The Circumcision of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Meaning of the feast

This feast recalls the event on the eighth day after the Nativity of Christ, when the infant Jesus was circumcised in accordance with the Old Testament Law. Circumcision was performed on male infants as the sign of God’s covenant with the forefather Abraham and his descendants. On that day the Divine Infant was also given the name Jesus, as the Archangel Gabriel had announced to the Most Holy Theotokos at the Annunciation. The name Jesus means “Savior” and points to Christ’s ministry: the salvation of the world.

Biblical background and Church memory

The Gospel records that Jesus received His name on the eighth day. His circumcision belongs to the setting of the covenantal sign established in the Old Testament. The Fathers of the Church taught that Christ, the Creator of the Law, freely accepted this observance in order to offer an example of faithful obedience to God’s ordinances. They also understood it as a witness that He truly assumed human flesh: His Incarnation was not an appearance or illusion. Accounts of the feast’s observance in the Eastern Church extend back to the fourth century. The canon for the feast was written by Saint Stephen of the Monastery of Saint Savva.

Spiritual meaning today

In the New Testament, circumcision gave way to the Mystery of Baptism, which it prefigured according to apostolic teaching. Baptism brings a person into the New Covenant with God and calls for an inward renewal: the putting away of sin. The feast therefore reminds Christians that faith is not only an outward sign, but a life shaped by the name of Christ. The very name “Christian” bears witness to entry into the New Covenant. On this day, believers may give thanks for Baptism, reflect carefully on their commitment to God, and ask for help in living faithfully in ordinary daily life.

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