious vows. This feast never falls in Lent (the earliest Ash Wednesday can fall is February 4, for the case of Easter on March 22 in a non-leap year). However, in the Tridentine rite, it can fall in the pre-Lenten season if Easter is early enough, and "Alleluia" has to be omitted from this feast's liturgy when that happens. According to over eight centuries of tradition, the swaddling clothes that baby Jesus wore during the presentation at the Temple are kept in Dubrovnik Cathedral, Croatia.[3] In the Byzantine tradition (Eastern Orthodox and Greek Catholic), the Meeting of the Lord is unique among the Great Feasts in that it combines elements of both a Great Feast of the Lord

and a Great Feast of the Theotokos (Mother of God). It has a forefeast of one day, and an afterfeast of seven days. However, if the feast falls during Cheesefare Week or Great Lent, the afterfeast is either shortened or eliminated altogether. The holy day is celebrated with an all-night vigil on the eve of the feast, and a celebration of the Divine Liturgy the next morning, at which beeswax candles are blessed. This blessing traditionally takes place after the Little Hours and before the beginning of the Divine Liturgy (though in some places it is done after). The priest reads four prayers, and then a fifth one during which all present bow their heads before God. He then censes the candles and blesses them with holy water. The candles are then distributed to the people and the Liturgy begins. The services for the Meeting of the Lord contain hymns composed by many of the great Church hymnographers: St. Andrew, Bishop of Crete (7th cent.); St. Cosmas, Bishop of Maiuma; St. John Damascene; St. Germanus, Patriarch of Constantinople (8th cent.); and St. Joseph the Hymnographer, Archbishop of Thessalonica (9th cent.) On the same day, Orthodox Christians also commemorate a wonder-working icon of the Theotokos known as "the Softening of Evil Hearts" or "Simeon's Prophecy." It depicts the Virgin Mary with her hands upraised in prayer, and seven swords piercing her heart. This is one of the few Orthodox icons of the Theotokos which do not depict the infant Jesus. It is because of the biblical events recounted in the second chapter of Luke that the Churching of Women came to be practiced in both Eastern and Western Christianity. Though the usage has mostly died out in the West, the rite is still practiced in the Eastern Orthodox Church. Some Christians observe the practice of leaving Christmas decorations up until Candlemas. In the Eastern and Western liturgical calendars the Presentation of the Lord falls on 2 February, forty days (inclusive) after Christmas. In the Church of England it may be celebrated on this day, or on the Sunday between 28 January and 3 February. The date of Candlemas is established by the date set for the Nativity of Jesus, for it comes forty days afterwards. Under Mosaic law as found in the Torah, a mother who had given birth to a man-child was considered unclean for seven days; moreover she was to remain for three and thirty days "in the blood of her purification." Candlemas therefore corresponds to the day on which Mary, according to Jewish law, should have attended a ceremony of ritual purification (Leviticus 12:2-8). The Gospel of Luke 2:22–39 relates that Mary was purified according to the religious law, followed by Jesus' presentation in the Jerusalem temple, and this explains the formal names given to the festival, as well as its falling 40 days after the Nativity.

In the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Feast, called "The Coming of the Son of God into the Temple" (Tiarn'ndaraj, from Tyarn-, "the Lord", and -undarach "going forward"), is celebrated on 14 February. The Armenians do not celebrate the Nativity on 25 December, but on 6 January, and thus their date of the feast is 40 days after that: 14 February. The night before the feast, Armenians traditionally light candles during an evening church service, carrying the flame out into the darkness (symbolically bringing light into the void) and either take it home to light lamps or light a bonfire in the church courtyard The Feast of the Presentation is among the most ancient feasts of the Christian Church. There are sermons on the Feast by the bishops Methodius of Patara († 312), Cyril of Jerusalem († 360), Gregory the Theologian († 389), Amphilochius of Iconium († 394), Gregory of Nyssa († 400), and John Chrysostom († 407). The earliest reference to specific liturgical rites surrounding the feast are by the intrepid nun Egeria, during her pilgrimage to the Holy Land (381–384). She reported that 14 February was a day solemnly kept in Jerusalem with a procession to Constantine I's Basilica of the Resurrection, with a homily preached on Luke 2:22 (which makes the occasion perfectly clear), and a Divine Liturgy. This so-called Itinerarium Peregrinatio ("Pilgrimage Itinerary") of Egeria does not, however, offer a specific name for the Feast. The date of 14 February indicates that in Jerusalem at that time, Christ's birth was celebrated on 6 January, Epiphany. Egeria writes for her beloved fellow nuns at home: "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 sacrament is celebrated, and the dismissal takes place." Originally, the feast was a minor celebration. But then in 542 the feast was established throughout the Eastern Empire by Justinian I. In 541 a terrible plague broke out in Constantinople, killing thousands. The Emperor, in consultation with the Patriarch of Constantinople, ordered a period of fasting and prayer throughout the entire Empire. And, on the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, arranged great processions throughout the towns and villages and a solemn prayer service (Litia) to ask for deliverance from evils, and the plague ceased. In thanksgiving, the feast was elevated to a more solemn celebration. In Rome, the feast appears in the Gelasian Sacramentary, a manuscript collection of the seventh and eighth centuries associated with Pope Gelasius I, but with many interpolations

and some forgeries. There it carries for the first time the new title of the feast of Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Late in time though it may be, Candlemas is still the most ancient of all the festivals in honor of the Virgin Mary. The date of the feast in Rome was moved forward to 2 February, since during the late fourth century the Roman feast of Christ's nativity been introduced as 25 December. Though modern laymen picture Candlemas as an important feast throughout the Middle Ages in Europe, in fact it spread slowly in the West; it is not found in the Lectionary of Silos (650) nor in the Calendar (731–741) of Sainte-Geneviève of Paris. The tenth century Benedictional of St. Æthelwold, bishop of Winchester, has a formula used for blessing the candles. Candlemas did become important enough to find its way into the secular calendar. It was the traditional day to remove the cattle from the hay meadows, and from the field that was to be ploughed and sown that spring. References to it are common in later medieval and early Modern literature; Shakespeare's Twelfth Night is recorded as having its first performance on Candlemas Day, 1602. It remains one of the Scottish quarter days, at which debts are paid and law courts are in session. The Presentation is chiefly observed today in the Eastern Orthodox and Anglican traditions. In the Orthodox traditions it is the day on which believers bring beeswax candles to their local church to be blessed for use in the church or in the home. † † † † † † †

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