Word for the Presentation of the Lord

The sermon “The Sermon on the Presentation of the Lord” was delivered by St. Gregory of Nyssa on the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and is dedicated to the interpretation of this event in the Gospel story. The sermon is important from a dogmatic point of view: in it the saint speaks of the incarnation of the Lord as a “Divine miracle” and calls the Most Holy Virgin the Mother of God. *The title of the work in Greek is Εἰς τὴν ὑπαπαντὴν τοῦ Κυρίου. *The title of the work in Latin is De occursu Domini. Preparing for the reception of the King of glory a celebration worthy of the true feast of the Lord, the Apostle Paul arranges the ranks of the church assembly and says: brethren! Be not children in your minds: but be childish in malice, and have perfect minds (1 Cor. 14:20). For in this case (i.e. with a perfect mind) the sacred assembly will serve to the honor and glory of the All-Perfect God, Whom we celebrate today, from Whom is every gift and perfection, With whom we have become heirs and joint heirs. Just as when the troops are preparing a solemn procession for the king, it is fitting that the warriors chosen to carry it on spears should be adorned, and that an elegant image of his face should be carried before the king: so it is necessary for us to celebrate saving and spiritual holidays, being transformed by the renewal of our mind and putting aside the old man and bearing within ourselves, as far as is possible for people, the likeness of the Divine image. The very host of heavenly spirits, enjoying the salvation of people, celebrates together with the earthly ones, when the latter on earth kiss the angelic life. And then, when (if I may say so) on the beginning day of the present holiday, in the image of God and the image of a servant, He who accepted the law, fulfilling the prescription of the law, being a forty-day-old baby, comes to the church with the One who gave birth and brought the established sacrifices: then the rulers of the incorporeal, bowing their necks, like slaves, invisibly prepare a godly celebration and worship the ineffable wisdom, awaiting the revelation of the mystery hidden in God, who created everything. Now celebrating this remembrance, let us, like disembodied minds, be nourished by spiritual contemplations, let us become partakers of their dignity, not covering the eye of the soul with the shadow of the law, but looking with an open face at the glory of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18). The saying of the law: every male sex, open lie, holy to God, could not be fulfilled on anyone else but on God incarnate. He alone, ineffably conceived, is the only male sex (representative of the male sex) in the spiritual sense and is worthily called a saint, just as (Archangel) Gabriel, preaching to the Mother of God about the life-giving Nativity, and also mentioning the law that applied to Him alone, said (Luke 1:35): in the same way, what is to be born holy will be called the Son of God (for The name of the saint fully corresponds to the Divine miracle that opens the virgin womb). Although it is said about all firstborns that they are called saints (since they received this name through their dedication to God), but about the firstborn of all creation the angel said: what is born is holy, for, according to the word of the prophet, from his very birth He rejected evil and chose good (Is. 7:16). The Lord of all (having already predetermined the defeat of the firstborn of Egypt) commanded Moses: sanctify Me every firstborn, the firstborn, who opens every lie in the sons of Israel, from man to beast (Ex. 13:2). This Divine command is so clearly stated in the book of Numbers: And every thing that opens up every falsehood of all flesh, that which is offered to the Lord, from man to beast, shall be unto thee: but let the firstborn of mankind be redeemed only by atonement, and the firstborn of unclean beasts be redeemed. And he redeemed him from one month, five shekels, according to the holy shekel. Moreover, let the firstborn of bulls, and the firstborn of sheep, and the firstborn of goats not be redeemed: holy are they; and their blood shall be shed at the altar (Num. 18:15–17). So, the Divine voice united the firstborn of Israel with unclean animals: since they did not have true purity and holiness in their subordinate service; being in a state of speechlessness, the Jews were unworthy to offer a verbal service and to be brought into spiritual fullness to the most mysterious altar of the New Testament. As a ransom for them, blood sacrifices established by law were usually made, and, of course, the intention of the legislator was directed towards spiritual perfection. The sacrificed animals, whose blood was legalized to be shed before the altar, were clearly called holy, and, of course, the truth was figuratively delineated in this: for He who gave Himself an offering and sacrifice to God for us into a fragrant aroma (Eph. 5:2), our Lord Jesus Christ, is truly and truly holy. With a prophetic spirit, foreshadowing the rejection of the firstborn of Israel and the offering of bodily sacrifices, the prophet Micah says: In what will I comprehend the Lord, I will hide my Most High God? Will I remove it from the single-year-old calf? Will the Lord receive food in thousands of rams, or in tens of fat goats? Shall I give my firstborn for my wickedness, the fruit of my womb for the sins of my soul (Mic. 6:6-7)? So, blessed Micah called the firstborn of Israel according to the flesh the firstborn of wickedness. But the incarnate God, together with His birth, killed the offspring of the devil - sin - and sanctifies to God and the Father not only the firstborn of men, but also the entire human race. Just as in ancient times the law-giving word symbolically brought to God, instead of the firstborn, the tribe that received the priestly service as their inheritance: so now - in the bright image of the truth, we must know that the bishop and messenger of our confession, the reverend, blameless, excommunicated sinner and being above heaven, is brought bodily to God and the Father in return for humanity redeemed by Him, and this is all the more advantageous since we see how all humanity turned out to be below Him as much as, without any contradiction, the one being blessed stands below the one who blesses (Heb. 7:7). In ancient times, the price of Levitical service was given only for one people of Israel, and the Levites served as a ransom for only the firstborn (Num. 3, 12.41). Christ, the bishop of the blessings to come, and not according to the order of Aaron, but according to the order of Melchizedek, changing the priesthood by the fact that he was from another tribe (for it is known that our Lord rose from the tribe of Judah), also made a change in the law, leading us from the shadow of the law to the Gospel of the kingdom of heaven; according to the order of Melchizedek, He brought Himself to the Father as a substitute, not for Israel alone, but for all nations, and became the bishop of confession of all people. The price of five shekels, assigned by the law for each of the firstborn, secretly indicates that each of us must dedicate to God every feeling and deed done through the senses, and bring them pure to the Creator, as a holy and legal ransom... So, the Savior was brought, according to the requirement of the law, to the church, apparently, spiritually brought to the Father the firstfruits of our mixture and showed it all to be holy and worthy of becoming an offering to God. In ancient times, the law aimed at this, and both the law regarding the firstborn and their replacement by Levites, as well as the evaluation of didrachms, were aimed at this. And while the night of ignorance covered everything, legal service, like the stars, gave a certain pale and small light; when the Sun of righteousness rose, the East appeared from above, and the day of salvation shone: the lamps of legal institutions were eclipsed by the radiant light of grace... But let us sing a victorious song to the Lover of Mankind, having been fed with truly heavenly food, having drunk water from the true stone, let us go to the mountain of God Horeb - to the high teaching of the Gospel, in order to heed the voice of God's trumpets - the words of blessed Luke, proclaiming the mystery guidance of the Holy Spirit. And when the days of purification were fulfilled by her, according to the law of Moses, He was taken up to Jerusalem, and set Him before the Lord, as it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male child, having opened his womb, shall be called holy to the Lord; And there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon: and this man was righteous and pious, seeking the joy of Israel: and the Holy Spirit was in him. And he was promised by the Holy Spirit not to see death, before he even saw Christ the Lord (Luke 2:22–27). What does this mean: Israel's tea of ​​joy? - Waiting for the revelation of truth and the migration of the Israeli people to it from the legal shadow, in order to learn the first principles of truth and rise to perfection in it. And it cannot be said that, since the Jews were in misery and slavery, that Simeon expected them to return to freedom and their ancient state. They had all the ancient rituals in a flourishing state (both the church existed and sacrifices were made in it), and all the social structure characteristic of their tribe was preserved; the legal order of life from the domination of foreigners (Romans) over Israel did not suffer any harm that would prompt the righteous elder to expect consolation. And not only was there nothing unusual in the fact that the Jews were under foreign rule - worthy of an even harsher life, but also some of the righteous, of whom the whole world was not worthy (Heb. 11:38), the long-suffering of God placed the wicked under subjection, so that the glory of their piety would be more clearly revealed... So, the wise Simeon expected spiritual consolation for Israel: for he It was revealed to (Simeon) that before his relocation he would see the appearance of Christ the Lord. And Simeon came in spirit to the church: and when he had brought in the parent of the child Jesus, he did according to the law concerning Him, and he received Him into his hand, and blessed God, and said: now do You let Your servant go, O Master, according to Your word, in peace: as my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people: a light for revelation. tongue, and the glory of Your people Israel (Luke 2:27-32). Oh, truly blessed and blessed elder! How blessed is your truly holy procession to the church by which you walked towards the end of life! How blessed are the eyes of your soul and body, having perceived the visible Manifestation of God and knowing God the Word in the flesh! How blessed are your hands that have touched the Word of life! How blessed is your tongue, which preaches the revelation of the Light of life! And that I hasten to attach special praise to each of your members, when the evangelist has already taught that you are entirely worthy of praise and serve as a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit! But come, O blessed father, by the Holy Spirit who speaks in you, open the treasure hidden in your few words (for the Word of God leads us for advice to you and those like you, adorned with gray hair from above in wisdom, the true elders and fathers, so that we learn saving instructions: ask your father, and your elders will tell you, and they will tell you (Deut. 32, 7). Now, He says, Thy servant, O Lord, is forgiven in peace. Since Christ, having become man, destroyed hostile sin and reunited us with the Father, the repose of the saints takes place in the world, and the great David said: in peace I will sleep and rest (Psalm 4:9), pointing not to the present, but to what is to come. the coming of Christ; and since this hope (peaceful dormition in Christ) dwelt in the saints, Saint David said by the Spirit: for You, O Lord, have given me only hope (Psalm 4:10). Divine promise. For you have seen, he says, my eyes, Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all people, that is, the salvation that was revealed through Christ to the whole world, and not to Israel alone. Why is it said above that Simeon looked forward to the joys of Israel, and now he proclaims the salvation of God before the face of all people? - This is because Simeon then learned from the Holy Spirit that there would be consolation for Israel, when salvation was prepared for all people. See then the precision of Divine inspiration. The elder says: light in revelation with the tongue, and the glory of your people Israel, proclaiming in relation to Israel completely in agreement with the great Apostle Paul, who said: until the fulfillment of tongues will come. And thus all Israel will be saved (Rom. 11:25–26). Having said: light in revelation by language, he makes us understand the revelation of God's salvation, since in the complete darkness in which the nations were before the coming of Christ, there was no light of knowledge of God. But since Israel, although weakly, was enlightened by the educational law, the elder did not speak about the light on him, but proclaimed his glory, remembering ancient history - that just as the wondrous Moses, having become an interlocutor of God, had glory on his face, so they, having become through faith interlocutors of the incarnate Light, will appear in glory, being transformed, according to the word of the Apostle, into the same image, as from Spirit of the Lord (2 Cor. 3:18). The words of the godly wise Simeon that the Lord is destined for the fall and the rising of many in Israel (Luke 2:34), by the similarity of thoughts with prophetic predictions, show that in the prophets and in the New Testament one and the same God and Lawmaker speaks. The prophetic word had previously spoken that the Stone of stumbling and the Stone of offense (Isa. 8:14; 1 Peter 2:7) will be the reason that the one who believes in Him will not be ashamed. So, He (the Savior) is a fall for those who fall through unbelief due to the humiliation of His flesh, but a rise for those who know the power of economy. And saying that a weapon will pass through the soul of the Mother of God herself, Simeon clearly prophesies about the passion on the cross: for through what was announced and done from the glorious conception to the death of the Savior on the cross, the Mother of God had the highest and most decent concept of Him (representing) as if one uncut body; in the disgrace of the cross She suffered, as it were, some kind of wound, although the miracle of the resurrection completely healed the wound. However, Simeon points out that she is not the only one who will undergo such suffering, but predicts that wavering and double thoughts will be revealed from many hearts - then he predicts that, due to the difference of opinions about the Savior, the Virgin Mother of God will not be at all embarrassed... And Anna the prophetess, daughter of Phanuel, from the tribe of Asher, having matured in the days of many, lived with her husband seven years from her virginity. And that widow, who was eighty and four years old, had not yet left the church, serving with fasting and prayers day and night: and at that hour she came and confessed to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all who hoped for deliverance in Jerusalem (Luke 2:36–38). At that time there were other women of the same name as this blessed prophetess (Anna) and had the same sacred activities with her, being in fasting and prayers; That is why, in order to more accurately define her person, the Evangelist adds to the mention of her father the name of his tribe - he crowns her with great praises, which are completely reliable for the listeners to whom he spoke. Since the prophetess Anna speaks in her old age, weak and not very clearly audible, then, as if bringing the ear of our thoughts closer to her lips, let us see what she also said to those awaiting deliverance in Jerusalem. According to the line of thought, it follows that she spoke about the Lord on the basis of prophetic words, since those to whom, according to the Gospel, she spoke, of course, learned to expect deliverance from the Divine predictions announced by the prophets. Of course, she was well aware of the words of the great Isaiah: A child was born to us, a Son was given to us, and His rulership was on His frame: and His name is called: great is the counsel of the angel (Is. 9:6). Shine, shine, O Jerusalem, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you (Isa. 60:1); also the prophecy of the great David: You have seen all the ends of the earth the salvation of our God (Psalm 97:3). Mercy and truth have been greeted, justice and peace have been embraced (Psalm 85:11). Before the sun abides His name: and because of Him all the tribes of the earth will be blessed, all the nations will bless him, work for Him and worship Him (Ps. 71:11.17); or then the honest and angelic voice of the wise Malachi: Behold, I send my angel, and he will look upon the way before me: and suddenly the Lord will come to his church... and the angel of the covenant, the same you want (Mal.3:1). And from other mysterious promises - from other prophetic sayings, she (the prophetess Anna) wove a divine and blessed crown, although with a weak and trembling hand, as if she had become exhausted in many days. It could not then fit into those listening to the explanation of lofty thoughts about the Lord, since, even after the appearance of signs and the proclamation of God-inspired sacraments, the Distributor of treasures of wisdom and knowledge - Christ said to His disciples: the imam has spoken many things to you, but you cannot bear them now (John 16:12). However, although the old woman and prophetess, who represented the law, aged, dilapidated and close to destruction, did not speak clearly about Christ, nevertheless, her speech was not useless for reasonable listeners, as was the foreshadowing of the great sacrament by the law in shadows and fortune telling. So, come, you spiritual fathers and brethren, taught to celebrate in renewal of the spirit, and not in old age (Rom. 7:6). Come, let us rejoice in the Lord, let us exclaim to God our Savior: let us precede His face in confession, and let us exclaim to Him in psalms (Psalm 94:1–2). Let us continue to offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of the lips of those who confess His name (Heb. 13:15). Let us not forget charity and fellowship: with such sacrifices God is pleased (Heb. 13:16). Let us cleanse ourselves from all filth of sin, and may our spiritual youth be renewed like an eagle, like the blessed elder Simeon, so that we too may peacefully and joyfully flow towards the end of life in good faith and saving hope and not end this life with fear and shame. Let us imitate Anna’s diligent and continuous continuance in fasting and prayer, so that we do not turn out to be worse than a wife, and, moreover, who labored under the shadow of the law, where such examples are rare. On the contrary, as illuminated by the light of grace, aided by immutable hope, strengthened by the power of the Holy Spirit, let us not withdraw our thoughts from the fear of God, but let us nail our flesh and minds to it. Let us listen to the great Paul, who teaches: I have betrothed you to one husband to present a pure virgin to Christ (2 Cor. 11:2), and let us not deny ourselves from the covenant with Christ by mixing with the corrupter of our lives by fulfilling his wishes, imitating in this the wisdom and monogamy of the prophetess. Let us also bring to the highest altar, like a pair of turtle doves, purity of soul and body, or, like a pair of young doves, care for what is good not only before God, but also before men, so that we too, having advanced in wisdom and grace and having come to the measure of the age of the fulfillment of Christ, having become perfect in the inner man and having become the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, may return to our true fatherland - the heavenly Jerusalem, in which and have been worthy of eternal joy and the blessed kingdom in Christ Jesus, to whom be glory and dominion with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Abridged and translated into Russian. See Curs. Compl. Patrolog. edit. Migne, Tom. XLVI, col. 1151–1182.