Catholic Radio Dramas

Let Us Receive the Light

From a sermon on the Presentation of the Lord by Saint Sophronius, bishop (d. c. 638)

Let us receive the light whose brilliance is eternal

Narrated by Frank Dugan, Huntington Beach, California

In honor of the divine mystery that we celebrate today, let us all hasten to meet Christ. Everyone should be eager to join the procession and to carry a light.

Our lighted candles are a sign of the divine splendor of the one who comes to expel the dark shadows of evil and to make the whole universe radiant with the brilliance of his eternal light. Our candles also show how bright out souls should be when we go to meet Christ.

The Mother of God, the most pure Virgin, carried the true light in her arms and brought him to those who lay in darkness. We too should carry a light for all to see and reflect the radiance o the true light a we hasten to meet him.

The light has come and has shone upon a world enveloped in shadows; the Dayspring from on high has visited us and given light to those who lived in darkness. This, then is our feast, and we join in procession with lighted candles to reveal the light that has shone upon us and the glory that is yet to come to us through him. So let us hasten all together to meet our God.

The true light has come, the light that enlightens every man who is born into this world. Let all of us, my brethren, be enlightened and made radiant by this light. Let all of us share in its splendor, and be so filled with it that no one remains in the darkness. Let us be shining ourselves as we go together to meet and to receive with the aged Simeon the light whose brilliance is eternal. Rejoicing with Simeon, let us sing a hymn of thanksgiving to God, the Father of the light, who sent the true light to dispel the darkness and to give us all a share in his splendor.

Through Simeon’s eyes we too have seen the salvation of God which he prepared for all the nations and revealed as the glory of the new Israel, which is ourselves. As Simeon was released from the bonds of this life when he had seen Christ, so we too were at once freed from our old state of sinfulness.

By faith we too embraced Christ, the salvation of God the Father, as he came to us from Bethlehem. Gentiles before, we have now become the people of God. Our eyes have seen God incarnate, and because we have seen him present among us and have mentally received him into our arms, we are called the new Israel. Never shall we forget this presence; every year we keep a feast in its honor.

Source: The Liturgy of the Hours – Office of Readings

Saint Sophronius (d. c. 638) was born at Damascus, Syria, and lived as a hermit most of his life traveling throughout his native land, Asia Minor, and Egypt with another hermit, John Moschus. Sophronius became a monk in Egypt in about 580 and lived for a time with Moschus at St. Sabas Monastery and then at St. Theodosius Monastery near Jerusalem. After visiting various Egyptian monasteries, he spent ten years at Alexandria under Patriarch St. John the Almsgiver. He made a pilgrimage to Rome, where Moschus died in 620. Sophronius then returned to Jerusalem where he was elected bishop and remain its patriarch for eighteen years until his death. He called a synod condemning the Monothelitism heresy and was known as a leader of the orthodox. He was forced to flee Jerusalem when the Saracens captured the city in 638 and died soon after from natural at Alexandria. He wrote several biographies, doctrinal theses, homilies and poems acclaimed for their piety and wisdom and still exist today.