Слово на день Сретения Господня. (Смирение Законодавца пред данным им законом). Из древнего сборника (17 в.). – „Статир“

Come now, Lovers of Christ, we will see the manifestation of wondrous mysteries. “Sy,” worn on the Cherubim and sung by the Seraphim, is now brought by the Virgin to the church. The Purifier of all and the Source of every shrine is led to the sanctuary by the husbandless Mother. The one who walks on the wings of the wind is given into the arms of the old man. He who lives in the unapproachable light, who dresses the heavens with clouds, is now wrapped in swaddling clothes, brought into the church and received by the hands of old men. The one for whom heaven is the throne and earth is the footstool, is now embraced by a rejoicing old man. When the Lord at Sinai talked with Moses and gave the law through him, then the mountain shook and smoked, thunder and lightning came from Him (Ex. 19:16). And now He, like a forty-day-old baby, rushes to the church, according to the law of Moses - comes with the Mother to receive a blessing from the priest, being Himself the Supreme Bishop who has passed through heaven. The Son of the Most Blessed and Beginning Father is redeemed by sacrifice, like the firstborn child of Israel: He who redeemed the entire human race from the curse of the law and gave His Most Holy blood for it gives two turtle doves. Oh, terrible mystery! Oh, a terrible and wondrous sight! From time immemorial it has not been heard in heaven, nor has it been seen on earth: the Creator of heaven and earth, the King and Lord of Angels, obeys the law given to creatures. In His incorruptible birth, He changed the laws of nature: for, as before the ages, He was born from the bosom of the Fathers without a mother, without a temporal beginning, with an ever-present radiance, like light from light, true God from true God; thus he was born in the flesh from the Most Pure Virgin, without male seed, by an incomprehensible birth, beyond all reason, from the Holy Spirit according to the gospel of the Archangel. But He does not change the law given to weak wives, but His husbandless Mother also obeys Him. Moses wrote that every firstborn male child in the people of Israel must be dedicated to God, because once upon a time, in Egypt, God kept the firstborn of Israel, but killed the Egyptians. And from that time on, the Jews began to offer their firstborn sons to the Lord and give sacrifice and ransom for them. The Lawgiver Himself, the Son of God, obeyed this law in order to free us from this law. He, like a priceless Lamb, pure and sinless, for the purification of the salvation of the entire human race, offered Himself as a gift to God to His Father; He redeems himself from the law with a wretched and beggarly sacrifice, being a treasure of incorruptible wealth, and gives only two pigeon chicks. But such sacrifices were only appropriate for ordinary wives who gave birth according to natural law. At this time they are unclean until the fortieth day, they withdraw from communication with people and do not enter the sanctuary until the time of their purification is completed. The same is established in relation to Christian wives. For forty days after the birth of a baby, they do not go to church: this is what the Holy Fathers established by law and oath. The Holy Eastern Church legalized that a Christian wife, on the fortieth day, with permission, should come with her baby to the church and receive a blessing and a cleansing prayer from the priest. If the child is male, then it is brought inside the holy altar, to the very throne on which terrible Mysteries are performed - the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, as a gift to God and the Father, is brought in the guise of bread and wine, tempered, crushed and given as food to the faithful, sanctifying and enlightening them, cleansing and strengthening. If the child is female, then it is brought to the door of the holy altar. And from that time on, the child becomes a member of the Holy Church, and the wife is cleansed from natural filth through the prayer of the priest and the power of the Holy Spirit. For in prayer the priest only moves his lips, but everything is accomplished and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. The most pure, unblemished and incorruptible Virgin, the husbandless Mother, who gave birth to God the Word in the flesh, had no need for forty-day purification: She is purer than all purity, brighter than the sun and all lordship. For She gave birth to us the brightest Light, Who gives the sun lightness, the moon and stars beauty, illuminates heaven and earth and all the heavenly Orders. Thus, in truth, the Nativity of the Ever-Virgin is above any natural birth. She conceived the Son, being a pure Virgin, and, having given birth, remained a Virgin and after the birth remained a Virgin: for the Son of God entered Her womb without damaging the keys of virginity, and came out of Her with the perception of flesh, preserving Her incorruptibility. Just as a human word enters the ear of another person without damaging the organ of hearing, and is heard outside the walls of a church without destroying the barrier; or how a ray of sunlight passes through glass into a home and comes out of it without breaking the glass; so the Son of God entered into the womb of the Holy Virgin and came out leaving Her as a pure Virgin, as she was before. Many prophets also predicted about Her. So, Ezekiel says: this gate will be closed and will not be opened, and no one will pass through it, for the Lord God of Israel will enter through it and will be closed (Ezek. 44:2); Isaiah calls Her a book (Isaiah 29:12, 18) intelligent, animated, sealed, eternally pure. And therefore, the Young Lady, chosen from all generations and raised in the Holy of Holies, had no need for purification. She surpassed in Her purity all the ranks of angels and rose above all kinds of creation, the only good one among women, the most pure dove, beautiful as the morning dawn, brilliant as the moon in full radiance. Oh, a terrible miracle! Oh, the most wonderful miracle! She now stands in the church, among the women of Israel, like the sun among the stars of heaven, like a fragrant flower among thorns, like an apple tree among forest trees - standing in the church, waiting for her turn to offer her gift to the Lord and receive a blessing from the Priest. Then the elder Simeon appears, a righteous man who longs for the Joys of Israel. He was promised that he would not be freed from the bonds of his flesh until he saw the Christ of the Lord. And so, when the Virgin Mother brought the Baby Jesus to the Church of the Lord, then the Holy Spirit moved Simeon and hung in his heart: “Get up, elder, and go to church; put aside infirmity, forget the weakness of old age; there you will see the Salvation of Israel and the Hope of all nations, and you will receive a vacation.” The old man’s heart burned with such news. He jumped up like a young deer; The Holy Spirit strengthened his aged legs and renewed his youth like an eagle. And he came to the church, saw with his perspicacious eyes the Virgin standing in the midst of the women of Israel, like a luminous lamp shining in the middle of the night, fell at Her most pure feet, with a tender heart and a troubled soul, and thus said to Her: “Oh, the bright dawn that brought into the world the Great Sun - the Lord God Emmanuel. Why are you standing here, wanting to receive legal purification, while You Yourself are holding the Creator of the law? Oh, humble Virgin and husbandless Mother! I pray to You: do not despise my tearful request! have pity on my old age! do not deprive me of my hope! give into my arms your only begotten Son, the wonderful God, the King of Israel, the source of eternal joy, the strength of my life, so that I too may lift up with my hands the spotless Lamb. Let me perceive the most pure Lamb, who willingly wants to sacrifice Himself on the altar of the cross, upon reaching thirty-three years of age. Give Him to me, O Mother of humanity! You did not come to the church for cleansing, wearing the Purifier of all filthiness, but so that He would sanctify my hands and loose me from the bonds of my flesh.” Then the Most Pure Virgin gave the Eternal Child into the elder’s arms, and Simeon received Him. Oh, what joy and joy there was in the old soul when He touched with His hands the Inviolable God, Whom even the angels do not dare to look at, and Whom the heavens cannot contain! In truth, he rejoiced with all his heart, so that he did not feel his intelligent body and already thought that he was standing in the palaces of heaven. And how can you not be happy? The One Whom the patriarchs and the ducts wanted to see, Whom he himself had been waiting for many years, now he sees and holds in his arms. So, Simeon at this time both rejoiced and cried: he rejoiced because he saw the salvation of Israel, he cried because he foresaw the evil that the Jews would do. In a bright and cheerful voice He sang His joy. Some say that the swan, preparing to die, sings very touchingly and sweetly. So Elder Simeon now sang a song: “Now you feel Your servant, Lord of the universe, Creator of heaven and earth, - you release Your servant from the prison of the earthly flesh. For my eyes have seen the Lord God of Israel, the Wonderful God, Immanuel, whom Daniel saw coming on the clouds of heaven to the Ancient of Days. And even now I see Him as a Child, wrapped in swaddling clothes. I believe, my Creator, that it is You, Whom Isaiah saw on a high throne, Surrounded by many heavenly powers. And now You, terrible God, invisible to the King, deigned to be brought into the church by Your Most Pure Mother and laid in my arms. But, Master, now let me go from this multi-rebellious temporary life. I have now been honored with greater gifts than Abraham and all the patriarchs: I now hold Him who holds all creation in my hand and Strengthens my old age. Let me go in peace: for I already see the salvation of all people, the light of the nations, the enlightenment of the darkened and the glory of the Israelites. Let me go in peace, for the salvation and life of all, with the hope of joy. Let me go to my fathers and wait with them for You in hell. I will tell Moses, David and all the prophets about You: for they predicted, by the revelation of the Spirit, that You would bend the heavens and descend to earth, and appear in the humility of our poverty, and then descend into the lowlands and take captives captive, and bring them with You to the heights of Your free and bright Kingdom. And now I see You. My God, infancy in the flesh, and I will proclaim to those who have been waiting for You for many centuries. Let me go, O King of Glory: since I have enjoyed the sight of Thee, Quiet Light. Let me depart from this world with joy, so that I do not see the evil-doing and brutality of Your people, so that I do not hear their vile voice when they cry: “Crucify, crucify Him.” May I not see You, the Belly of all, crucified on the cross, and Your Most Pure hands, with which I created the primordial One and I myself, pierced with nails, and Your ribs pierced with a spear. Let me go, O Lover of Mankind, so that I may not see Your Most Pure Mother, consumed by grief and sadness, and Her heart, pierced by a fierce weapon. And now my eyes are blessed, that they were worthy to see the One whom Moses saw only after, Elijah - in the sound of a thin wind, Jacob in a dream - at the top of the stairs! So Simeon rejoiced and blessed God, and then said: “Oh, blessed Virgin, Mary chosen by God, Most Pure Young Lady, husbandless Mother of God the Light-Giver! Now You rejoice in Your Only Begotten Son, Whom you conceived without a husband, through the influx of the Holy Spirit, and gave birth to without illness, with joy. Many rejoiced at His birth. Here I am, an ancient old man, longing for the Promised Messiah, Whom I now see in my arms, joyfully departing from this world. But then, O Most Pure Virgin, a weapon will pass into Your soul: sadness and sorrow, unheard of for centuries, will visit You. For behold, He lies for the uprising and fall of many and can be used as a sign: for the uprising of the Gentiles, for the downfall of the Jews, for the stumbling block of unbelievers. Many will say about Him that “he is good,” while others will say: “no, He flatters and deceives the people.” For this is why Your Son, the Virgin, was born, to endure suffering and save the world. Then their thoughts will be revealed from many hearts. Many will reveal His glory and proclaim the greatness of His Divinity. On the day of His resurrection, everyone will rejoice, heaven and earth will rejoice. Then you, Virgo, will receive complete joy as a consolation for your sorrow.” So Simeon thanked God and prophesied about the future. And having all died according to the law of the Lord, Joseph returned with the Virgin Mary and the Eternal Child to Galilee, to his city of Nazareth, and settled in it. And we, the Christian people, celebrating this day and hearing about the humility of Christ, let us humble ourselves under His strong hand. He humbled Himself to exalt us. Humility is the most precious and most pleasing sacrifice to God, as David says about it: a sacrifice to God is a broken spirit, a contrite heart, and God will not despise the humble (Psalm 50:19). And God Himself says: to whom will I look, only to the meek and silent (Ps. 67:2). God rests in the hearts of the humble. Oh, man, if you humble yourself before God, then look, you will gain a different kind of glory: you will be the throne of God, you will be exalted above the heavens, and you will be blessed by God Himself. For blessed, it is said, are the meek, for they will inherit the earth (Matthew 5:5), that is, the promised land of the Kingdom of Heaven, as the Lord Himself promised us with His most pure lips. He Himself is a Teacher and a Model of Humility. Learn from Me,” He says, “for I am meek and lowly in heart (Matthew 11:29). With His humility He opened heaven and gave us all entrance into it. By His humility He did not diminish His glory, but became more glorified: He ascended into heaven and sat down at the right hand of the Father. And He will exalt us humble ones and make us worthy of the glory of His Kingdom, through the grace and generosity of His love for mankind. Amen 128. See "The Presentation of the Lord. Service for the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, with the appendix of menaion legends, selected articles"... Published by the Moscow Synodal Printing House. Moscow. 1902, countries. 36–42. Comp. “Russian preacher of the seventeenth century and several articles from his work - “Statir”. Publication by Archpriest Ioann Yakhontov. St. Petersburg. 1883, 62–70 countries; Spiritual conversation 1870, No. 5. You might be interested in: