Why February 2 is not Groundhog Day for Orthodox Christians

While many people in North America will be waiting to see whether Punxsutawney Phil or Malverne Mel sees his shadow on February 2, the Orthodox Church will be celebrating the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple (also called the Presentation of the Lord). It is also known as Candlemas, especially in the Western Christian tradition, because of the custom of blessing candles on this day. All are welcome to join us on February 2 to celebrate this wonderful feast day. The Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord in the Temple will be celebrated on Sunday, February 2 at 9:30 AM at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, 369 Green Avenue, East Meadow. The blessing of candles will follow the service. For more information, call 516-483-3649, email info@htocem.org, or visit www.htocem.org.

The feast is based on the event recounted in the Gospel of Luke (2:22-40). Joseph and Mary took the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days after His birth to complete Mary's ritual purification after childbirth, and to perform the redemption of the firstborn son, in obedience to the Torah (Leviticus 12, Exodus 13:12–15). There, they encounter the elder Simeon, who had been promised by God that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah. Upon taking the infant in his arms, Simeon expressed his joy in this prayer (Luke 2:29-32): “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation, which You have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.” Jesus was also met by the Prophetess Anna, who spent many decades praying in the Temple, and also recognized Him as the Messiah. In the Eastern Orthodox Christian tradition, the liturgical celebration of the feast focuses on Jesus Christ, the Incarnate God, meeting with His People, Israel, in the person of the Prophet Simeon and the Prophetess Anna. As the Meeting occurred in the Temple, it also connects the Old and New Testaments.

What does this event mean to us over two thousand years later? In The Orthodox Faith series, Father Thomas Hopko provided this wise insight: The celebration of the Meeting of the Lord in the church is not merely a historical commemoration. Inspired by the same Holy Spirit as Simeon, and led by the same Spirit into the Church of the Messiah, the members of the Church also can claim their own “meeting” with the Lord, and so also can witness that they too can “depart in peace” since their eyes have seen the salvation of God in the person of his Christ.