Jerusalem Patriarchate: Feast of Meeting of the Lord

A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel

On Wednesday 2nd/15th February 2017, the feast of Hypapante (Meeting) of the Lord was celebrated by the Patriarchate at the Nunnery of Saida Naya, which is a stone’s throw away on the North side of the Church of the Resurrection, opposite Hanke Mosque and next to the Monastery of our Father among the Saints Euthymios.

At this feast, the Church commemorates the circumstance that our Lord Jesus Christ, obeying the Law of Moses, which he came not to destroy but to fulfill (Mat. 5:14-19), he was brought to the Temple of Solomon by his parents, at his fortieth day of age, when the righteous Simeon held him in his arms, and saw the fullfilment of the prophesy that he would not face death before he would have seen the Christ of the Lord. At that instant he exclaimed: “Lord, now letttest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel” (Luke 2:29-33).

This Dominical Feast, which has been praised by the various hymn writers of the Church with Katavasiae, and many hymns, was celebrated at the above mentioned Holy Church in the evening with Vespers and on the morning of the feast with the Divine Liturgy, both led by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Isychios of Kapitolias, with concelebrants the Archimandrites Ignatios, Makarios and Stephen the delegate of the Holy Sepulchre in Russia, at the singing of the left choir singer of the Church of the Resurrection Mr. George Alvanos in Greek, and Mr. Rimon in Arabic, and the presence of a big crowd of praying faithful, locals, Greeks, Russians and Romanians, all different nationalities united in one Orthodox faith.

During the Divine Liturgy H.H.B. our Father and Patriarch of Jerusalem Theophilos came to venerate.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the renovator of the Monastery Abbess Seraphima offered a reception to the Episcopal Entourage and the congregation at the hegoumeneion.

Source: jp-newsgate.net