Luke 2:28Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

and embracing Him, acknowledges Him as God. For one who declares Him to be the Sovereign over life and death is able to proclaim, ‘Today you release your servant, O Lord’.

Christ was presented in the temple as a young child, an infant, when the esteemed Simeon, graced by prophetic insight, embraced Him. Overwhelmed with great joy, he praised God. He also acknowledged what the law prescribed: two turtledoves and two young pigeons, symbols of purity and humility, reflecting the diverse ways of living for which He is the Lawgiver. It can be said that those who are more laid-back and spiritually inclined, having chosen the ascetic lifestyle, are akin to doves, while those engaged in the responsibilities of family and domestic life can be likened to turtledoves.

In addition to Christ, Righteous Simeon perceived Him with his spirit, as he recognized the Child, and he witnessed Him with his physical sight since he held the Child in his arms. By experiencing Him in both manners—acknowledging Him as the Son of God and cradling Him born of the Virgin—he proclaimed, ‘Today you let your servant go in peace, O Lord, for my eyes have seen your salvation (Lk 2:29-30). Observe what he declared. He remained on earth until he could behold with his eyes the One he had identified with his heart. He accepted the body of the Child and embraced that form; upon seeing that body—believing it to be the Lord manifested in the flesh—he affirmed, My eyes have seen Thy salvation. Reflect on this: will not all humanity likewise behold the salvation of God?

It was not surely worldly happiness that the prudent Simeon was waiting for as the consolation of Israel, but a real happiness, that is, a passing over to the beauty of truth from the shadow of the law. For he had learnt from the sacred oracles that he would see the Lord’s Christ before he should depart out of this present life. Hence it follows, And the Holy Spirit was in him, (by which indeed he was justified,) and he received an answer from the Holy Spirit.

Not only did Angels and Prophets, the shepherds and his parents, bear witness to the birth of the Lord, but the old men and the righteous. As it is said, And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and he was a just man, and one who feared God. For scarcely is righteousness preserved without fear, I mean not that fear which dreads the loss of worldly goods, (which perfect love casteth out,) (1 John 4:18) but that holy fear of the Lord which abideth for ever, (Ps. 19:9.) by which the righteous man, the more ardent his love to God, is so much the more careful not to offend Him.

When the child's parents brought Jesus to fulfill the prescribed rituals, he embraced the child. His discerning vision allowed him to immediately recognize Him, and he praised God—the God who became human.

If thou wilt touch Jesus and grasp Him in thy hands, strive with all thy strength to have the Spirit for thy guide, and come to the temple of God. For it follows, And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, (i. e. Mary His mother, and Joseph His reputed father,) to do for him after the custom of the law, then took he him up in his arms.

The same Holy Spirit that guided the righteous Simeon to the temple to encounter Jesus Christ revealed to him this incarnate Child, cradled in the embrace of the Virgin Mary. How profoundly joyful was the holy elder as he beheld Him and embraced Him! Overflowing with gratitude to God for this unmatched blessing, he offered a hymn of praise, exalting the Lord.

Hereby also we learn with what desire the holy men of Israel desired to see the mystery of His incarnation.

To see death means to undergo it, and happy will he be to see the death of the flesh who has first been enabled to see with the eyes of his heart the Lord Christ, having his conversation in the heavenly Jerusalem, and frequently entering the doors of God’s temple, that is, following the examples of the saints in whom God dwells as in His temple. By the same grace of the Spirit whereby he foreknew Christ would come, he now acknowledges Him come, as it follows, And he came by the Spirit into the temple.

arrived at the temple and quickly approached to embrace this divine yet earthly Child.

The moment when St. Simeon was blessed to cradle his God in his arms is truly precious! Likewise, the Christian experiences an even greater grace during the holy communion. Origen notes that the grace bestowed upon the Evangelical woman who merely touched the hem of Jesus' garment allows us to appreciate the immense grace Simeon received when he held Christ Himself, enveloping Him with living faith. After witnessing the Savior of all nations, it is evident that he was completely filled with the Holy Spirit, free from concerns about earthly life, and ready to depart with indescribable joy.

To observe both commandments, the Lord’s parents brought Him to the temple. At this moment, remarkable occurrences unfolded, through which God revealed the Lord Christ to His humble parents in the child presented at the temple. At that time, there was a righteous and devout man living in Jerusalem named Simeon. He had received a promise from the Spirit of God that he would not pass away before seeing the Lord's Messiah; thus, his entire inner life was filled with a deep longing for the consolation of Israel, which is the advent of the promised Savior.

Upon realizing that the Child is the long-awaited Messiah, the aged Simeon embraces Him and rejoices at having finally witnessed the Glory of Israel, the Light that illuminates the Gentiles, and Salvation for all peoples. He understands that the Lord-God is now granting him the serenity to depart in peace from this temporary existence to one that is everlasting and far superior.

During the final years of his life, he became nearly a constant presence in the temple and its courtyard, dedicating himself to fervent prayer for the swift realization of the promise bestowed upon him. Then, the Blessed Virgin entered the temple, carrying her divine Son. Upon witnessing this Holy Child, the God-inspired heart of the righteous elder was filled with joy. With his prophetic insight, he recognized that this was the comfort of Israel, the Messiah, the Redeemer of the world.