Throughout the year the Church celebrates many feasts. These
feasts commemorate the life of Christ, the life of the Panagia (Mother of God),
the lives of the Saints, and even Church history. In many cases, such as
yesterday’s feast of the Presentation of Christ, there are one or more “key
players” the Church honors with additional feast day celebrations. Today is an
example.
Besides Christ, the key player in yesterday’s feast was
Saint Symeon who was seeking Christ. It was Saint Symeon who the Holy Spirit
inspired to proclaim the infant Jesus as Messiah. It was Saint Symeon who gave
us the beautiful prayer...
"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."
You can find many of these types of feasts on the Church
Calendar if you look for them. Take a moment today and look through your Church
Calendar. Read the Scriptures readings for the Feastdays and then look for the
Saints who are commemorated on the day following the Feast. Look for Saint John
the Baptist following Epiphany, the Theotokos following Christmas, Archangel
Gabriel following the Annunciation and more.
Today we award the “Best Supporting Actor” to Saint Symeon,
a righteous and devout man who was seeking Christ.
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