Introduction to the Mystery of the Meeting of the Lord

Priest Aleksandar RTOC

In the depths of time, at the crossroads of covenants, a meeting took place that is not merely a historical event but an eternal mystery—the mystery of the Meeting.
For not every encounter is ordinary; some meetings change the world, transform the heart, and open the doors of eternity.
The Meeting of the Lord is not just the moment when God in the flesh entered the temple. It is a mystical moment when the old meets the new, when the weary eyes of an old man gaze upon the face of the Savior of the world.
It is the moment when centuries of expectation merge into a single sigh, when the Lawgiver submits to the Law, when the Creator of heaven and earth stands in the hands of a man.
But the Meeting is not merely an event of the past. It is a path, a calling, a mystical road that every soul must walk.
For Christ enters the temple not just once but continually—into the temple of the human heart, into the temple of history, into the temple of time.
And each of us is either Simeon, seeking Him, or a Pharisee, failing to see Him.
This is the story of an encounter that transforms. Of a light that does not fade but ignites. Of a God who does not wait but comes forth to meet us.
And the question remains: Are you ready to meet Him?
The Mystery of the Meeting of the Lord
There are days when heaven descends upon the earth, when centuries converge into a single moment, when the mystery of revelation pierces through the mist of time and unveils the face of God before mortal eyes.
One such day is the Meeting of the Lord, the day when God in the flesh was brought into the temple to meet those who had sought Him, the day when the centuries-old yearning of the righteous found its answer in the hands of an old man.
Forty days after His Birth, the Most Holy Virgin Theotokos enters the sanctuary of the Jerusalem temple.
She, who has given birth to the Uncontainable One, brings Him into the temple in the manner of the humble, to present Him to God, though He Himself is the Source of all holiness.
She brings Him, though He, born without sin, has nothing to be purified from.
For the Lawgiver does not abolish the Law but fulfills it.
He, whom heaven and earth cannot contain, stands in the hands of man—as a child, as a fragile Infant, yet at the same time as the One before whom the cherubim and seraphim stand in awe.
The Encounter of the Old and the New Testament
In the temple, among many, only two recognize Him as the Promised One.
The Elder Simeon, a righteous man and prophet, to whom the Holy Spirit had revealed that he would not see death until he beheld Christ the Lord, now stands, his gaze immersed in eternity.
His weary eyes see the Infant, but his heart perceives something greater—the Light that enlightens the nations, the glory of the new Israel, the fulfillment of all prophecies.
He takes Him into his arms, and in that touch, two worlds meet: the age of Old Testament hopes and the light of New Testament fulfillment.
And he utters words that echo through time, words repeated by many at the moment of their departure from this life—as a prayer, as relief, as victory:
“Now, Lord, You let Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word, for my eyes have seen Your salvation…”
But Simeon does not speak only joyful words.
He beholds the mystery of the Cross.
He knows that this Child is a sign of opposition, a sign that will divide humanity—One whom some will love unto death and others will hate unto condemnation.
And so his voice takes on the weight of prophecy as he tells the Mother:
“And a sword shall pierce your own soul also…”
For, beloved children, sons and daughters, know this: there is no Meeting without sacrifice, no light without Golgotha, no Resurrection without the Cross.
Yet, Simeon is not the only witness.
There is also Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, a widow who had served God in fasting and prayer since her youth.
She does not look at the Infant with the eyes of an old woman but with the eyes of a soul filled with expectation.
Her voice, perhaps long unheard in the world, now rises in the praise of God, proclaiming to Jerusalem that the Long-Awaited One has come.
The Pharisees, blind to the light that has shone in the temple, look on with unbearable rage.
They do not see the Messiah; they see a threat.
When they hear that Zechariah has placed the Virgin Mary in the section for virgins, their hearts fill with malice.
They do not seek the truth; they seek to silence it.
Their words reach Herod, who already envisions the sword in his hand.
But the Truth cannot be imprisoned.
For while Herod’s soldiers prepare for slaughter, while the shadow of blood falls upon the land of Bethlehem, the divine Family is already on the move.
The night is silent, yet within it, the destiny of the world is unfolding.
An angel guides their steps, and God hides in the land of Egypt, just as He will one day hide in the tomb—only to emerge from it in glory.
The Meeting is not merely a feast of the past. It is not merely a remembrance of a moment in the Jerusalem temple. The Meeting is a mystical call to every soul.
For every person, sooner or later, stands at the entrance of the temple, in the sanctuary of their heart.
And within them is a child—not the Infant Christ, but themselves, in their helplessness, in their need for God.
Will the eyes of their soul recognize Him?
Every person is either Simeon, awaiting the Lord to deliver them, or Anna, rejoicing in seeing Him.
But one can also be a Pharisee, looking yet not seeing, hearing yet not understanding.
For the Meeting is not only about the encounter of God and man in the temple.
It is about the encounter of God and man within the soul.
And the question remains:
Are you ready for this Meeting?
For Christ enters the temple.


The Meeting begins.
And you?


Will you recognize Him?


The Meeting is not merely an encounter in time but a window into eternity.
It is not only the joy of the righteous Simeon, nor merely the prophetic voice of Anna.
It is the encounter of the created and the Uncreated, the meeting of the expectant man and the coming God.
It is the entry of Light into the shadow of the fallen world, the revelation of the Mystery hidden since the foundation of the world.
For what is this world if not one long night of waiting, an endless wandering in the shadow of earthly transience, while the soul yearns for the Light that never sets?
And when Christ appears in the temple, He does not come merely as a Child but as Meaning, as the Answer to all the silent cries of hearts longing in the dark.
Just as Elder Simeon stretched out his arms to receive the Infant, so too must every soul stretch out its hands to touch Eternity.
For Christ is not One who remains distant but One who gives Himself.
He is the One who is received, who is carried in the heart as the Unfading Light, who is held in the hands as the Bread of Life.
He is the One who liberates from the night, who opens the gates of the Heavenly Jerusalem, who whispers to every lost soul the words that shatter fear and restore to the Kingdom:
“Now, Lord, You let Your servant depart in peace…”
O Light of this fallen world, meet us, that we may not remain in the darkness of ignorance.
To You, the Only True Light, be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.