On the feast of the Meeting of the Lord
Today is the leave taking of the feast of the Meeting of the Lord. I love this feast, and was saddened to have to miss it due to illness, but was grateful to Fr. Basil and Maria who sang the Vespers, so that I could pray along from home. There are a few things that I am reminded of every year.
No, not because the feast is also Groundhog Day! It was on this feast that I arrived at St. Nicholas 22 years ago, so I am reminded of the beginning of being a part of this parish family, which is so precious to me.
This is also one of the feasts which have permeated the Western culture, with an expression in the arts. J.S. Bach wrote his beautiful cantata “Ich Habe Genug” (I have enough) - a poetic expression of the words and thoughts of the righteous elder Simeon.
You can listen to it here, sung by Hans Hotter - a version which drew Fr. Seraphim Rose to Orthodoxy, when he was in college.
read the lyrics in English here
I may be repeating myself with all this, but some things are worth repeating.
The third thing, which bears frequent repetition, at least for me, is this sermon by St. Theophan for this feast. I’ve shared it before, and Fr. Basil read it on the feast day. I feel like if I were to read this Sermon daily for a month, it would not be too much repetition. The whole thing is good, but one section in particular starts with this sentence:
“If anyone complains that he would like the fruit but the labor it takes to get it is too hard, the answer is: Good. There is an easier method, a method simpler than the one laid out.”
Why do I like this section so much? Perhaps for the same reason that some of you will. We live in the world, in Silicon Valley. We are constantly busy with a variety of activities and responsibilities. We find it challenging to maintain the variety of activities associated with the spiritual life. We long to go deeper, but find it challenging, even without kids. WITH kids, it is an even greater challenge.
And yet earlier this month, the feast of St. Anthony the Great, the real father of monasticism in its most extreme form reminded me of a story from his life. He asked the Lord if there were any ascetics who were his equal. The Lord revealed to him that there was - a busy doctor in the midst of the city, who merely sang the thrice-holy hymn, the Trisagion in his heart all day. This is very much like the constant inward attention that St. Theophan recommends. Despite its simplicity, this inward activity can accomplish much. It creates a type of leverage in the soul that other, even heavier ascetic activities don’t have. But there is some work involved in making this constant remembrance of God a habit.
Here is the sermon:
https://orthochristian.com/44773.html
I’m going to personally make a challenge to you and myself: to read this sermon every day from now until the beginning of Lent, striving to put into daily practice, the simple method that St. Theophan lays out. What do you say? Will you join me?
Happy Feast!
In Christ,
John
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