Archangel Michael Church Η Εκκλησία του Αρχαγγέλου Μιχαήλ 100 Fairway Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050 (516) 944-3180 ~ www.archangelmichaelchurch.org Clergy: Fr. John Lardas, Fr. Dennis Strouzas, Dn. Michael Palamara The Meeting of Our Lord Ἦχος πλ. δ /Pl. Fourth Tone February 2nd, 2020 The Meeting of the Lord in the Temple Ἡ Ὑπαπαντὴ τοῦ Κυρίου On the fortieth day after Christmas, the Lord was brought as an in- fant to the Temple for the traditional 40 day blessing of the mother and child. The Gospel account that we read today is profound and deserves a couple extra readings at your home. We should all sympa- thize with the anticipation that Symeon feels just as we also antici- pate the time when we are fully united with the Lord in the King- dom. The prophecies of St Symeon and Prophetess Anna should give us all a deeper understanding of the greatness of Christ’s mission and the prudence of the Virgin Mary. This is a great feast of our Church and the hymns we chant today re- flect this. The theology captured in the hymn below is an example where the emphasis is on the great condescension and humility of the Son of God. The creator of the world who was willing to be born in a cave, is now held in the arms of Symeon. His exuberance is cap- tured in the song of Symeon, the emboldened text from the Gospel, that we say in every evening vespers service. Please read, ponder, and marvel the great mystery of our loving God who was willing to be held by one us, just as he also does every liturgy when we receive Him as commun- ion. Τὸ γεγονὸς τῆς Ὑπαπαντῆς, ποὺ ἐξιστορεῖ ὁ Λουκᾶς στὸ β’ κεφάλαιο τὸ Εὐαγγελίου του, συνέβη σαράντα ἡμέρες μετὰ τὴν γέννηση τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. Σύμφωνα μὲ τὸν Μωσαϊκὸ Νόμο, ἂν τὸ πρῶτο παιδὶ τῆς οἰκογένειας ἦταν ἀγόρι, ἀφιερωνόταν στὸν Θεὸ καὶ συγχρόνως προσφερόταν γιὰ θυσία ἕνας ἀμνὸς ἢ ἕνα ζευγάρι τρυγόνια ἢ δυὸ μικρὰ περιστέρια. Τὸ γράμμα τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτῶν πληροῦντες ὁ Ἰωσὴφ καὶ ἡ Παρθένος Μαρία, ἀνῆλθαν τὴν τεσσαρακοστὴ ἡμέρα ἀπὸ τῆς γεννήσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ στὸ ναὸ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων, γιὰ νὰ προσφέρουν τὸν Ἰησοῦ στὸν Θεὸ καὶ νὰ δώσουν τὴν θυσία περὶ καθαρισμοῦ. Τὸ ζευγάρι ὑποδέχθηκε στὸ ναὸ ὁ ὑπερήλικας Προφήτης Συμεών, ὁ ὁποῖος δέχθηκε τὸν Ἰησοῦ στὴν ἀγκαλιά του φωτισμένος ἀπὸ τὸ Ἅγιο Πνεῦμα, ἔχοντας λάβει ἀποκάλυψη ἀπὸ Αὐτὸ ὅτι δὲν θὰ ἀπέθνησκε πρωτοῦ δεῖ Ἐκεῖνον, τὸν ὁποῖο ὁ Now the Ancient of Days becomes an infant for Νηπιάζει δι' ἐμέ, ὁ Παλαιὸς τῶν ἡμερῶν, me. And the most pure God now shares purifi- καθαρσίων κοινωνεῖ, ὁ καθαρώτατος Θεός, ἵνα cation with me, to show that truly He assumed τὴν σάρκα πιστώσῃ μου, τὴν ἐκ Παρθένου. Καὶ my flesh from the Virgin. And Symeon was led ταῦτα Συμεὼν μυσταγωγούμενος, ἐπέγνω τὸν to know the mystery and recognized as God the αὐτόν, Θεὸν φανέντα σαρκί, καὶ ὡς ζωὴν one he saw in the flesh. And he embraced and ἠσπάζετο, καὶ χαίρων, πρεσβυτικῶς kissed Him as life itself, and he rejoiced as an ἀνεκραύγαζεν· Ἀπόλυσόν με· σὲ γὰρ κατεῖδον, elder and cried aloud, Let me depart now, for I τὴν ζωὴν τῶν ἁπάντων. have seen You, O Lord, the life of all things. (Από τα Καθσὶματα τῆς Ἑορτῆς ) (From the Kathismata of the Feast) Σ Υ Ν Α Ξ Α Ρ Ι Ο Ν SYNAXARION Ἡ Ὑπαπαντὴ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ We celebrate the Feast of the Meeting of our Χριστοῦ ἑορτάζεται, ἐν ᾗ ἐδέξατο αὐτὸν εἰς Lord Jesus Christ, when the righteous τὰς ἀγκάλας αὑτοῦ ὁ δίκαιος Συμεών. Symeon received Him in his embraces. Εἰσοδικόν Entrance Hymn Ἐγνώρισε Κύριος τὸ σωτήριον αὐτοῦ The Lord made known His salvation in the ἐναντίον πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν. Σῶσον ἡμᾶς sight of all the Gentiles. Save us, O Son of Υἱὲ Θεοῦ, ὁ ἀναστὰς ἐκ νεκρῶν, ψάλλοντάς God, risen from the dead, we sing to you Al- σοι, Ἀλληλούϊα. leluia. ἈπολυτίκιονἮχος πλ. δ Apolytikion Pl. Fourth Mode Ἐξ ὕψους κατῆλθες ὁ εὔσπλαγχνος, ταφὴν From on high did You descend, O merciful κατεδέξω τριήμερον, ἵνα ἡμᾶς ἐλευθερώσῃς Lord, for us did you endure, three days in τῶν παθῶν. Ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ Ἀνάστασις ἡμῶν, the tomb, that we may be, released from pas- Κύριε δόξα σοι. sions in this world, You who are our resur- rection and our life, Glory unto You O Lord. Τῆς Ἑορτῆς Apolytikion For the Feast Χαῖρε κεχαριτωμένη Θεοτόκε Παρθένε· ἐκ Rejoice thou who art full of grace, O Virgin σοῦ γὰρ ἀνέτειλεν ὁ Ἥλιος τῆς Theotokos, for from thee hath risen the Sun δικαιοσύνης, Χριστὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, of Righteousness, Christ our God, enlighten- φωτίζων τοὺς ἐν σκότει. Εὐφραίνου καὶ σὺ ing those in darkness. Rejoice, thou also, O Πρεσβύτα δίκαιε, δεξάμενος ἐν ἀγκάλαις righteous Elder, as thou receivest in thine τὸν ἐλευθερωτὴν τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν, arms the Redeemer of our souls, Who also χαριζόμενον ἡμῖν καὶ τὴν Ἀνάστασιν. granteth unto us the Resurrection. Kontakion (1st Mode) Κοντάκιον Thou Who didst sanctify the Virgin’s womb by Ὁ μήτραν παρθενικὴν ἁγιάσας τῷ τόκῳ σου, Thy birth, and didst bless Symeon’s hands as καὶ χεῖρας τοῦ Συμεὼν εὐλογήσας ὡς ἔπρεπε, was meet, by anticipation hast even now saved προφθάσας καὶ νῦν ἔσωσας ἡμᾶς Χριστὲ ὁ us, O Christ God. But grant peace in the midst Θεός. Ἀλλ' εἰρήνευσον ἐν πολέμοις τὸ of wars unto Thy commonwealth and strength- πολίτευμα, καὶ κραταίωσον Βασιλεῖς οὓς en the hierarchs whom Thou hast loved, O on- ἠγάπησας, ὁ μόνος φιλάνθρωπος. ly Friend of man. Today’s Scripture Readings: Both for the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple St. Paul's Letter to the Hebrews 7:7-17 Brethren, it is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. Here tithes are received by mortal men; there, by one whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchizedek met him. Now if perfec- tion had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named af- ter the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Mel- chizedek, who has become a priest, not according to a legal requirement concerning bodily descent but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, "Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchiz- edek." Πρὸς Ἑβραίους 7:7-17 Ἀδελφοί, χωρὶς δὲ πάσης ἀντιλογίας, τὸ ἔλαττον ὑπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος εὐλογεῖται. Καὶ ὧδε μὲν δεκάτας ἀποθνῄσκοντες ἄνθρωποι λαμβάνουσιν· ἐκεῖ δέ, μαρτυρούμενος ὅτι ζῇ. Καί, ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν, διὰ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Λευῒ ὁ δεκάτας λαμβάνων δεδεκάτωται· ἔτι γὰρ ἐν τῇ ὀσφύϊ τοῦ πατρὸς ἦν, ὅτε συνήντησεν αὐτῷ ὁ Μελχισεδέκ. Εἰ μὲν οὖν τελείωσις διὰ τῆς Λευϊτικῆς ἱερωσύνης ἦν - ὁ λαὸς γὰρ ἐπʼ αὐτῇ νενομοθέτητο - τίς ἔτι χρεία, κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ ἕτερον ἀνίστασθαι ἱερέα, καὶ οὐ κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Ἀαρὼν λέγεσθαι; Μετατιθεμένης γὰρ τῆς ἱερωσύνης, ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ νόμου μετάθεσις γίνεται. Ἐφʼ ὃν γὰρ λέγεται ταῦτα, φυλῆς ἑτέρας μετέσχηκεν, ἀφʼ ἧς οὐδεὶς προσέσχηκεν τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ. Πρόδηλον γὰρ ὅτι ἐξ Ἰούδα ἀνατέταλκεν ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν, εἰς ἣν φυλὴν οὐδὲν περὶ ἱερωσύνης Μωϋσῆς ἐλάλησεν. Καὶ περισσότερον ἔτι κατάδηλόν ἐστιν, εἰ κατὰ τὴν ὁμοιότητα Μελχισεδὲκ ἀνίσταται ἱερεὺς ἕτερος, ὃς οὐ κατὰ νόμον ἐντολῆς σαρκικῆς γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ δύναμιν ζωῆς ἀκαταλύτου· μαρτυρεῖ γὰρ ὅτι Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. The Gospel According to Luke 2:22-40 At that time, the parents brought the child Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") and to offer a sacrifice ac- cording to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtle doves, or two young pigeons." Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Symeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consola- tion of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel." And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Symeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and as a widow till she was eighty-four.