The Meeting of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple
February 2, Julian ecclesiastical calendar / February 15, civil calendar
Dates follow the calendar tradition used by this project. Parishes using the new calendar celebrate fixed feasts on different civil dates.
The Meeting of the Lord commemorates the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Temple and His encounter with the righteous Simeon and the prophetess Anna. It is observed on February 2 in the Julian ecclesiastical calendar, corresponding to February 15 in the civil calendar from 1901 through 2099.
Meaning of the feast
The word “Meeting” points to an encounter: the infant Christ is received in the Temple by the righteous Simeon. The feast proclaims that the One long awaited by God’s people has come. Simeon recognizes the Child as God’s salvation, a light for the Gentiles and the glory of Israel; Anna gives thanks and speaks about Him to those awaiting the redemption of Jerusalem. In the Church’s understanding, Simeon and Anna stand at the end of the Old Testament’s faithful expectation and are granted to meet the promised Messiah. The feast therefore joins reverence for the Child Jesus with joy at God’s faithfulness to His promise.
Gospel background and Church memory
The event is narrated in Luke 2:22–40. Forty days after Christ’s birth, the Most Holy Theotokos and Saint Joseph brought Him to the Temple in Jerusalem, fulfilling the requirements of the Law of Moses. The Gospel says that Simeon had received the assurance that he would see the Lord’s Christ before his death. Taking the Child in his arms, he gave thanks to God in words used by the Church at Vespers: “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace.” He also foretold suffering for the Mother of God. Anna, an elderly widow devoted to prayer and fasting, arrived and bore witness to the Child. The feast is among the ancient celebrations of the Christian Church; its observance became more solemn in the sixth century.
Spiritual meaning today
The Meeting invites Christians to approach Christ with the patience, watchfulness, and gratitude shown by Simeon and Anna. Their lives remind us that waiting on God is not passive: it is shaped by faith, prayer, and steadfastness. Simeon’s song also teaches that peace is found not in possessing everything we desire, but in recognizing God’s saving work. Church tradition commemorates on this day the icon of the Mother of God called “Softening of Evil Hearts,” also known as “Simeon’s Prophecy.” The seven swords shown piercing her breast recall Simeon’s words that a sword would pierce her soul. The image directs believers to the compassion and sorrow borne by the Mother of God.
In the Bible
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Sources: Orthodox Church in America