Dette er lesning 4, 5 og 6 til Matutin på denne dagen – fra en preken av den hellige Augustin:
From the Sermons of St Augustin, Bishop of Hippo. 13th on the Season.
In old time it was written: And of Zion shall it not be said This and that man was born in her, and the Highest Himself shall establish her? Blessed be the omnipotence of Him That was born! Blessed the glory of Him That came from heaven to earth! While yet He was borne in His Mother’s womb, He was saluted by John the Baptist; He was presented in the temple, and recognised by that famous, antient, and glorious worthy, the old man Simeon. As soon as he knew Him he worshipped Him, and said Lord, now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace for mine eyes have seen thy Salvation.He lingered in the world to see the birth of Him Who made the world. The old man knew the Child, and in that Child became a child himself, for in the love wherewith he regarded the Father of all, he felt his own years to be but as of yesterday. The old man Simeon bore the new-born Christ, and all the while, Christ was the old man’s Lord. It had been told him by the Lord that he should not taste of death before he had seen the birth of the Lord’s Christ. Now Christ is born, and all the old man’s wishes on earth are fulfilled. He That came to a decrepit world came to an old man.
He wished not to remain long in the world, but he longed to see Christ in the world, singing with the Prophet, and saying Shew us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation. Ps. lxxxiv. 8. And now at last, that ye may know that the cause of his joy was that this prayer was granted, he saith Now lettest Thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. The Prophets have sung that the Maker of heaven and earth would converse on earth with men an angel hath declared that the Creator of flesh and spirit would come in the flesh the unborn John, yet in the womb, hath saluted the unborn Saviour yet in the womb. The old man Simeon hath seen God a little Child.