The Lord coming to you Himself

[Jude 1:1–10; Luke 22:39–42, 45–23:1] The Meet­ing of the Lord. At this meet­ing the Lord is sur­round­ed on the one side by Sim-eon — right­eous­ness which awaits sal­va­tion, but not in right­eous­ness itself, and Anna — a life of strict fast­ing and prayer, made alive by faith; and on the oth­er side by sub-stantial, com­pre­hen­sive and stead-fast puri­ty — the Vir­gin Moth­er of God, and by hum­ble, silent submis-sion and devo­tion to the will of God — Joseph the Betrothed. Trans­fer all of these spir­i­tu­al atti­tudes to your heart and you will meet the Lord; not car­ried to you, but com­ing to you Him­self. You will take Him into the embrace of your heart, and you will sing a hymn which will pass through­out the heav­ens and glad-den all the angels and saints.

Saint Theo­phan the Recluse