The Circumcision of the Lord: Homily 1: On the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ (Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko)

1. The Feasts of the Lord

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko 

II. The Circumcision of the Lord:

Homily No. 1: On the Feast of the Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ

I. The Feast of the Nativity of Christ ends, and with it a new feast begins — the Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ. Feast follows feast.

Recall, brethren, from sacred history that when God entered into a covenant with Abraham and promised him a descendant as numerous as the sand of the sea, as numerous as the stars in the sky, He established the rite of circumcision as the seal, or visible sign, of this covenant. Abraham was also given this new name, replacing his former name, Abram. Then, when the Lord gave the law to the Jewish people through Moses, He also commanded (Lev. 12:3) that every Jewish male child be circumcised, otherwise he could not belong to the Jewish people chosen by God and could not be a participant in those great promises of God given to Abraham and all his descendants.

In fulfillment of this law, our Lord, being a descendant of Abraham in the flesh, underwent the legal rite of circumcision on the eighth day after His birth, and He was given the name Jesus — the very name the Archangel Gabriel announced to the Most Holy Virgin Mary at the hour of the Annunciation. The heavenly name Jesus means Savior, for the Lord was born to save all people from sin, damnation, and death. This name of the Lord is human, though brought from heaven. The name Christ, which we usually add to the glorious name Jesus, means "anointed one," or, in Hebrew, "Messiah." Among the Jews, kings, high priests, and prophets were called "anointed ones," because kings and high priests, upon assuming their office, were customarily anointed with holy oil. Remember how Samuel the prophet poured sacred oil on Saul and David when, by God's command, he chose each of them to be kings; how Moses poured anointing oil on the head of Aaron when he appointed him high priest to serve at the tabernacle (Exodus 29). And the prophets received illumination from the Holy Spirit, which is also called spiritual anointing. But all these titles apply in the highest degree to the Lord Jesus: He is our King, the King who conquers our enemies; He is the High Priest, who sacrificed Himself on the cross for our sins; He is the Prophet, He is our Teacher, who proclaimed to us the will of God.

Thus, the Feast of Circumcision was established in remembrance of this rite performed on our Savior on the eighth day after His birth, and, with the naming of the All-Holy name of the Lord, it completes the celebration of the Nativity of Christ.

II. a) The establishment of the Feast of Circumcision dates back to the first centuries of Christianity, and the Holy Church, in establishing this feast, in addition to preserving the memory of the event, intended to teach us, through the example of the Lord Himself, the constant fulfillment of God's commandments and unquestioning obedience to Her holy statutes. "The Lord," she says, "gave Himself an image and pattern to all for salvation: for the Creator of the Law fulfills the law" (Stichera 2 at Great Vespers).

Let us take note of this instruction of the Holy Church and strive to fulfill it in practice.

Let us, beloved brethren, draw other edifying lessons from the event now celebrated by the Holy Church.

b) At the circumcision of the Son of God, who became incarnate for our salvation, He was given the name Jesus. What does the name Jesus mean? Salvation. What kind of salvation? All kinds, spiritual and physical, temporal and eternal, visible and invisible. From what evils does fallen mankind not suffer! It suffers from darkness in the mind, from malice in the will, from impurity and languor in the heart, from sickness and death in the body. All these forms of evil will be destroyed by the Son of God; from all of them He will save people completely and forever. For this very reason, He is called the name Jesus, or Savior; for He accepts it not as we often accept names, just to bear a name, but in order to actually fulfill it. Therefore, this name was given not by chance, at the request of, for example, His Mother or Saint Joseph, but from above, from an angel, even before His conception in the womb. And the angel, without a doubt, did not devise it himself, but received it with reverence from the Lord of angels Himself, "from whom," as the apostle notes, "the whole family in heaven and on earth is named" (Eph. 3:15). Therefore, "there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved" (Acts 4:12), except the name of the Lord Jesus; therefore, before this venerable name, "every knee of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, must bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10-11).

We do well, my brethren, that out of reverence we do not give this name to anyone. What Christian would dare to bear the name of Jesus? But the worst thing is that this all-holy and sweetest name has passed from the realm of reverence into the realm of inattention and oblivion for many. What do all the great names in the world mean compared to the one name of Jesus? For, let us repeat, the words of the Apostle are true and worthy of all acceptance: "For there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must all be saved" except this divine name. And when our salvation lies in it, how can we not love it and revere it? Loving it, how can we not repeat it often and with delight? Reverencing it, how can we not treasure it and inspire respect for it in everyone we can influence? The ancient Christians were so adept at appropriating the sweetest name of the Savior that after the martyrdom of Saint Ignatius it was found visibly imprinted on his heart. If such perfection is greater than our weakness, then at least let us not resemble the pagans who do not know the name of Jesus.

c) The circumcision of the Lord is the visible beginning of His sacrifice on the Cross; for all other forms of humiliation and suffering which He will endure for us throughout His life constituted a bloodless sacrifice, but here – iron and blood, a visible foreshadowing of nails and the crown of thorns.

You see how He, Who is the very essence of purity and holiness, began His life and actions: with circumcision. How much more should we, impure and defiled by sin, use the time given to us to accomplish spiritual circumcision — that is, to cut off all ungodly thoughts and prejudices, to eradicate all soul-destroying passions and desires, to erase all spiritual and carnal impurities? Otherwise, it would be better to shorten our lives than to prolong them in sin and iniquity. If, by the Lord's mercy, they are prolonged, then this is a sign that sorrow awaits our repentance, a long-awaited one, ever since we strayed from the path of righteousness and truth.

III. Let us enter into the spirit and purpose of the New Year; let us understand the true and only benefit we can derive from time, not just for a time, but for all eternity; let us cease to seek salvation where it can never be found, and let us turn to Him who was sent for this purpose, who came in the flesh for this purpose, who has already shed His blood, that He might save us all. More than once, but many times this day, He has appeared to us with this redeeming blood, with His touching example and salvation for us. Behold, He has appeared again, and now, for some, He has appeared, in all likelihood, for the last time. Let us not close our eyes again, let us not turn away our ears as before; let us also take up the knife of Christian self-denial, and in the spirit of faith in the all-powerful name of Jesus, let us begin to circumcise everything that is carnal and contrary to the law of God that may be found in us. (See "Sermons" by Innocent, Archbishop of Kherson, vol. I, pp. 198–208).

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.